problem
The mix bus should reveal whether the song is ready, not become the place where hidden problems are rescued.
Before mastering, watch peak headroom, integrated or short-term loudness, true peak risk, and stereo correlation. Together they explain more than any single meter.
A mix can have enough headroom but poor mono compatibility. It can be loud enough but too close to true peak clipping. The combination is the point.
If the only meter sits after the final limiter, it hides how hard the mix is hitting the chain. Put metering before and after major bus processing when decisions feel unclear.
That makes it easier to tell whether a compressor is improving movement or only adding level into the next processor.
Leave practical headroom for mastering if someone else is finishing the record. If you are self-mastering, still keep the mix bus honest before final limiting.
Meter Core is designed for this checkpoint: loudness, peak, and stereo context in one place before export.