i need some help with levels

[Foo-bu]

hey everyone. i'm still kinda new at recording so i'm just kinda learning things as i go along. but i need some suggestions.

i find that usually my mixes arent very loud when i listen to them on a cd player. i've had people suggest to me in the past that when i'm mixing, i should just crank up my master fader so that everything gets boosted but not enough that it clips. i've tried this method and it seems to help quiet a bit but i notice that the mixes just dont have enough presence as well.
if i were to use a compressor would this help out?

also would it be a wiser idea to boost the volume of my mix with a compressor rather than the master fader? keep in mind that i'm not very skilled with compressors. i sort of understand how they work but whenever i try to do anything with them, they seem to do the opposite

if you suggest that i use a compressor, what ratio/threshold would you recommend?

thanks very much!!!

ps. i'm using a Roland VS2400, in case that helps you guys

 

[mikey@thecave]

master fader at zero
compress when recording and at mixdown .
you can insert the MTK to give it some boost
record your level as high as you can