dave-G

The thing is, mastering is far less about what processes or processors are used, and far more about decisions for what (if any) processes or processors to use, about what has informed those decisions, and about how those decisions improve the final presentation of the production. It might seem sacrosanct for an ME to say so, but I don't believe that necessarily precludes DIYing with good results! However, it also shouldn't be surprising that guys with lots of experience and skill, great monitoring and great gear are better set to do great mastering. If you're interested into learning your way through mastering your own stuff, there's loads of options for what to use, many that have been suggested already: plenty of limiters can make things loud, plenty of useable EQs out there too .. etc .. But ultimately, identifying what you want done is far tougher than identifying what to do it with. Get what you can get, and try your hand at it! -dave