thanks for the tips.

I find that too much distortion can shave off too much colour from the frequences and sometimes EQ'ing can add too much hiss.....i havent actually tried the PSP plugin yet, but im thinking of doing so, or perhaps buying a hardware tube warmer to run the entire signal through......

When it comes to the actual engineering (as opposed to the creation level) of dance music, i find myself often stuck and pounding my head against a brick wall.