So I'm finishing up a new solo album, and I'm at the mastering stage. Now, I know what mastering entails and such... but I really only need help on getting it as loud as possible...I've got all the EQ set and the mixes arent gonna change. I've got a few mastering plugins that will maximize the volume, but it seems like by the time the track is clipping, it still isn't that loud. Any suggestions?

Don't do it yourself, especially if this isn't a hobby and you want the disk to be commercial. Get someone who knows what they are doing, there is a lot more to it than loudness.

Oy...

I get the same response everywhere I look. That really isn't an option though...I can't afford to pay 50 bucks an hour to get it professionally mastered.

I'm very aware that there's more to it than loudness...I was just asking for tips on loudness...maybe some good plugins or something....not just the basic blah gentle compression/EQ blah blah blah. I know all that stuff. I've seen a few people on here that aren't complete beginners when it comes to recording, so I was hoping for some tips from them. This is just the first time I've had to master my own CD for a professional printing (but I'm still not selling it commercially)...usually my solo CDs just go out to friends and family.

I've got a few mastering plugins that will maximize the volume, but it seems like by the time the track is clipping, it still isn't that loud. Any suggestions?

It sounds like you really do need to adjust your EQ at this stage; certain frequencies, probably the lower ones, may be causing your limiter to clamp down before you want it to. Multiband limiting is a possible option, though personally I don't believe in using it at the mastering stage; I'd recommend working on balancing the frequency spectrum prior to the final limiting stage first. A frequency analyzing like PAZ or InspectorXL plugin would be helpful here.
Also ask yourself if you really want your tracks to clip that much, if at all. Things generally sound better when they're not rendered into square waves.

use the waves L1, L2 or L3, it'll make it as loud as commerical CD's.

Thanks, those are a big help. I've just started learning about frequency compression and limiting at school, so I'll definitely give that a shot, hopefully it will help. I also found a better mastering plugin that seemed to work pretty well.

Try the Waves Diamond vst plugins. I think you can download a demo version.

messing around with multiband compression in your early stages is a bad idea IMO, your mess more things up than help them.

Try the Waves Diamond vst plugins. I think you can download a demo version.

Checked on this. You can download a fully operating version of this and use it for 14 days.

Try the Waves Diamond vst plugins. I think you can download a demo version.

Checked on this. You can download a fully operating version of this and use it for 14 days.

You need an I-Lok dongle to use them, though; I think those are around $50, and sometimes a little unstable.