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Levels also vary widely. I'm still trying to come to grips with that style of mixing, since Cubase tells you the dbs of each mixer channel. Before I had those I couldn't really relate to engineers saying "I'll get the snare so it's hitting at -6".
But so far in my limited experience, trying to work to db levels - it still totally depends on the frequencies of the snare, hihat, etc. If you're using the same sounds, yes, put the faders at the same levels and you'll get a nice balance. But change the hihat for one with quite a different frequency content and it could sound really quiet or really loud, depending on what else is happening.
Maybe sometime down the track with more experience in this method I'll be able to state things more confidently. Currently I'm just using my ears and what feels right initially, then once I have my mix set up I run it through an analysis system I put together, which quickly lets me know if the levels are out of whack at any particular frequency. That process gets the mix 95% there before I get too far into the production/ song structuring side of things.
Back to the orignal point, as thoughtlessjex pointed out, the low end is normally very centred. I was working on a track one day where I had significant bass panned fairly wide and was trying to put my finger on why it sounded so different to all the tracks I was referencing against. Potentially you can get away with it, but you really have to be comfortable that that's what you're aiming for. I wasn't, in this instance. It sounded much better when I brought the bass in a fair bit.
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