DnB bass and loop mastering help needed please!

[nafeskoromokhs]

Evening folks, need some guidance mixing bass and drum loop tracks. Basically the tracks are complete musically, with all eq and effects rendered, basses are sampled from other mp3s and drum loop are choppped up from sample packs so I shouldnt need to add or retract any hi/mid/bass..the problem is the tracks are dynamically pleasing but clip intermittently. What im looking for is the technique that will reduce clipping but still retain that nasty driving bass and thumping beat you hear from most d&b productions.using audacity I realise there are limitations but I just need am idea of vst plugins and the techniques to apply these edits. Declipper doesnt give the desired sound, and im informed compression is not always the answer. I heard something about hi/band pass filters? Maybe you guys can guide me.
This is my first post so hope its all by-the-rules etc.
Cheers, Nafe

 

[smoothassilk]

You have to reduce volume first to prevent clipping.
Then you compress, sidechain, EQ limit etc to try and make up the loudness.
If it's just intermittently, then if you had a real DAW you could automate the volume to decrease a little bit whenever it clips. I don't know if you can do that in audacity though.
Get REAPER, if you want a free DAW.

 

[Dark Lizardro]

i don't advice using mp3s as sound inputs, because normally you'll have some quality lost. Try to work with wavs.

 

[chz]

Yeah i try to use all wavs at the moment too so completely agree with that. At the moment im trying to learn something i saw from one of the posts on this forum, where you send your inital track to several other tracks, ones a mono, the rest you sorta try to build the bass with effects, more sends, more layers e.t.c