I'm Alright

[Mixinthecloud]

I would suggest using a buss compressor at the most when you mix and not a limiter unless you use the limiter for a specific purpose. Remember there are two parts to this process, mixing and mastering. I tend to group instruments together as needed for dynamics control and ease of mixing. This can either be a stereo buss or VCAs if your DAW allows for that. Use your buss compression on your individual stereo groups as needed or a multi-band compressor. That is where one of those can do some good work. Environmentals can be added either through effects busses or as inserts on a stereo group or even the master buss. there is no right or wrong, it is only what sounds best to you and brings out the character you are engineering into the mix.

Once you have obtained the sonic character you want to represent in your mix and you commit it, then use your mastering to sweeten. I place a limiter with true peak limiting abilities at the end of my chain to ensure I do not enter into distortion. I also use a six band EQ and some mastering compression . The compression is there for boosting level and giving a commercial sound and the EQ to sweeten. Again, the limiter is for protection only. I never hit it hard enough to really hear it. Most of my compression at this stage is parallel.