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Be careful, because too much processing along the way starts adding up. Sometimes you're better off just NOT adding more stuff than is really necessary. If there is even a small chance the project may get mastered properly down the road, you should not compress / limit the program. OR, make two versions... a "compressed" version for the client to listen to in the meantime, and a "non-processed" version for the day it is to be properly mastered.
Way earlier on in my "career", one big mistake I made once was to add processing at almost every stage on an important project. Small amounts mind you, but it still led to a goofy over-processed sound in the end. It DOES add up... creeps up slowly and silently until the end... then you're like, "what the heck happened???!!!"
I had tracked though compressors and eqs, very mild, but the units still imparted a slight color and performed "measurable" processing. Then all the individual tracks were "processed" again during the mix (eq/compression)... of course. Then the mix buss went through an eq and compressor during the mix. Then later it was decided that the project needed more help and got "mastered" through yet more processing. And then, that result got "mastered" a SECOND time because one related party wanted it "fine tuned" even more.
The end result... the whole thing wound up having a goofy over-processed sound. It was NOT "over-equalized" or "over-compressed", it was actually tailored pretty well surprisingly, BUT, everything just had a strange somewhat "warped" sound.... a little hard to describe, but... it was far from natural sounding. Just didn't feel good.
Finally, if you eq and compress tracks over and over and over, even if you DO sculpt "properly", you inevitably bend and twist the sound of things... usually for the worst. Audio changes every time you run it through something.
That's why now, I generally do not like to track through any processing at all. I save all processing for the mix stage. Then, I do sometimes add processing at the mix buss, but if and when I do, it's through only extremely transparent boxes with extremely mild processing, just a pinch... and not at all considered "mastering"... but maybe just extremely subtle "sweetening" only... if and when truly "called for" and not otherwise.
Even if you do not plan on mastering now, there's a large chance you'll master down the road... so at the very least, keep one "unprocessed" mix so that a good mastering engineer can take it to a good place later on. Then, for kicks, you can ALSO do your own el-quicko "mastering" job and make a fun temporary "master" so the client can put it in his car stereo that night and be like, "wow man, it's as loud and bright as all the other [crap] on the radio, cool!!!."
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