nowaysj wrote:
No hard and fast numbers or roolz, just don't go above digital 0 db (and even then there are people that will tell you that its okay).
While I agree that there are no hard and fast numbers, having the snare kick and sub all within 4db of each other does sound a little close! Of course your ears would tell you though - sometimes what you're hearing and what the meter says are two totally different things.
At the OP you should read the gain structure thread ( think it's in the bible?). This was probably the most useful ever on this forum (imo). Since I have been focusing on the gain structure I've always been amazed at what small differences in the volumes of different elements can do, and how they can completely throw out a mix. And such small things two like what often happens is that my kicks are too loud, because when I start making the track I'm enthusiastic and just vibing on what I'm making - the thing is it isn't noticabley too loud (this is particularly before I started paying attention the gain structure). Then I turned it down a bit and there was all this space in the mix and the whole track felt much better.
Basically I think what makes a polished sounding track is often something as simple as the elements sitting nicely. /rant I don't think that was what you asking about lol