the levels of each element and the general mix is 100% dependant on what you want. there is no good advice when it comes to that.
you will have to just go with your gut because it is a creative choice that only you can make.
listen carefully to your mix and focus on each element seperately and decide if it needs to be brought forward or pushed back etc. be careful not to fall into the trap of raising all your faders one after the other until your mix clips. that is a common mistake which is a pain to fix if you are not comfortable adjusting the master fader (which most of us are not for some reason :D ).

 

haha, i've got premix bus and mix bus seperately all the master bus elements on mix bus and if i decide to turn volume down i use premix bus or all the faders down at the same time except the master bus if i clip minimal amount like 1 db i'm using limiter. my primary object to keep loudnes on same certain levels like -12 db top on vu meter

 

yea that works too. tbh there is nothing wrong with lowering the master as long as nothing is clipping before that point. there is just something about doing it that none of us like
its pretty much the only thing all engineers/producers/etc agree on and its wrong hahaha

 

exactly, holy fader of all must be steady on 0. i'm trying to use master fader for just automation. like verse a bit lower, 0 at the chorus. it's a easy way to make mix a bit more dynamic.

 

i welded the master fader in place on my console

 

dudee that's nice i'm living in the box no flying faders

 

i didnt really i was joking lol. i work mostly in the box for music production these days too. i only use a hardware mixer in the workplace. i can do everything i need to do with a DAW and a behringer BCF2000 (does that still count as ITB???), no need for expensive and clunky gear