I imagine I'm opening up a big can of worms on this one...  Do any of you have a Mastering Plug-in/Suite that you like?  Can I get more than I can get out of the built in plug-ins?
 
A little bit about me:
I'm fairly new to Sonar and having a home studio.  I've been doing a lot of different types of projects and using the built in Sonar plug-ins to master my tracks.  Most of these projects will never be commercially available and are only for me and my friends.  These projects range from acoustic with vocals - to classical/orchestral midi arrangements - to full-out synth funk.  
 
I read a book about Desktop mastering and the author used Waves.  He did, however, say that you could use any similar plug-ins and it appears that I have a very similar chain with Sonar plug-ins (i.e. Multiband Compressor, Parametric EQ, Stereo Imager, Boost).  
 
Just wondering if it would be worth the money to invest in something like this and if it was reasonably priced.  $500 would be a possibility if it would take my sound to the next level - but I don't want to just throw money like that around.  Anyone have the Waves Gold Bundle? 
 
Thanks for your input!  Any advice/perspective is appreciated.
 
 
 
 

The Ozone 6 from Izotope could be a great choice. It is 249$. Their mix and master bundle is 349$ atm.

You might look at it two ways:
 
1) You are interested in Mastering as fast as possible, and you don't care how much money you spend, so perhaps some sort of all-in-one Mastering suite will provide some benefit with regards to time efficiency.
 
2) You are interested in learning about the craft of mastering, and you don't care how little money you spend, so while an all-in-one Mastering suite may provide you with an opportunity for experience, you also have the choice of learning the craft of using a wide variety of plugins, like the plugins you already own, by assembling your own chains of effects. This will give you an opportunity to enjoy a richer and deeper learning experience.
 
You can look at it other ways too.
 
I have found that, for me, using my own chains doesn't seem slow. I have found that listening to your work takes a lot more time than making a small adjustment to a parameter.
 
Have fun!
 
 

I am just a hobbyist who spends too much money. I have some IK Multimedia tools, EZMix, and Ozone and assorted compoenents. For me, Ozone is what I like. It has the level of simplicity, presets and control that I am comfortable. 
 

Quick and dirty, EZmix 2. Their Mastering II was just on sale and may still be. I picked up EZmix 2 for $29 dollars and the Mastering II pack for $14. Can't beat that if you like ready-mix masters. I also have Ozone 5. I use presets as starting points and tweak from there. Presets to me always seem very over the top sounding. To me, mastering should be a very subtle improvement over what you already have in the mix process. If you want to get your hands dirty and really learn what mastering is about, Ozone's the ticket.
I must say, if you have all the Sonar plugins to do it, you can get just as good if not better results with the Sonar plugs as any of the all in one suites out there. The main Sonar plug you need for mastering is the Concrete Limiter! Boost 11 works but is rather finicky when you hit it hard. I have turned out many projects that were mastered with just included plugins in Sonar. No one could ever tell the difference.

kakku
The Ozone 6 from Izotope could be a great choice. It is 249$. Their mix and master bundle is 349$ atm.

+1 This is a really good way to go for answering the original question.

Forget Waves. You can't go wrong with iZotope Ozone.
 
If you really want to dig deep into the art and science of mastering, there are other tools that will give you finer control. But if you just want some decent results with minimal fuss, Ozone will get you there painlessly.

mike_mccue
You might look at it two ways:
 
1) You are interested in Mastering as fast as possible, and you don't care how much money you spend, so perhaps some sort of all-in-one Mastering suite will provide some benefit with regards to time efficiency.
 
2) You are interested in learning about the craft of mastering, and you don't care how little money you spend, so while an all-in-one Mastering suite may provide you with an opportunity for experience, you also have the choice of learning the craft of using a wide variety of plugins, like the plugins you already own, by assembling your own chains of effects. This will give you an opportunity to enjoy a richer and deeper learning experience.

This is excellent advice. You can do the one-size-fits-all approach, or go a la carte. 
 
You can do a lot within SONAR, but it takes some effort. For example, Waves' Maximizer plug-ins are exceptionally good, but you can come very close (and in some ways, have more flexibility) by taking an a la carte approach within SONAR. The LP-64 is a very transparent EQ. The Blue Tubes plug-ins go for a more "analog" sound so I don't find them particularly good for "surgical" mastering, but they can add character when needed.
 
As to Ozone, it's an excellent all-in-one choice. It has a good balance of tools, convenience, and sophistication. 

lawajava

kakku
The Ozone 6 from Izotope could be a great choice. It is 249$. Their mix and master bundle is 349$ atm.

+1 This is a really good way to go for answering the original question.

Yes, well you see I am not any kind of mastering guru so I thought that it would be a good idea to approach the topic from a standpoint that is easier and that standpoint was this recommendation of a good product. I first meant to say that expensive mastering tools are not absolutely necessary and that there are many free alternatives, but I was worried my answer would be ridiculed. My fear was probably ungrounded...

The iZotope Studio Bundle includes Alloy 2 (tracks), Nectar 2 (vocals), and Ozone 6 (mastering). It is a great package and the plugins are similarly formatted so easy to navigate. You happened to ask this question when that is on sale for Christmas. For starting out, those can get results the fastest and still learn, but SONAR's included plugins are also capable (just more work).

IZotope also has mixing/mastering PDFs in the download sections of Alloy 2/Ozone 6, which you can download regardless of plugins you use (anyone can download these). Those two files have very good advice in general in them.