In general, I tend to mix everything given on this site because I feel like that's part of the process, for me. Working through the frustration of too many parts. Sometimes things don't really work, though, for whatever reason and part of the process might be figuring out what should be left out. Sometimes you check the reference and there are parts missing or omitted that are in the multitrack folder. Recording can sometimes be a messy endeavor. Bad parts and early decisions can linger on. Sometimes the produce knows this girl ..."who would just be perfect for to sing on this part".
I wouldn't leave a 'bad' part in just because time and money was spent on recording it. That's not the mixer's problem.
In the end it really depends on the situation. Mixing your stuff? A band you've recorded? Are you hired to mix a song? There are totally mixers who get hired and leave out parts and make edits remove sections and make artistic choices they feel are best. If I was hired as a mixer, I'd consider the song to be the important part and in some ways I would be telling the band "I know more than all of you" because I was hired to be that person. I've known producers who complained when I left parts in because they (were lazy) and expected me to figure it out. Especially in this day and age of being sent files and mixing on your own. It was easier when one can just turn around to the band on the couch and say what do you think? If a band wants the strings in then fine but I'm not going to waste the time to contact them and wait for them to figure it out and get back to me while I'm in the middle of working on it. I'd make a decision and let them hear the actual result of that decision. If they don't like it it's easy enough to recall a mix and work them in.
Personally, I like the strings being in. I don't like the bass amp so I left that out. That's relatively minor but still to the point. Sometimes a guitar DI is provided or an untuned version of the vocals are provided. Are you supposed to use them just because they're there? No. Could you? I suppose and I have at times.
People have all made their own choices as to what happens at the top of the song. Some left everything in that was presented in the multitrack folder. Volvolan has the one guitar part start the song off. I went with what the band's own reference mix did so the first bit of guitar fx provided wasn't used. Who to listen to? It's never really black and white.
I wouldn't leave a 'bad' part in just because time and money was spent on recording it. That's not the mixer's problem.
In the end it really depends on the situation. Mixing your stuff? A band you've recorded? Are you hired to mix a song? There are totally mixers who get hired and leave out parts and make edits remove sections and make artistic choices they feel are best. If I was hired as a mixer, I'd consider the song to be the important part and in some ways I would be telling the band "I know more than all of you" because I was hired to be that person. I've known producers who complained when I left parts in because they (were lazy) and expected me to figure it out. Especially in this day and age of being sent files and mixing on your own. It was easier when one can just turn around to the band on the couch and say what do you think? If a band wants the strings in then fine but I'm not going to waste the time to contact them and wait for them to figure it out and get back to me while I'm in the middle of working on it. I'd make a decision and let them hear the actual result of that decision. If they don't like it it's easy enough to recall a mix and work them in.
Personally, I like the strings being in. I don't like the bass amp so I left that out. That's relatively minor but still to the point. Sometimes a guitar DI is provided or an untuned version of the vocals are provided. Are you supposed to use them just because they're there? No. Could you? I suppose and I have at times.
People have all made their own choices as to what happens at the top of the song. Some left everything in that was presented in the multitrack folder. Volvolan has the one guitar part start the song off. I went with what the band's own reference mix did so the first bit of guitar fx provided wasn't used. Who to listen to? It's never really black and white.