Basic Mixing and Mastering Compression Question

II rarely have to compress audio tracks as I always use a light compression as I track. My tracks are very even as a result. The exception is of course real drum tracks which even though compressed , they can be a little untamed. 

But yes that compressor is very easy to set up and apply. 

Lately, and I know some will disagree with this, I have been getting excellent results applying the LP 64 Multi band to my master buss. I leave it flat but cut the low end a smidge. 
I find it tames any overs and my mixes come out at about just right volume. It will also show if you have problem frequency bands that are too hot so you can deal with them at the track level. 

I like to see all the bands tickle the meters. The highest band never does. If the meters are constantly showing at 2 or more bars your over compressing your mix. 

Compressors won't do much damage if used lightly. That's the ticket. Start with the lightest settings and go from there. 

But all good recordings start with each track being a good even level with the dynamics being an important part to the overall sound. This  depends also on the type of music. Heavy rock can take a lot more compression than jazz would. 
FFor me it's most important to have a steady level on the Kick, Bass and vocals. The rest can drift in and out. 

I started using very light master bus compression to help get mixes together quickly, then I slowly lower the compression and listen to what sticks out and fix those tracks. I started doing this using the PC2A Leveling Amp Pro Channel, but I don't think it's the right tool for the job. I switched to "The Glue" for the last mix I did and it turned out real well. I really want the Waves SSL, but that's another story...

I also use compression on certain tracks and always on the drums, although the Percussion Channel really is very useful for drum tracks.

Very valuable information all. This is pretty much what I was looking for. I'm working on a track with some acoustic guitar where I'm strumming, and the dynamics need to be tamed a little (probably my playing) but I also want the option to use a little compression on the overall track when I master to get a good...master.

My concern was what would happen to the acoustic guitar track that I originally compressed in the master, and as stated, if used with constraint, it's what's commonly done.

BitFlipper--thanks for the input in the Sonitus. What I really liked was the solo feature I read about. Sometimes I want to slightly elevate an instrument and I'm not sure of it's frequency or Q. With the solo feature, it looks like I can make sure I'm not robbing or boosting a contiguous instrument's frequency by using it.

Thank you all

One thing to remember if you're chaining compressors is that the Ration control will operate by multiplying, not adding.

So if you have 3 in total, with ratios of 2:1 3:4 & 4:1 - this give an effective ration of 24:1