No problem bro...no such thing as wearing out a welcome. If you don't ask, you don't learn, ya know? :) As for ARC, I've done nothing to my room other than fill it up with gear. No ugly decor (other than my ugly mug) some acoustic ceiling tiles and of course my walls are built "room within a room" with space in between for soundproofing. But other than that, I have nothing and it's totally fixed my issues.

In all the studio's I've worked in, I always use ARC and it's been incredible. I have an artical I wrote in the software section on this site about it that may help you a bit more...and there's one on my site that shows how to set it up and use it etc. I've always used it with a sub and done my corrections with a sub being on though...but in my situation, I've done corrections with it without my sub being on and it sounds like the sub is on...so it's done it's job. I bought into a new studio with a partner a few months back and now that we got all the stuff we need, I just ARC'd it the other day. It sounds fantasic. Now in there, the whole place was built to studio specs...walls, bass traps, difusers...we have everything in this place. But the weird thing...is sounds exactly the same as my studio here and everything is translating fine. The only failed correction I've done was on NS-10's by themselves with no sub. They failed miserably and ARC coulnd't even save them or make them sound even fair. Corrections done with a sub turned on with the NS-10's made them sound fantastic though...so they are fine now. I've never had a set of monitors fail me other than the NS-10's though...and I've ARC'd a lot of rooms and monitors since I got it. So hopefully you'd be ok. I'd definitely get a sub though to play it safe.

On the multi-band thing...that's true you can wreck a mix in seconds if you're not using it right. But it helps to know how to use it before you just fire it up. Try not to use it as a crutch though. I only use it when I have to. Weird bass low notes, whoomfing dirty guitars etc...stuff like that it works great because you have control over the exact frequency that is causing trouble where an eq will kill it and all the octaves as well. This way with the MB, it's only going to kick in when that note exceeds a certain threshold and you'll be fine. Good luck man! :)

-Danny

It is interesting adjusting compression on tracks and over a stereo mix. I think over a mix it takes a little practice and getting used to. Here is a thread I started about how to go about one procedure for basic setting procedures. Mike Stavrou (Australian Engineer) also proposes this approach:

http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2116921

I like to get the Attack sorted out early because once you do then other things tend to flow after that such as Release. This can be elusive to some degree. I favoured 600 ms on one slower tune, 300 ms from time to time and 150 ms often. While you are doing these two things you can choose a fairly high ratio and set the threshold somewhere down in the music so it is making the compressor work a bit. Look at the GR meter. Then when you have got the attacks sounding right and then release you can starting thinking about the Ratio and what sort of ratio you are after. Mastering, yeah ratios of 1.5 a lot for me on this CD I have just done but with some 2.0 here and there on some of the heavier things. Then last of all where are we going to put the Threshold now to get the required amount of gain reduction. 3db for me on the C2 for almost all of it. 4 db in some spots. By this time the music should be just sounding way better an amazing through the comp and you are not even hearing the comp doing it's thing at all. The transients are still there because you allowed them through in step 1. The release is rocking nicely back in with the groove a bit. The ratio is giving you the desired amount of squash so to speak. And the threshold is just about the right level to result in the required amount of GR.

There is this thread too about how to test you plugins and even analog gear:

http://forum.cakewalk.com...82&mpage=1#2286070

Not many have taken this test up. But it interesting and cool. Basically you end up hearing silence most of the time except for the parts where the compressor does its gain reduction downward and back up. It is all about how that sound comes and goes. And guess what, on a supremo device like the C2 it is sweet as silk! On bad digital plugins it jerks badly in and out. It also can help you immensely set up a compressor too. Many digital plugins that start out sounding jerky in the null mode can often be made sweet and smooth. You will never hear it as easily while the music is present.

I think it is important to take the compression in mind while thinking about the limiting that is going to come after.

And Philip don't forget that Danny like me loves the Alan Smart C2 compressor, you have not mentioned on your list. And belive me it certainly deserves to be there.

Hin Danny and Philip Yes sorry I realised that after I wrote it but hey any good C2 plugins out there. What would be the best and closest thing to it from UAD or anyone?

I have been listening to my finished master now for a few days and I have realised how bright it is! But the client likes it and everyone is happy but the top end is just so clear. Good thing about this is that he is doing a promo run of 60 copies before the main album so I have got a window if I want to get in there and change anything. I boosted no treble anywhere (in fact I had a permanent rolloff applied) and yet there is still plently of it left in the final. I need to pull it down even more.

One thing I do notice though is there is a disadvantage of having the end  result waveform sitting right at -0.1 db  and that is that many converters especially in the cheaper variety don't like things at that level and they sometimes fall apart a bit as a result. They can get bright and nasty at those sort of levels. Another reason we need to pull back in our mastering to get clear of that so cheaper converters in playback units have at least half a chance.