A lot of people ask me how much headroom they should leave when submitting a mix for mastering. Most engineers would recommend at least 3db of sonic headroom. I agree and I would add, the more headroom the mix-engineer can provide, the better for the mastering process. When the mix has at least 3db of headroom, it allows for the full dynamics of a song to shine through. 

As Bob Olhsson put it: “A whole lot of what we do in mastering is compensate for monitoring problems.” This sums up a lot of issues that can arise during the recording and mixing phases of a project. If there is any one instrument or vocal that is minutely too loud or too low, the mastering process can help correct that issue. But if the mix is close to 0db, then it’s near to impossible to work with those natural dynamic flaws in the track and correct the problems. Also, most DAC’s (digital audio converters) have a “sweet spot” and that spot is well below 0db. Simply put, the closer your mix gets to 0db the more you increase the potential for sonic issues. As Skip Burrows said: “proper gain staging is essential to both analog and digital mixing.” So it doesn’t matter if you are mixing ‘in the box’ or on an SSL 4K, the point is don’t slam your mixes at 0db and when you get your tracks mastered, they should sound amazing

“It’s the space between the notes that creates the music.” – Wayne Dyer