Fat Sound, Maximizing levels in a DJ mix Options

[KarlBakker]

I am a DJ who uses a Hi-Fi CD recorder (Pioneer) to record continuous dance music mix sets. The sound quality is very good, but I want to get that Fat Sound you hear on professional Mix CDs.

I have tried the Limiter, Compressor and the Normalizer in Pro Tools (Free) but are unhappy with the result. Everything I try seems to result in a quieter, duller and less dynamic sound, which is the opposite of what I am trying to achieve. When I use a compressor, I cannot get the Gains anywhere near 0db without clipping.

Also, I only run a Mac Titanium.
Can anyone suggest a better approach?
Does anyone know of an inexpensive software option like Sonic Forges Wave Hammer but for the Mac?

Cheers
DJ Anton

[rickenbacker]

Waves do seem to be the cat's pyjamas as far as plug-ins go, but they're going to cost Karl more than the one arm and leg combo. You get what you pay for, but in a good way.

The VST option is sound, particularly as there's a huge community of developers for the format. The T-Racks mastering suite is supposed to emulate valve equipment - some people like it, some people don't. I've tried it a few times and didn't hate it and it's not too expensive. There are also mastering suites from Emagic and Steinberg.

As for an editor, I like Sound Studio 2 (Felt Tip software, felttip.com?). I don't know about the full version of Peak, but I've got Peak LE and you can't separate stereo tracks and isolate L or R individually. I do this a lot for one reason or another, which is why I use Sound Studio more than Peak LE.