Hi guys,
first up, its great to be here..

I play guitars and write for a band in New Delhi, India, called Them Clones.

You can sample some of our stuff at www.myspace.com/themclones

My query is that im stuck at the mastering stage, I dont want to fall into the rut of overcompressing files to make them louder at the expense of the mix sounding like porridge.

Im putting a link here of a new mix for a track called 'The Bomb Song", which you can listen to on the myspace page as well. (tho the one on Myspace is an older 'mastered' mix)

I'v just pulled this new mix out, its not 'mastered' yet. Be great to hear some comments from everyone, including Masteringhouse, Bluebearsound and Rhone Ranger. ]

I have been using the following plug-ins for audio masters

Timeworks Mastering Compressor
PSP Mixpressor
Waves L1 - Ultramaximiser and L2
Waves C4

Though, the file on this link is unprocessed by any of these as yet.

http://download.yousendit.com/994BA19D3A654BBC

Cheers and big thanks!
Gucci
www.headroom-studios.com

any projects you need help with...just shoot me an email alan.jordan@comcast.net with the file, please make sure it is either in mp3 format or compressed zip file....take care

Try using multiple processes at once. IE: the c4, L2, & the L2.
All at moderate, and I mean moderate levels.
This will allow you to increase the overall level without over pushing from one plug in. I use this technique in some instances. Just remember, Sometimes You may only need 1, other times use as many as you need.
It is worth a shot.
_________________
Rob
FH Mastering
fhmastering.com
myspace.com/fhmastering
Professional Mastering / Affordable Rates