Thanks so much! Yes it does excite me! I find it really fun to do in my spare time! Thanks man!
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Hey Byron,
Agree with Tonyās latter statement. I am just starting with this the same as you and all I have done is mixed a guitar/vocal in Audacity with only my amp plugged into the laptop and a conference call style headset/mic. It has be interested enough to now look at upgrading to AI, Reaper or Ableton, mics, and decent headphones.
For me personally itās important not to lose sight of what Iām doing, playing guitar and vocal and not to disappear down a software rabbit hole that detracts from my basic goal, to play better guitar and perform betterš JMHO.
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Bytron, if you are learning to record and mix with Reaper then Kenny Gioa videos are gold. I donāt go to YouTube I find what I need here: REAPER | Videos
When I started to record and mix just my guitar and voice (on separate tracks as others said is the way to go to give you most options) I used the material on this site: https://www.recordingrevolution.com/ I followed some of his basic series.
But there are many channels that will have structured series to get you going. Iād suggest pick somebody that you can understand and connect with and stay with them, follow their intro etc. Rather than jumping all over the place. The field is vast and you could easily get lost bouncing from one person to another.
Resist the urge to start accumulating plug-ins. That will certainly happen in time but intially Reaper has good enough quality and all the options that you need.
Have fun.
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Agree with David, Kennyās your man for all things Reaper. I to use(d) the Reaper Video listings DP linked. But Kenny has his own channel on YT https://www.youtube.com/@REAPERMania
However, I think its easier to locate tutorials at Reaper.fm
There was another oldish but great video about where to place sound when mixing, to create a space for all voices (peeps and instruments). Its a great demo on how to use or understand why panning and EQ works. Iāll dig around for a link later as its not jumping out of my favourites but I am sure others may have it bookmarked.
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I think I know the one you mean Toby. Iād also struggle to find it again as I suspect it was even years ago that I watched it. That said, I think following an introductory series of videos that cover the basics.
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Found it 
So this is not a step by step guide on how to mix in a certain product, ie Reaper but more the āwhyā mixing is so crucial to getting a great sound and how creating space makes for a cleaner fuller mix.
It will give you a better idea of what you should be aiming for when mixing and mastering. And understanding why that works so well.
Then do this ^^^^^^
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I should add the videos are classic 90s style so a little bit weird in this day and age. So ignore all the goofy things going on and focus on the concepts and tech stuff,
Sweet thanks guys!! Ill def check it out!!!
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Byron
When watching that video I posted, you will get the ideas better if you listen through a decent sounds system, where there is some space between the speakers (not sure what your set up is right now) or headphones . For example if you watch on a cell you really wonāt hear the stereo effect or depth. As its some years since I watched it, I am currently playing it via my new studio monitors, which are about 5 feet apart. This really multiplies the principles and effects the guy discusses making it clearer to understand what is going on in the mix. Enjoy
Iāve got 2 Bose speakers on my computer and a real good pair of headphones!! Thanks Toby!!
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Cheers,
Keith
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Lol donāt be shaming my Bose haha!! 
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Use the headphones
my headphones are sennheisers really expensive headphones LOL
Yep have some as well. Bonus is headphones even carp ones will enable you to appreciate the audio experience expressed in this weird but enlightening tutorial. PC speakers a few inches apart will not.
Lots to learn & hear Mr H. Take a note of the things you like, panning, EQ etc and cross reference with the Reaper vids on the same subjects,.
Nice!! Yeah my bro got them for me, so ive been using them! I lovem!
Yes, put the ice in the glass first, then the liquor followed by your mixer of choice (which is optional). Iām here to help. 
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Lol sounds like it!!
I am a novice, having home recorded for the last decade, but more intensely over the last couple of years, now I have more time on my hands. My comments come from my own learnings, and might not be best practice - suggestions are most welcome. Apologies for the length of this post!
My gear
- Cakewalk (formerly Sonar) and previously used Reaper
- Band-in-a-Box for creating demo backing and providing some basic tracks to be imported into Cakewalk.
- Audio interface - Focusrite 18i8 2nd gen
- Mic - SE X1S condenser with acoustic vocal booth
Recording vocals
- When recording, I make sure I have a good strong signal that mostly fills up the green and peaks into amber but stays away from the red. This reduces the presence of back ground ānoiseā. If your recording is too weak, when you pump it up, you are also pumping up the background noise.
- I have recently also been recording two other lead vocal tracks that mirror (double-track) the main vocal as best as I can. I turn down the volume of these till I can just hear them, and I have them panned left and right (about 9 oāclock and 3 oāclock) or harder.
- I now have a better condenser mic with an acoustic treated shell surrounding the mic 180 degrees behind it, about 30cm(1ā) tall and about 15cm (6ā) from the mic. This knocks out a lot of reflective noises from behind the mic.
- I usually sing 10 - 15cm (4 - 6ā) from the mic. This gives a much more natural sound without boominess or plosives. I do it this way for the main, doubled, tripled and backing or harmony vocals.
Recording guitars
- I usually record with the click track (or metronome) turned on to make sure I keep in time. I have been known to wander, tempo-wise.
- Guitars sound different with mic position pointed to the bridge, the sound hole, or the neck. Experiment to see which one your song requires. Like strumming in these regions, you get a more distinct (bridge) or mellow (neck) recorded tone.
- I will sometimes use two different acoustic guitars (or two different electrics) to get different tone. Sometimes, I will use the same guitar, but transpose to a different key and use a capo to bring it back to the original key. The different fret position and chord voicing will add some nice variation as though two different guitarists are being recorded.
- When recording lead, I will sometimes double up the lead on two separate tracks to give thickness (and overcome my poor lead style).
- I will record electric using the line out from the amp or by putting a mic out front of the speaker, depending on what I want to hear and whether using onboard amp effects or plug-in effects from Cakewalk.
- Because I am not an accomplished lead guitarist, itās not uncommon for me to record in several takes or in shorter phrases. I have also been known to record at a slower speed then put the tempo back to original afterwards.
Recording Other instruments
- I canāt play keys or drums, so I will set up the song in Band-in-a-Box (BIAB), render to individual wav files for each track, then import into Cakewalk, which is the DAW I use. I have also used Reaper previously. I will mute the tracks I donāt want, and record my bass, guitars, lead, and all vocals as new tracks, thus replacing some of what has been imported from BIAB.
- So I start with 6 tracks and may end up with 12 or more tracks.
- Some of these tracks might only be used for sections of the song, and usually I have 3 tracks for lead vocal, and maybe another 3 for harmony or backing vocals.
Arranging
- I like arranging the chorus so that it āpopsā differently from the verses. Not necessarily louder, but maybe busier, or with vocal harmonies, or changed or added instrumentation.
- I will use a bridge, pre-chorus, solo or instrumental motif (but not all of these) to create something new for the ear to listen to. I heard someone say, repeat something and it becomes familiar; a third time (without something new) and it becomes tired.
- A common tool I use when mixing the intro and verse 1 is to build layers - say start with acoustic guitar and vocal, then drums and bass come in after a few bars (or forge 2, say) then say piano/keys on chorus along with backing or harmony vocals.
- I will listen for different texture ideas by using less or more, by changing instruments, etc. Some songs might start with a ābang in your faceā intro then back off into the verse, then increase again with the chorus, while others might build layers throughout the song.
Editing and mixing
- I will trim ādeadā material from the start or end of an audio clip (section) to remove breathing, getting up out of a chair and other unwanted noise. Sometimes I will trim in the middle of a clip if there is a reasonable time gap between content.
- Itās not uncommon for me to re-record a small section of a track I am not happy with. I use a common feature called āpunch inā for this. I try and do this as I record so that record levels, mic placement etc remain the same, and so the new section punched in sounds the same as the original it replaced.
- I will sometimes copy and paste sections of a track where it appears in other parts of the song, particularly if they are difficult for me to play or sing, and I fluked an attempt and canāt reproduce it again.
- If your DAW software has it, turn on āsnap toā settings, particularly when copying pasting. This helps make sure the copy and paste have the same length and are pasted into the correct position. You can always āun-snapā to have greater control over positioning if you need to.
- When I am mixing a solo, because this is the feature for this part of the song, I will make sure it is panned centre or near centre, with volume prominent so it stands out from the ābandā.
- I make a lot of use of panning left or right. I try not to have two instruments with the same frequency range in the same panned zone. If I have recorded two acoustic guitars for thickness, I will pan one left and the other right. Also, I might pan acoustic left-ish and electric right-ish so they donāt conflict for space.
- Piano/keys have a large frequency range and can crowd out the bass, vocals or guitars. If not the same feature, I will try and pan them towards one side or the other and dial down the frequencies using EQ which are clashing with other things, and look for the part of the keys that add something different.
- My main vocal will be in or near the centre (as are the bass and drums because they donāt conflict with the vocal frequency range).
- I used to EQ my vocals to lessen frequencies that āmuddyā them, but not always with success.
- I sometimes apply reverb or delay to vocals, but for some songs, ānakedā is better.
- For the backing or harmony vocals, I mix them away from centre (as though backing vocalists are standing left and/or right of the main singer) and lower volume in the mix, so you can hear them shine through but not dominate the main vocal.
- Empasizing the lower frequencies makes the vocal sound closer and intimate, while focussing on higher frequencies (or reducing lower ones) makes it sound more from the back/distant.
- If I think a recorded track is uneven in volume, I will use compression to make the volume range narrower. If quite a range, I may lower the volume of the relevant sections of the track (in Cakewalk called Automation Lanes).
- Beware ear fatigue when mixing. I go away from the mix for hours or a day or so to āfreshenā my ears.
- Listen to the mix in different settings - your monitor speakers; your headphones; the car speakers - do they sound consistent or not wildly divergent? Ear fatigue can cause you to miss something e.g. a dominating bass.
I hope this is useful. Iād also welcome comments from those more experienced than me that can make suggestions to improve.
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I recently found this course Production Basics with Adam G that I didnāt know existed. I havenāt viewed it yet but there must be wonderful insights in it. The 12 lesson length of the course and length of each lesson suggests some real depth.