For example, when mastering for a vinyl record, if master too loud, the needle of the lathe can begin to distort.

The medium onto which a record is distributed affects the loudness to which it can be mastered. Whereas a mix is limited in how loud it can be, a master’s loudness can vary based on the medium onto which it is distributed, the genre mastered, and the artist’s personal preference for loudness.

This is why, no matter what the genre or other factors at play, it is always best to leave mixes relatively quiet, with the loudest integrated LUFS for any mix being -16. In other words, an excessively loud mix will cause issues for a mastering engineer and may result in a worse sounding final product. What will most likely happen if you deliver a mix that is too loud, is a mastering engineer will use clip gain or other gain altering methods to reduce the loudness of your mix and in turn create some headroom for their mastering process. Making a mix too loud can cause issues for a mastering engineer.

Loudness equalization good or bad