I must add that I use Ozone when applicable but I have had some record producers that I master for that have already commited to the EQ and tone of the record. All they want is Brickwall Limiting applied and as funny as it seems they all love Prochannels Concrete Limiter! I always start out with Ozone in the Master bus in my mastering template and I will do my initial passes over the tracks and they always can tell a difference without even seeing what I am using. I have had them with their backs turned to me, turn and say, "NO, that's not the limiter you used last time. Use the one I like!" I know some guys will think I'm full of it on this but I swear to you that it's true! BTW, these are legitimate record producers not home studio guys like myself.

I went through this very same process, spent several $$, sought advice here, eventually settled on a workflow.
 
My mastering method is subtle Eq, Compression and Loudness.  Sonar doesn't have a loudness maximizer like the Waves L2, or the one in Ozone, both good plugins that will probably be on sale soon - so I recommend you consider a purchase.  The big question then is whether to get a suite like Ozone or individual plugins.  I started with the Ozone 5 suite and upgraded along the way, but I like using individual plugins the best.  You don't need to spend a lot to get a good maximizer.
 
Steps:
 
+10 on exporting the mix as a wave file with 6dB or so of headroom, no dithering.
import the mix into a new Sonar project
import the professional reference track
listen and compare at matched volumes
use subtle Eq/Comp to enhance the mix to your liking
Maximize/Limit (I aim for around -1.2 dBFS to avoid problems uploading to music sites, etc.)
export in desired format w/dithering when applicable
 
The Sonitus MB is a great mastering plugin in Sonar.  I haven't really used the new LP Eq or LP MB, but they are available as mastering tools as well so again, you just need a maximizer imho.
 
Lastly, once I start to 'master' one of my mixes, I almost always hear something I need to go back and fix 'in the mix' so this export/import cycle may repeat several times:)
 
Give it a go.  You'll discover a workflow that you like.  Good luck.
 

Sam4246

chuckebaby
mix down to a wav file and then import it back in to sonar.
leave yourself some headroom, I typically leave between -6dB to -9dB.

Got it - do NOT try to get the mix crazy loud so you don't get it distorted during mastering. Now leaving between -6dB to -9dB ---do you mean keep the mix in between those two markers on the Master bus or just minus those amounts from the max level possible?

Also what is the K system?

don't let your levels exceed -6 to -9dB PEAK.
RMS is a whole different animal, hence the reason I chose the K system.
 
I used to use Ozone as well but after a while I found my finished products were beginning to sound like cookie cuter masters. That's not a knock on Ozone or the people who use it. they have better control over their masters than I do. im susceptible, vulnerable to getting caught up in using the same old settings/presets in Ozone. I believe it was effecting my judgment on the way I mastered so I stopped using it for a more basic approach= individual plug ins. I have been down the road and over mixed and over mastered many projects, only to find a more simple approach typically trumps in the end. I found going back to basics simplifies what we all want in the end, something that sounds good. and when that product is wrapped in 50 LBS of gift wrap, it sounds over polished. (like the ole saying.. "you can polish a turd all you want but in the end, its still a turd". 
So with all due respect to others, I don't want what everyone else wants. I want to dare to be different. sure we are all after the same thing but when you start falling in to the "This sounds amazing, it reminds me" it turns me off.  
 
My approach has always and will always be a very unorthodox approach.
Mastering doesn't start with the export process to a stereo track. It begins days, weeks, months before you even begin to record the first song of your album.
Pre planning, post planning, filling out documentation, producers notes, delay times, BPM's, exc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Calculating Delay times: http://guitargearfinder.com/guides/convert-ms-milliseconds-bpm-beats-per-minute-vice-versa/
For when you are mixing: http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-bpmtempotime.htm
For documentation: http://forum.cakewalk.com/Orginizing-Labeling-Audio-and-Midi-Tracks-m3448904.aspx
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Sure we all have those...throw together a few songs, mix them, master them. But when I am seriously planning an album for myself or a client, and I mean planning it A game style, I cut no corners. I sit down with all the material make notes for every song and make an arrangement of song order (which typically after post recording gets changed a little bit). then dive in. This method has proved efficient for me. but not everyone works the same way. and I respect that.
 
Key is when your mixing, make the mastering engineers job easier by making a great mixdown with plenty of dynamics, plenty of room.

I master all the songs of an album at the same time to make sure they have a unified sound.
 
I make a copy of each song project first so I can mess without breaking anything.
Then in Sonar I open all the songs, click on the second button top right so they don't fill the whole screen and arrange them so they are smaller and I can easily get to each.
 
Then to work on a particular song I make it fill the Sonar screen. 
As I work I refer to previously done songs and copy settings and material across as required.
 
But exactly how you do the actual mastering - yeah. Everybody has their own way and the only solution I found was to read and take the bits I felt applied to the style I do. You have to learn, and you can only do that by doing.

jude77

Sam4246

chuckebaby
mix down to a wav file and then import it back in to sonar.
leave yourself some headroom, I typically leave between -6dB to -9dB.

Got it - do NOT try to get the mix crazy loud so you don't get it distorted during mastering. Now leaving between -6dB to -9dB ---do you mean keep the mix in between those two markers on the Master bus or just minus those amounts from the max level possible?

Also what is the K system?

Here are a couple of links to the K system.  They're well worth your time.  Good luck!!
http://www.meterplugs.com/kmeter
http://forum.cakewalk.com...-Metering-m382352.aspx

Thanks for the links. K-meter looks great, but there are quite a few similar metering options out there. On the ther hand, how good is Perception! Gotta get my hands on that:)
 
http://www.meterplugs.com/perception
 
 

Sidroe
I know it may sound like a weird way to master but when I am working on an album project, I import the tracks I want to master all into the same project, Song 1=track1, Song 2=track 2. This allows me to mute and unmute tracks to compare the overall loudness of the entire project. I then touch up which ones need some love and then I export them all in to a folder where they can be accessed and burned to CD. It takes no time at all and saves all those drink coasters that you end up with trying to get the whole album balanced. This is the quick and dirty way I do it. BTW, all tracks are routed to the Master Bus and the limiter is the last in the chain. Good luck!

You might find 'exclusive solo' works better than 'mute' in this situation.
IMHO

Sidroe
I know it may sound like a weird way to master but when I am working on an album project, I import the tracks I want to master all into the same project, Song 1=track1, Song 2=track 2. This allows me to mute and unmute tracks to compare the overall loudness of the entire project. I then touch up which ones need some love and then I export them all in to a folder where they can be accessed and burned to CD. It takes no time at all and saves all those drink coasters that you end up with trying to get the whole album balanced. This is the quick and dirty way I do it. BTW, all tracks are routed to the Master Bus and the limiter is the last in the chain. Good luck!

Actually, I find this a good idea.  That way all of the tracks will likely sound on the same level for the collection of recordings.  I want to say album, but in this day and age, it is not an album...
 
 

Great tips so far, I also recommend listening in your car for a reference comparison to your monitoring environment.

Check out Izotope's mastering guide. 

Anderton
I don't even know where to start...in the days of vinyl, mastering was an incredibly complex process due to the physical constraints of the medium. That's no longer the case. If you search on:
 
"Craig Anderton" mastering
 
You'll find a bunch of my articles. I've mastered hundreds of tracks, even won an award, but I do less and less as part of the mastering process with every passing year...although much of that depends on what kind of mix I get. 
 
My motto: "There are at least 20 valid ways to master a piece of music. The right way is the one that amplifies the artist's vision."
 
 

Your tutorials have helped me tremendously!