I am very much a beginner when it comes to mixing and mastering, but it's something that I want to get good at, so that in a few years, I'll be able to make something that sounds professional.

I have done some mixing on my band's demo, and the result was decent, but not great...

I need practice at mixing and mastering, and lots of it, but where do I get it? I'd like separate tracks to mix... I've thought of posting in a forum somewhere if a band has tracks they want mixed, but let's face it, how many people would trust a random guy on the net to have access their tracks? Most bands are paranoid of having their music stolen, so I doubt that route will work.

Any suggestions?

Check this out

http://www.audiocourses.com/school/production-mixing-mastering.html


You are thinking along the right lines, you need lots of source material, and getting hold of that is hard, good stuff is anyway.
_________________
Recording Studio Suntans

Hey, AC, thanks for the reply... That looks like more or less exactly what I need, but I don't have that much cash at my disposal at the moment, so I'll have to find an alternative...

We ended up getting a Zoom MRS 1608 with CDR recorder. This thing isn't too bad, I think they have a new model that's out now

But this thing comes with 2 seperate projects already recorded so you can practice mixing their tracks. When we first got the machine I come up with 4 different versions of their song "Don't Look Back" so you can always go that way too, the recorder is around the $700 market.

But I would save your money up and run with the course if you don't want to buy another recorder. Some advice for anyone wanting to start in this buisness, by stuff that would offer you the right training first and then upgrade to the better and more advanced stuff as you grow with it.
_________________
Lurking in the night, the idiot himself awaits

here is a link to a protools session I did witha group a while back.
for one, they never paid me, and the other they are not musially very good, however, the tracks are clean, and you can get experience with auto tune and beat detective... alot of experiance. enjoy
http://media10.filewind.com/g.php?filepath=6427

One of the most important parts of mixing (in my opinion) is learning the equalizer. I'd recommend playing around with one of your own songs with an equalizer, boosting certain frequencies and memorizing the tone. You ears are the single most imortant tool at your disposal, and you'll need to train them along the way. You can't fix what you don't recognize.