| Steve, it could well be that playback levels were increased, and / or where they sat in the room changed while listening to different mixes. I don't remember if I cranked the level or it remained constant. There's a good chance I did crank it. Anyway, in most listening environments, people don't remain completely idle and listen from the same spot at the same volume every time. A mix should translate in every way possible and related to real life listening.
However, the AE side of me always wants to know why things sometimes work differently than expected. A null test between the 16 bit bounce in question and the 24 bit mix is a good idea, although I'd never point to its result and tell a client that what he hears is wrong. It is only to satisfy my own curiosity and heal anything broken if needed.
Another thing I have to question:
Without playback, I've noticed tiny amounts of movement on the master fader meters when using Pow-R type 3. Whatever it is, it appears to peak @ -75dBFS to -80. Am I watching the intended dither noise in action, or is this NOT normal? I always took it to be normal, but perhaps it could be one of the forces at work here.
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When the music is good, the mix is that much better. |