i guess i just feel utterly shite, i just want a drum machine, a synth or two and maybe a mic through a vocoder and not have to worry about mastering (not mixing, i like moving faders) or asking for mastering.
have you tried anything else? i used to apply a stereo Eq followed by a compressor, but im thinking of experimenting with using side-chain compression on certain elements so as to give them room where necessary.