Soldato
...and that is unfortunately part of the reason for the loudness wars in which mastering engineers are constantly getting nailed for.
It's not us all the time!
When listening the human ear is able to pick up on volume differences that are quite subtle. This difference in many cases is perceived as being 'better' even if there is no timbrel/tonal change. So, when mastering quite often the client wants louder.
Mastering engineers want repeat work so will simply go with what the client wants. I did a session this week where I conservatively set the level for a couple of tracks where the RMS meters were hitting -12dBFS. I knew this was on the quiet side, but it gave space for the dynamics to breathe. The client then pulls out a Timo Maas CD and asks me to match the level on that because they think it sounds better. The RMS meters were licking -6dBFS all the time. :/
DJ's want everything to be smashed to bits since it makes it less hassle to mix. If only they understood what a gain knob did.
TL : DR = It's not always the mastering engineer pushing for hot levels.
