I know it's been said before but anyway: I prefer to use VSTs for tuning.
If you use Reaper, Reatune is a very good option. I don't recall ever having a hard time tuning low strings using it and it's extremely precise.
Just don't forget to set the "Overlap" to 8x. And you can mess with the...
It's pretty much that. Some limiters do a better job that others on increasing loudness without destroying transients and audible clipping.
That and what Machinated said: a loud-but-not-ruined master comes from a loud mix - some well done compression and a great frequency balance in a way that...
It's almost impossible to achieve that "commercial" loudness without a limiter/clipper. What you do with your L1 is pretty much the standard procedure. I match the loudness of the songs by ear. Don't be afraid to do that!
Hey twin bro! haha
When I said "thin" I meant "without body", not exactly harsh. But yes, if the hi-hat is already ok in the overheads high-frequency-wise I low pass the close mic track - in fact, most of the times that's what I end up doing.
It definitely sounds more than decent. It's very good. You started with a nice song/arrangements and that's the most important thing.
I'll try a quick mix that might illustrate my view of the mix. It's better than listing things here that might even come as nitpicking (and they probably are...
I rarely use the hi-hat mic but it's good to have it around. I mostly use the hi-hat track to shape the sound. Add more mids, for example, when the hi-hats sound a little thin on the overheads.
Of course it depends on the music but it goes from none (on well recorded acoustic kits) to 2 samples. I only do minor EQ processing individually IF needed.
I particularly like well explained but kind of succinct manuals. There cannot be missing features and everything must be explained as shortly and simply as possible.
It's not exactly what you are looking for but I like the FabFilter manuals.
Reaper manual is also very nice because it uses...
The first important question: is it at least a good radio show? hahaha
Seriously thought, looks like you did every logical test so you're just out of luck. Even high quality no bad review stuff can have problems.
I know it sounds dumb to say this but try talking to their customer support.
Any...