How can I tell if my mixer is on it's way out? Is it dying? Recording issue.

My set up: Traktor Pro 2. Mackie d2 mixer. Kontrol X1. Audio 8 DJ (also have tried with Audio 4 DJ), running back into the soundcard from the booth out of the mixer.

Recently every time I record a mix 2 things happen :

*The right hand channel is always quieter than the left.

*On replaying the recording the sound is very muddy, the bass is too wooly and the mix sounds muffled.

No amount of cleaning will get it to sound right. I have tried with the gains low/the inputs low ~ no effect, the levels are fine so it isn't distorting. Through headphones on the PC the mix sounds fine (I suppose the bass isn't there on personal stereo headphones).

Playing through the mixer (not recorded and listening back) is fine, no problems, everything sounds good and you wouldnt think there was any problem at all, it's only when playing back a recorded mix.

Do you think the mixer is the issue or maybe SoundForge 10 (where I save as mp3 from the TP2 file).

I am stuck and have had 3 mixes recently that i have been unable to release due to this issue and its holding me backi.

Any help appreciated.

I'd swap the mixer out to start, see if the issue is the mixer or somewhere else, try recording with a friends mixer, if it sounds good go back to your mixer and try find the issue, if your having issues with right vs left volume levels i'd start by checking the cross fader and input level faders. thats as far as I got when I had a similar issue, turned out I just needed a new cross-fader. Traktor would sound ok but if I changed to using actual vinyls it sound like complete crap lol