My intention was not to be condescending.
The point of the story is something that is quite relevant to your situation: mastering is not a simple check list. You need to think about the challenges in that particular song. Then ask yourself what could be done to fix the problem and what is the best tool for the job. Finally you need to actually fix it - or not. Mastering is also about knowing when not to change something.
Let me make it up to you by answering your specific questions - though others have already done that, too.
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describe/share my current mastering method with you pro mastering engineers which I would like to leave wide open for some constructive criticism. So
First of all, as I said above you cannot master by a list. My first advice to you would be to change this line of thought and accept the morale of the story.
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Step1:
Once the mix is just right and the track is not clipping at all and there is a nice amount of headroom, I start with the sonnox inflator. I pus
There is no reason to use the Sonnox Inflator unless you feel it contributes something you are missing to that particular song. And there is no reason to push anything to the maximum by default.
If I use the Sonnox Inflator in a mastering situation (which I rarely do) I find adding a little distortion is enough to achieve the necessary effect, e.g. 10 - 30%.
Try experimenting with the amount slider when you are almost done with your master. You will likely find that anything much above 30% will be a waste in terms of loudness and instead add unwanted distortion.
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Step2:
I then do mid&side eq in ozone 4,
M/S equalizing is a powerful tool. I certainly use it on some masters but never by default. Use stereo EQ and if you discover a problem that is best solved by using M/S then switch to M/S mode.
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most of the time I also do a low cut (40hz)
There is nothing wrong with using a low cut. But again, using anything by default should be avoided.
Some songs will not benefit from a low cut for various reasons; maybe it is simply not required and sounds better without, or maybe it will shift the phase in a way that not only diminishes your headroom but changes something else for the worse.
When using a low cut make sure it is set to an appropriate frequency for that song, not to some default value. It could be set to 20 Hz, 28 Hz or whatever - even 40 Hz - but it's rare to use low cuts at high frequencies during mastering.
If you have a bass problem there are several other ways of addressing it, including a low shelf EQ, a parametric EQ or even multiband compression.
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and high cut (16000khz).
Using a high cut in the first place is not something you do by default. At 16kHz - depending on the slope of the filter - you will be making drastic changes in the audible part of the spectrum. As explained above there are many other ways of adjusting the top frequencies, too.
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Here I'll make sure that I have improved the tracks tone, I also do very slight alteration usually no more than 3db up or down on selected frequencies.
If the mix is good then there is no need to make massive changes. But setting any kind of limit on how much you equalize during mastering is not wise either. You do whatever it takes to fix a particular problem. While all mastering engineers would love to have a perfect mix to work with we sometimes need to make compromises.
Obviously, if you are working on your own mix then go back in the mix and fix any major problems there first.
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Step 3:
I now add the PSP master compressor. Usually my ears get nice sounding results with setting close to the following: ration 1:2:1, attack 25ms,
As mentioned a couple of times, ask yourself what that particular song needs. Listen to the peaks and valleys, the average of the signal, listen to individual instruments and vocals and the way everything interacts. Listen to the micro-dynamics and the larger dynamics of the whole song (the arrangement).
Try to describe what you are hearing, in words perhaps, or simply in your mind. As an exercise, see if you can put into words what you like and do not like. Then you have an idea of what you would like to achieve.
Once you have a complete understanding of how compression works in mastering, and lots of experience with how your particular compressor(s) react(s), then you will be able to adjust the parameters accordingly without much hesitation or trial and error.
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Step4:
The last thing I do is add 2 limiters to the chain, I usually start with logic's build in limiter and only add 1db gain, with lookahead all the
If I am counting correctly you have 3 limiters in the chain now. One in the PSP Compressor, then Logic's limiter and finally the Ozone 4 limiter. It seems a little excessive to me.
Try spending more time on getting the other aspects of your master better. Loudness is not obtained simply through limiting or even clipping. Getting the right frequency balance and optimum compression is a very important part of the equation.
Experiment more with limiting and even clipping, though the latter is frowned upon by some. In real life most mastering engineers working on Top 40 material, rap music, electronic music, rock, etc. are not afraid to use clipping when it is appliccable. I do not want to go into a loudness war discussion here so I am simply stating how things are.
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"sounds softer than other commercial CD's" not much but it does sound a bit softer. What on earth is wrong with my method? Where can I get more loudness?
As already mentioned it is a combination of many factors during the mastering process. However, the arrangement, production and mix needs to be of a certain quality that lends itself towards being loud. Please see this thread for some tips:
Loudness when Producing and Mixing [Tips]
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Why not try to give the man a straight answer or simply don't reply instead of trying to "school" him? Nothing more annoying when you really want to l
As explained above there is an important and relevant mastering lesson in that story.
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