My biggest complaint about Boost11, which I've voiced here before, is the user interface, because it encourages overcompression.

Watch the "Reduction" meter and ignore the scrolling waveform. How much is enough is a matter of personal taste and genre, but as a general guideline if you're seeing more than 6db reduction, you're also adding audible distortion. If you're after a clear, open sound, you might want to try and keep it under 3db, which will barely register as an occasional red blip on the scrolling waveform display.

If you can't seem to get a full sound with the reduction that low, revisit your mix and see if certain instruments are too dynamic or simply too hot. Bass, kick and snare are frequent culprits. An over-loud bass, bass drum or snare can push the limiter into the red and suck the life out of everything else. Too much low frequency energy will destroy a limiter's ability to fatten your song, forcing it to react to the excessive bottom and ignore the critical midrange.

My biggest complaint about Boost11 ... it encourages overcompression.

 
Is it Boost's fault that it's creating overly loud and lifeless mixes - or is our society as a whole really to blame? 
 
In either case, I agree with your advice on the 3db limit.

I think its was not good planning to have it default to VERY LOUD. A lot of first time users will think that's the recommended setting.
I sometimes use it on a kick drum track but don't really like its for much else. Turn that f---- thing down..

Didn't anyone see my post i told him how to use it in judicious manner.  I told him to watch the peak and the rms meters.  In the the digital world i still don't think people have got the idea about RMSvsPEAK.  It's important for pop and rock to have an average level of -15to-12 db.  If you have mixed properly and everything, correctly placed a compressor over the master buss and compressed very gently.  You will only have to raise the boost volume by 3db.  Bitflipper is right if you are squashing by 6db it will sound like ****.  DYNAMICS, DYNAMICS did I mention dynamics?????

I'm not being conceited or arrogant, i just want to give away all the secrets and formulas for turning lead into gold.
Down with false Gods (Audio Schools)
Viva la Revolution
Sonar Forever, Pro Tools Never
Ben B.C.T (Bachelor of Creative Technology)
http://www.myspace.com/audiomystics
ps Mastering will be one of my tutorials on my website.  It is not a black art, but it is a very naughty boy!!!

Is it Boost's fault that it's creating overly loud and lifeless mixes - or is our society as a whole really to blame?

Well, of course any limiter can be abused, and it's certainly not the tool's fault - it's the tool who's tweaking the knobs!

Still, the UI has a lot to do with how users apply it, especially new users. Take a look at the official Boost11 image below. If you actually set your threshold so as to get a similar picture, you'll have committed an unforgivable crime against your song. But a new user might not realize that.

Hey ... wait a minute!   I recognize that output waveform - isn't that "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue?!

Maybe Seth knows. Or Brandon. But I'm pretty sure it isn't anything Noel or his wife recorded.

A limiter with no release control, boost 11 needs a release control, to the op, i myself usually have the out put ceilling set to -.1dbfs and push the make up gain "gently", like someone already sais keep an eye on the gain reduction meter and make sure you dont squash the sound, like dr hash said "DYNAMICS".

 

Like bitflipper said, this is not realisticly the kind of setting you would use with a limiter

I regularly BOOST11 to the MAX on Drum Tracks to give them that "Thunderous Sound" and I don't have the best hearing but whatever distortion is induced I dont hear and can live with to get "THUNDER DRUMS", try it on a normal drum track.

VIVA LA BOOST11.