Fair enough, points taken. I should really take price into consideration. For 'low cost mastering' it isn't really worth the investment in outboard.
I've tried but still haven't found any software that can make an all digital ITB mix sound more like a record. Still sounds fake to me using a digital emulation of tube gear or tape. And my clients expect mastering to make a difference- and are happy to pay a decent amount for that. Would happily use all plugs on a really well mixed track, but in my experience they are far and few between.
