So I got a RMS meter and it says that my RMS is sitting at -40... How can I get it up to -15ish?

Limiter. Also it depends on wehre your peaks are hitting. If there's a big difference (like 20db or something) between peaks and RMS, you might want to reconsider level balance and/or apply more compression to dynamic elements of your mix. (drums mostly)

Yea, but some of the best sounding stuff to me, and arguably many others, are when the drums are causing the peaks.

I know you've answered his question and are correct.

The only way to really get the most out of your mix is to have it mastered. But then that's not guaranteed it will come out the way you want it.

consider the mix, and Consider this video.[/url
It was posted on the forum some time. I've been experimenting with it and have gotten good results. I went ahead and applied that final compression to my mastering chain and it seems ok. The problem i run into is being lazy and not hearing the nuances when the limiter is activated. I still aim for the peaks being limited, but my output is slightly more louder than it would be other wise.

Quote from: Marrow Machines on February 04, 2016, 02:38:45 pm

Yea, but some of the best sounding stuff to me, and arguably many others, are when the drums are causing the peaks.

Yeah, I ment the extreme peaks. Thus the number. It's always good to leave some dynamics there.

bird up homie.

Keep it dynamic.