Level of finished producted

[rwpattie11]

I'm not sure if this is a mastering question or a technical/software question. I've been using either Riffworks/Audacity/ or Ableton Live to mix/render ideas or full recordings. The resulting track from all programs and two computers have been good sounding mixes that have a low over all volume compared to commercial mp3 ... I normally mix my tracks such that the master volume is between -6 and -3 db, since this results in a soft mp3 is there a mastering step I should follow this up with?

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Nope. It's like asking how come your father smells like cigarette butts and you don't. It's an honest question, but the answer is not one you want to actually follow.

If your mix sounds good, then it sounds good. Commercial releases sound like crap because they are squashed too loud; a bad habit you don't want to follow.

G.