Hey all... I was wondering if anyone knew of any good reading resources for dealing with various aspects of mixing.  Almost like a trouble shooting manual so to speak... For example.

1) My mix is too muddy what do I do
2) I have a ring in my snare drum, what do I d
3) How do I get a nice thud out of the kick drum
4) How do I get rid of extra bleed from the snare
5) My overall mix sounds dull
6) My instruments don't seem to blend well, they all sound isolated.

Things along those lines.  I have a general idea of what to do, but, my knowledge is not precise enough.

http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?s=3e6b2ef7af4404233e0c87c8d4f4cbac&t=29283

Dude... you bought X2 early enough to snag the free month of Groove3 didn't you? I hope you redeemed that because the offer expired feb 28th. I'm currently working through some mixing vids right now. If you've a few extra bucks you might want to pay for a month pass. I'm learning a lot.

Hey Beep... I did, but I was also looking for something that could be very specific and pin point. Something that was in text form not video.  Sometimes I like to read and make notes. It sticks in my brain better sometimes. 

Trust me, I'm taking FULL ADVANTAGE of the 30 day offer. 

Well I've been writing everything down as I watch the vids. Kind of a pain in the butt (I too prefer text but whatever) but there seems to be a lot of very pointed advice in some of these. That said check out the techniques sub forum on here. There have been tons of thread relating to mixing/mastering as well as many that offer good books to read up on these topics. 

Mixing is so subjective though and there are so many variables I think the best thing is to absorb as many different techniques as possible and experiment. There just isn't really any easy answers or specific methods that'll guarantee a good mix every time.

The good news is you have a broad selection of tools and a very large pool of knowledge here on the forum. That helps a lot.

Oh and to give my limited knowledge to the questions...

1) Too vague. Muddiness can come from a huge number of things so this is not something that can be answered easily.

2) EQ out the low end using a low pass filter, do a notch filter sweep (create a very narrow band with the Q knob, crank up the gain on it then sweep it back and forth through the spectrum to find where the ring is... then turn it down). Put a compressor on it with a somewhat slow attack so it doesn't kill the crack of the snare then use a slowish release time so the compressor doesn't turn off before the snare hit is finished ringing out. Play with the threshold to figure out what level is need to make this sound natural.

3) Boost the bottom end and do a low mid scoop just after that low boost. Then do that notch filter/sweeping technique in the hi mid range to find the beater click and keep that slightly boosted with a slightly curved Q on the band.

4) Use a limiter/gate before it hits the compressor and set it so the gate closes before you hear the bleed.

5) Again too vague

6) You gotta find the right way to EQ and pan each. Also learn about delay, reverb and the Haas effect to bring more depth to the elements in your mix.

I'm still learning myself so don't take that as gospel and some of it might be completely wrong but that's how I've been interpreting things so far.

Just keep reading, watching, asking and most importantly experimenting. Good luck.

  Oh and make a plan. If you are trying to mix a vocal heavy song (like pop or whatever) work on your vocals first then mix around that starting with bass, then rhythm guitars, lead instruments and then sit your vocals on top. If it's more instrument based mix your drums first starting with the kick and snare then add in the toms and overheads. You could also do those drums in reverse for an old school more live sounding drum feel where you use the overheads to get the entire kit sounding like a completed sound then just use your close mics as helpers (mostly the kick and snare). 

Mike Senior's "Mixing Secrets" is a classic and well worth reading. Most of what he talks about applies to the home recording studio as well as the professional setup. He has a great writing style, gets down to the point and tells you everything you need to know. One of the most renowned books on mixing out there. Just read the reviews. 

Hey Beep, those were not questions meant to be answered here. Those were just the kind of topics I'd like to have reference material for.  But, thanks!
 
Sharke, thanks I'll check into that book!  I think it's the second time I've seen you reference this guy.

Mixing Audio - Concepts, Practices and Tools by Roey Izhaki is an excellent choice of reference.

It can get a little heavy going, but there is very little missing from this book.