in the mix at a lower level, not just pulling back the master fader. 32-bit float will prevent clipping, but if all your channel faders are maxing out, their plugins could be quite heavily overcooked -- and pulling the level back at the last minute won't help with that. So... Here's my REAL Answer Allow 6dB of headroom Don't let it peak far above -6dBFS. This advice is solid, regardless of the circumstances. It encourages generally sane levels throughout the mix, it prevents any risk of inter-sample clipping and you still have masses of signal-to-noise ratio at 24-bit -- and, plenty at 16 bits too, assuming you dither correctly . See ? Simple ! - Oh, and exactly what is that Max Headroom image about ? To find out, sit back and enjoy this little slice of Complete 80s Awesome