Yo BEREN of New Zealand -- Land of mystic beauty and bubbling warm waters.
Try to send your mixdown signal as hot as possible especially if you're mixing to cassette tape.
Your post was a bit vague, so I'm assuming.
It's mixing that takes a great deal of time, depending on how many tracks you have to balance and eq and reveberate, etc.
But, when you're all ready to mix it to ??? push your input signal up near the end zone without distorting. Again, I'm assuming you are mixing to tape -- but, even if it is a digital transfer, give it as much as it can bear considering your gear.
You live in a beautiful land.
Green Hornet