i do most of my work in Acid Pro 4.0, then when i render the final 16bit 44.1khz stereo WAV, i tidy it a little in Sound Forge or Wavelab 4...

BUT, i always keep 2 versions. one before & one after.

i dont apply huge compression or EQ boost, just fade the end section & level the peaks very slightly with Wavehammer or the like.

the final mastering is different depending on the format its to go on, afaik

example-radio mastering is much different to that of cd. which again is different to vinyl due to frequency range differences.

to the best of my knowledge anyways