: Periodically comparing your work against a commercially released song in the same genre to stay on track. 3. Preparing for Mastering

: Adjusting input gains so tracks peak around -18 to -12 dB to prevent digital clipping.

: Cutting "problem" frequencies (like harshness or boxiness) before boosting the good ones.

: Setting the relative volume levels of every track so no element is unintentionally buried or overpowering.

: Managing the peaks of individual tracks and buses.