Some years ago Sound on Sound did a series where people submitted there own recordings to a mastering studio to be worked on by a professional. From memory most if not all of the artists said how much better the final results were than they had achieved.

The same mag also had a series where home studios were given a makeover again by experts. It showed two things, how little most of us know about damping, reverb, mike placement, noise control etc and what the benefits of expert advice and help really are.

I'm currently listening to a self recorded and produced CD. The music's fine BUT the track balances, bass levels and a host of stuff is all over the place. I ripped it down to MP3 and most of it became bearable (because of the amount of lost information) but the original CD is not a pleasant experience played through a decent amplifier and speakers

Steve