well, another way to prevent in going wrong is to minimize the processing on your tracks, use neutral compressing ( no trick or gimmicks ), check to see if there's presets for compression on those instrument tracks. Dont layer, dont heavy eq, dont eq at all, dont reverb and defnitly dont go maximize bass or try to expand the stereo width. If you can, build up a mix on where you just level out the tracks, minor compression and as less eq as possible and listen back on those productions somewere else. A good mix doesnt need much in the first stage, if that sounds good already then you start beefing up because you before that reference takes place you'd have no clue on whats going on in the mix. Its only after on which you can specify all those little flaws. Normally, that mix would sound a bit timid and not even as hi-fi compared to a commercial cd but that simply because there's no final mix done and certainly not mastering. That minimal mix would still sound well on a PA system, that means, when all the instruments come through in the mix as loud as you want them to be positioned at. I'd also compare on electronic tracks, if i take my analogue hardware and create a live set i mostly dont need any eq to create delivery as its in the ability of the instruments to alter their patches and make em fit in the mix. If i then decide to record the liveset then it mostly wont take much effort at all finalize that mix as i already laid out the proper balance and eq. Again, if you take that live set onto a big PA you'd really think twice about adding heavy compression, i mean, shit ever heard a real 808/909 kickdrum connected to a 5kW PA...