John, Thanks for the history lesson and the info!

I use a similiar technique for mixing down as you described. Burn out a mix and play it on every imaginable speaker set I can get my hands on. Take notes and mix it again.

I'll see if I can get my hands on some of those programs to try. Maybe visit a studio or two when they're doing the mastering process.

It wouldn't be cost effective for me to send everything out to a master house but if I had something extremely important, maybe.

Appreciate the feedback John!