Honestly, the most annoying thing I see is when the mix gets so flattened that the hiss turns into a dull buzz and the mid‑range just… fades away like a ghost. It’s like you’re listening to a cassette stuck on low‑gain, but all the bass and high‑end are still loud enough to drown the natural tape hiss. Modern plugins can crunch the dynamic range so tight that the subtle hiss that gives that vintage vibe disappears, and you’re left with a sterile, hyper‑clean sound that feels like a future‑proofing mistake. If you want that authentic hiss, you gotta let some of the low‑level noise sit in the mix; otherwise, you’re just hearing a hissless ghost.