EQ Tactics ...

ORIGINAL: bitflipper

I do not use multiple instances of Ozone in series because the CPU load is too much. There have been occasions when I've used two EQs on one track/bus, in which case I use something lighter for the second EQ, such as the Sonitus.

I usually do use two instances - and just two - of Ozone EQ on most projects: one on the vocal bus and one on the instrument bus. I do not use it on the master bus, and in fact normally do not use any EQ at all on the master. This lets me EQ the instruments and vocals separately, which works better because they need to be somewhat complementary. For example, I might take a chunk out of the vocals around 3-4KHz to make them sound smoother (my mic seems to accentuate this region), but then boost the instrument EQ slightly in that same range. I might also give the high end (10KHz+) some boost on the instrument bus, but that kind of boost doesn't suit my voice, which benefits more from cutting the highs.

My favorite track EQ is Voxengo GlissEQ, mainly because it incorporates a spectral display. I do not like the spectral display as much in Ozone because it's too small. I'll often throw Voxengo SPAN on after Ozone so I can better see what's going on.

I use the track (sonitus eq) for cutting only.

For boosting, I'll use a more 'musical' sounding eq like voxengo, uad-1 neve stuff that incorporate a bit of 'flavor'

Mixing and mastering are different processes.

For mixing / tracking, I use the built-in Sonitus EQ. It's a relatively transparent EQ that has a great user interface with precise controls that are easy to use, and because it's built-in, adding one to each track does not stress Sonar very much. Sometimes I'll add other EQ effects to the bin for additional color, for instance, Stillwell's 1973 or perhaps one of the Antress Vintage collection.

Mastering is different, and like everyone else, I too use Ozone as a rule. I also use the Voxengo Gliss EQ and Elephant 2 limiter, I use Sonar's 64-bit phase linear EQ and Dynamics, as well as the builtin effects in my Yamaha digital mixer via a plugin called Final Master. I also use a few color tools here, and many of these are free for download. For instance, checkout Stardust, TSledge, or Endorphin (which is not quite a mastering limiter, but it has its uses). These are all excellent tools. Checkout Digital Fish Phones tools in general -- these are high quality, specialized tools for specific colorings.

It's so hard to make generalizations -- every project, every sound environment is different and has its own challenges. The good news is that there are many many many tools to use these days, and so many tools are available for the price of a download, and the time you invest in studying its characteristics.

ORIGINAL: Fog

True Philip.. but how it works with DnB and other sorts of music.. it's played in the clubs LONG before release.. to see how the crowd like it, so it used to be mastered (as it was cut on a dubplate or dj promo) ... now they try to save a few £ on the club version and also the fact dubplates are really expensive to cut and because they are one off cuts.. they damage / wear out far quicker than a normal record would.

A lot of people have learned heaps from mastering people like George Peckham , who works for porkies (they mastered LOADS of records I own)

ORIGINAL: Fog

why the ? the cost of pressing vinyl isn't cheap.. so when it gets played in a club for a while, well that's pretty much market research for the artists (who a lot of them also DJ) .
I posted a link of George at work a while ago, if you put that name into youtube it will turn up also. I've got a suspicion, dunno why DnB isn't the biggest selling thing where your from

George Peckham

Despite the apparent simplicity of drum and bass productions to the untrained ear, an inordinate amount of time is spent on preparing tracks by the more experienced producers.

The genre places great importance on the "bass line", a deep sub-bass musical pattern which is felt physically as much as it is heard. There has also been considerable exploration of different timbres in the bass line region, particularly within techstep. Bass lines exist in many forms, but most notably they originate from sampled sources or synthesizers. Bass lines performed with a bass instrument, whether it is electric, acoustic or a double bass, are rare. Sampled basslines are often taken from double bass recordings or from publicly available loops. Synthesized bass lines are however just as common.