Thanks for all the thoughts on mastering. I fully understand that the loudness war is a destructive thing. I was into hi-fi for a while, and so I understand that dynamic range is basically a good thing, but there are a couple of reasons why I care about the comparison of my tracks to commercial ones. First, I know from my own experience that a lower volume can have a negative affect on a listener's perception of a track, and I even think that, to some degree, compression (however it is achieved) can, paradoxically, make a track seem more dynamic. I think there's something hard to define about the way aural perception of direct live sound compares to what we hear through a bunch of electronics picking up and recording those sounds. I think a certain amount of compression makes up for something that's lost along the way. Maybe that's even more true when you have modestly priced digital equipment like I do. On the other hand, I am generally in favor of leaving the dynamics in tact, especially since some of my tracks have parts that I want to explode by comparison to others other parts. Hard to have that feeling when everything is limited to the max. I guess the big question is where I, as a recording musician interested primarily in the songs themselves, not aspiring to be an audio engineer of any kind, should draw the line, in terms of trying to persue perfection from an engineering standpoint. Frankly, I think there is too much emphasis on the production quality of music these days anyway. I would like to hear a lot more music with second rate audio quality and the highest levels of originality, soul and character. Who would claim that Pet Sounds is the pinnacle of audio engineering artistry? No one, but it's a thousand times better than most of the slick, professionally produced stuff being put out today. There's nothing wrong with excellence in production quality, but it shouldn't be perceived as a prerequisite for good music either, and I'm afraid it very much is. I need to figure out what's realistic for me and my budget and know when to stop worrying about it.