I have done my share of mastering and I always encourage my clients to avoid keeping up with the Jonses as far as average level is concerned. Unfortunately, my suggestions often go unheeded. It always has to be loud, like the major label CD's they like.
I have some very cool metering at my disposal, and I often look at the meters while listening for pleasure. I can view peak and average levels for each channel simultaneously. I recently did some peak versus average level comparisons on various records. On the famous Sheffield Track Record (direct to disc), the peak versus average differential was typically about 18db! The kick drum really hits you in gut. I checked out the Cisco Aja, as well as a killer original ABC of Aja. The Cisco had a peak to average of about 12db. Not bad, but the original had more like 17db. This might explain why some people have expressed their dislike for the Cisco compared to a good original ABC. I liked the Cisco at first, but a really good ABC is better!
What people do not understand is that the irritation we experience when listening to music with excessive peak limiting is our natural defensive reaction to noise, which is there to protect our hearing!
