Ok... fair answer... And Welcome to BB/RB.... I won't hold it against you that you're on the Mac version. #all_DAWs_matter

So I don't use any metering in BB or RB at all. I take the files as they are. The assumption on my part is that they were recorded in a professional studio and the levels were looked after in a professional manner.

I use them at whatever their original levels are and so far, I have not had any issues with tracks being too loud or over the top compressed. On a few occasions, I have found a few that were weak and needed to be bumped up a bit.

I export them to my DAW, Sonar. (X1) In X1, I use the DAW's default meters and simply "keep them out of the red" for the most part. For my "mastering", I use Ozone 4 to do the polishing to add the sparkle and shine to the music.

I don't do a whole lot to the music actually. Use good tracks, and you shouldn't have to spend hours of time finessing it to sound good.

Hope that answers your question and points you in the right direction.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 08/20/16 01:58 AM.
You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.