Thanks, Carig.  And although I am sure I am speaking with some lack of knowledge, I am not trying to do what I think should be in the mastering realm.  I am trying to get individual tracks mixed well so the mastering engineer has a good base.
 
When I see the peak jump out suddenly for an instant, I tend to think that there is a problem with the level of one or more tracks.  But maybe I shouldn't worry about it.  (Most of the time it turns out to be a vocalist hitting a low harmony hard, or something like that and I am thinking the mastering engineer won't have access.  I am probably too OCD.)

hey Konrad, your Sonitus Compressor has a limiter in it as well, plus attack + release  buttons which you can tweek to keep your mix as fresh as possible....I would never buy a limiter without attack/release...crucial specially on mix or master bus (IMO)
It will add some latency to your mix though unfortunately....for that you can tweek the Free Voxengo Latency plugin.
 
Good luck

konradh
Thanks, Carig.  And although I am sure I am speaking with some lack of knowledge, I am not trying to do what I think should be in the mastering realm.  I am trying to get individual tracks mixed well so the mastering engineer has a good base.

 
Fixing individual tracks is fine....it's the master bus you want to leave alone.

YES!  Agree.  I do not touch the Master bus at all (other than fade out on final sustained note sometimes).

I like the Concrete Limiter Pro channel module for this. You may also want to look at the CA2A module as well.  

I'd like to have a real hardware LA1A, but it is not worth $3,500 to me at this point. Same comment about a pair of 1176LNs, which would run about $4,000.

konradh
I'd like to have a real hardware LA1A, but it is not worth $3,500 to me at this point. Same comment about a pair of 1176LNs, which would run about $4,000.

Hardware isn't always what it's cracked up to be...especially when you need to get something repaired.

What about a limiter on bass tracks? Anyone do that?

sharke
What about a limiter on bass tracks? Anyone do that?

All the time...but it depends totally on the material and what you want to accomplish. Lately my music has been getting sparser so the bass gets more space, which means I want it more defined and I prefer limiting for that. I use only the EB 5 Expansion Pack these days for bass (there are certain advantages to being able to create the bass sound you want!) except on rare occasions when I use the EB 5 itself, and if I crank up the high end, it's perfect...the levels are even because they were all balanced while making the instrument, and the highs give it definition. A touch of limiting, maybe 2-3dB max, gives it just a little more presence. 
 
When I want the bass to melt more into a track and support it, I tend to go more for compression. But ultimately, it depends on the player's touch, even if the sounds are sampled. The two main bassists I work with have very different touches, which has a huge influence on what type of dynamics control is optimum. I wrote an article that addresses this topic and I think you would find it helpful.

Anderton

sharke
What about a limiter on bass tracks? Anyone do that?

All the time...but it depends totally on the material and what you want to accomplish. Lately my music has been getting sparser so the bass gets more space, which means I want it more defined and I prefer limiting for that. I use only the EB 5 Expansion Pack these days for bass (there are certain advantages to being able to create the bass sound you want!) except on rare occasions when I use the EB 5 itself, and if I crank up the high end, it's perfect...the levels are even because they were all balanced while making the instrument, and the highs give it definition. A touch of limiting, maybe 2-3dB max, gives it just a little more presence. 
 
When I want the bass to melt more into a track and support it, I tend to go more for compression. But ultimately, it depends on the player's touch, even if the sounds are sampled. The two main bassists I work with have very different touches, which has a huge influence on what type of dynamics control is optimum. I wrote an article that addresses this topic and I think you would find it helpful.

Interesting article. I use samples for bass, usually Trilian or Scarbee, and I admit I haven't much looked into the programming of them to see how to specify open strings over fretted etc.