This may have been answered.....
What you have to understand is that good sound is alot more than just mixing technique, it's the equipment you use. Mics, cables, outboard gear, your wiring to your recording interface...all that has to be its best to get the best sound. That makes perfect sense.
The best thing would be to rent high quality mics and see what experience you have with them. The difference in sound and dynamic quality. The better your mic's get, for example, the better clarity and dynamic range you'll get. Higher sample rates meaning clearer recordings with more dynamic range, etc.
Hotness comes during mastering, but your job as a mixing engineer is to get good balance, not insane volume.
All those things involved between the mic up to the CD itself are going to play an important role in the quality of your mix.
I leave that to the pros.
