welcome to the world of competitive mastering! Isn't it retarded what we have to do to make our mixes as loud as possible simply so they will be on par with every other modern rock or metal mix, when people could easily just turn up their volume ???
If your serious about getting your song loud:
Compress your mix about 3-5db with a compressor designed to go on the 2 buss, like the Waves SSL Compressor or the API 2500. I usually use the Waves SSL set with the attack to 15 or 30, ratio either 2 or 4, depending on the particular mix. Always auto release.
Your mastering eq usually belongs after this in your chain, but if you are doing serious corrective eq work or throwing some major multiband compression adjustments on your mix, you may consider doing these adjustments before your buss compression stage. If possible you should fix any major problems in the mix, but controlling your low or high end with some multiband compression is fairly typical.
If you are looking to maximize volume, some eq adjustments after this are absolutely necessary. In accordance with the Fletcher-Munson curve, boosting between 1-5K will almost always increase perceived loudness. Like others have said, a broad boost around 3K will do the trick. Be careful with your Q; you don't want to boost any further than 1K or 6K and a little narrower than that is usually good. Also, considering boosting your low end, perhaps around 120hz, and the sizzle of the high end at 14-15K a bit as well.
Of course, to maximize loudness your going to need to limit your 2 buss. Taming transients is an essential process to getting your mix loud, but just like with your eq adjustments, you need to be careful you don't wreck your mix. Don't squash the shit out of it, and don't tolerate any perceivable distortion. We are shooting for an average RMS level of between -12 and -8. If you can somehow get it louder than this without destroying your mix, great...but beware. It is really a dumb move to fuck up your mix that you have worked your ass off on in your quest for loudness. It just isn't worth it!
I have always found it to be easier to achieve commercial levels with two limiters. A plugin like Pro Audio DSP DSM will allow for you to achieve your mastering EQ adjustments, be your first limiter, as well as give you tons more options (it is an absolutely fantastic plug in, I recommend it to anyone). From here you can use something like the Massey L2007 to top of your mix. Watch your RMS and LEQ(A) levels closely to get a gauge of what your reading (in Pro Tools this can be done with the Phasescope plug in). Listen closely for distortion. Do not add any additional gain via EQ or otherwise after your final limiter as this will most definitely cause your 2 buss to clip.
Using these methods I have been able to maximize volume without fucking up my mix or introducing any obvious amounts of audible distortion. Good luck, and remember that volume in a master isn't everything!
But you got the point, ay?
