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Originally Posted by vehicular  i'm basically trying to boost volume with as little digital processing as possible. is there a trick? Neve limit to summit compression? is that the answer? |
Couple comments: compression ahead of limiting. And you will still want a digital limiter after the analog chain.
A good look-ahead digital limiter can react faster with vastly reduced overshoot than any analog limiter (pesky physics!). Analog can add a pleasing coloration, but a good digital limiter will have the edge for transparency.
Even if you decide to use barely any limiting, or even none, you still will want to be able to use the limiter to set a digital output ceiling (usually -0.3 dB FS) to avoid clipping in the analog output stages of consumer playback devices after it leaves your hands.
The best "trick" is to have great monitoring in a great room so you can make well-informed critical decisions, great equipment (in mastering the expensive stuff really does tend to be better than the cheaper stuff), and of course, experience. There's no substitute for that, whether mastering, recording, performing, taking out a spleen, or giving a haircut. Luckily only the spleen job could kill you if done badly.
Happy listening!