I always record my own CDs, but get a professional to do the mastering, which is the stage at which the limiting and final compressing comes in. Most of the people I've spoken to on the subject seem to agree that anything with a slightly folky tinge to it shouldn't be trying to compete with Metallica - they tend to adopt a half way house in trying to bring up the level of the quietest parts a bit.

A lot of listening to CDs is on car stereos these days and the lower volume bits can get lost against background noise.