Deciding on the mix to go with happens before or AFTER mastering?

[Jules]

You say you leave some headroom on your mixes (v cool!) but are you worried that back at their hotel or managers office the unmastered mix wont be quite as loud as a finished CD they might compare it to?

Do you send clients out with a 'hot' DIY mastered version - perhaps a lil L2 squash so it's the same ballpark level.. ?

Do you coach them 'this is unmastered so might not be as loud as CD's you compare it to"?

A friend from NY was saying that it's got to the stage that NY A&R cant make a decision unless it has gone through the mastering process.. So they indulge in this luxury.. Are you finding that to be true..?

[Michael Brauer]

i have one of two prototype hot boxes. no others will be made,it was an experiment. It's great. All CD's of the master mixes are put through the box at about +7. It maintains it's clarity and balance. The bottom isn't squashed or spongy like what the L2 or some other boxes can at times do.

Yes, it's just part of life. I must have my mixes as loud as a released CD even though it hasn't been mastered yet. But also, my mixes are so close to being mastered that generally, mastering engineers do very little EQing and no compression.

It's a waste to tell them (clients) it's not going to be as loud. If you make it low they'll tell you it doesn't sound as good as the rough. The rough was printed at +15or something crazy. It's very frustrating but my hot box changed all that.

[bunnerabb]

And this 'black box' is unavialble to the general public?

[Jules]

Great info.. thanks!

[Michael Brauer]

it won't be available to the general or private public. I got a toy nobody can up me on, for a change.