Further more, how can I figure out how much to pan each file to get a good stereo image. On playback I am getting dead even levels when it is clear that my right channel is about 3dB less then my right. This seems odd even if I am dealing with mono files.
Hmm. I guess I am not alone in not quite understanding the question. It sort of reads dense. Anyway, here is what I do when mixing to stereo. I of course use a program in my computer, my favourite is Samplitude.
Generally it is very simple, mics to the left goes left and mics to the right gets panned to the right. Mics in the middle goes in the middle. When I have spot mics (= mics close to one instrument) it can get more complicated. I like to delay the spot mics a little so that the sound arrives a little later than the sound from the main pair of mics. I try by moving the spot mic fader up and down while listening, the stereo position should not change.
In all though, the only thing that counts is the end result. EQ, room simulation (=reverb), maybe even a bit of compressor -- all is possible.
Gunnar