So,
after playing around with EQ and levels a lot the last few days my latest project sounds a lot better, clean, punchy and full of space. The only downside is the mix is now very quiet and I want to push the level right back up again on the master channel. One option is to use the ubiqitous 'maximiser' plug in, or something like Ozone. I'd like to keep things a bit more simple though. I read a neat little trick the other day which was put a limiter and EQ on the master. Set the output of the limiter to -0.1db to prevent clipping and play around with the input or gain. Use the EQ to apply a couple of db wide boost at 10k and above to add some air.
What else could I do that would get the volume levels right up and try to find that smooth commercial sound. Apart from getting the mix right in the first place. I'm still working on that
I'd rather steer clear of the all-in-one mastering plugins until I'm comfortable that I can get the best out of the simple tools I already have.
Thanks