Thank you a ton for even listening!
I fully 100% agree. I have little to no experience in mixing or mastering and I knew coming in that trying was going to become detrimental to the overall OST, but I gave it the ol college try. In retrospect, exporting the original arrangement without attempting to mix might have even been slightly better.
I also feel the VST issue. Those free BBC Discovery VSTs only went so far, I think its probably time to start investing in something better,
I really appreciate your insights into it! it gives me something to shoot for going forward