When the song “Robot Pizza” appeared in our Member Spotlight forum, I immediately thought... well this is going to be fun! 🤖🍕
Kirk (a children’s book author — which suddenly explains everything) shared his in-progress mix, asking questions I hear all the time:
"Is this too loud? Too compressed? Am I smashing this plugin too hard?"
At one point he described the mix as feeling “so vulfy!” — worried he’d overused a new plugin, the Vulf Mastering Compressor — which made me laugh… because yeah, we’ve all been there. 😂
Here’s the key insight I shared – one that’s shaped how I judge mixes for years – taught to me by Rick Rubin:
A great mix should make you want to turn it UP — not down.
I call this the Volume-Knob Test, and it’s a far better loudness reality-check than LUFS. All you need are your ears and a volume knob.
The Volume-Knob Test (Steal This)
- Play your mastered / limited mix at a loud-ish volume.
(You should still be able to talk to someone next to you with slightly raised voices.)
- As it plays, notice your instinct — not your analysis.
- Ask one simple question:
👉 Do I want to turn this up even louder… or secretly turn it down?
Pass = You’re smiling, nodding along, leaning in. It feels like your own personal arena concert.
Fail = You’re tensing up, wincing in choruses, or wishing you had a pillow for your ears.
That’s the whole test.
If You Fail the Test, Here’s the Fix
If your instinct was to turn it down, here’s my tried-and-true reset:
- Bypass your mastering limiter entirely
- Make the mix feel exciting without mastering plugins
- Turn your speakers up — not your limiters
- Fine-tune until the mix breathes, pops, and dances
- Once it feels great loud without mastering… add your final polish lightly
Remember: dynamics are cool 😎
Kirk's "Robot Pizza" before and after results? Night and day.
“Can’t believe how much better this sounds now.” — Kirk R
“I can’t believe how much of a difference it made from the first post to the last.” — Michael H
This kind of transformation — in public, with real ears and real guidance — is exactly why this community exists.
👉 Read, listen, and join the convo here (you can hear the difference immediately):
https://mixprotege.com/forums/discussion/robot-pizza-too-crunchy/
(Free account required to view — takes about 30 seconds.)
And if you try the Volume-Knob Test this week, hit reply and tell me what you noticed! I read every email.
🎚️Faders forever,
Dana