Hi... I've always used Elephant as a limiter when sequencing / mixing..

Juat wonder what everyone's approach is since some use a limiter for mastering the final mix.

What do you guys do?

Do use a limiter on the mix and then also during the mastering process?

If a limiter is what I need to use on a track to create exactly the characteristics I want, I will absolutely use it.
I think it's a good thing to use what ever tools you want in any way you want to use them, to achieve the result you're looking for.
 
Following the existing "rules" of how everything should be done will constrain the creativity and prevent you from discovering new innovative ways that may (or may not) be exactly what will make your sound unique.
 
It's a good thing though, to also really study the traditional techniques of how to work with these things. To understand exactly how they function and their intended purpose.  That way you can expand the thinking from where others left off instead of starting from scratch.

I sometimes use a limiter to get the average sound level of a track to where I want it. In this case I use it as sparingly as I can and might introduce a multiband compressor in front of the limiter if I want to help push the volume more gently.
 
I sometimes use limiters on individual tracks where there are errant sounds around twice the normal SPL for the track. I'm thinking of a bass track with a bad mic or poorly attached mic I worked on not long ago.

Yep from time to time on individual tracks in a mix if needed instead of automation.
 
I wouldn't recommend any mastering tools on your stereo bus and keep mastering a separate final process for your album.
 
Just make your mix as good as you can get it.
 
Edit: The thread topic says during tracking and in the hardware domain to save overs, especially if you are tracking your own takes

I stumbled upon a use for these tools when I mixed down an instrumental track, then imported the flattened song and added a Vocal track on top. I raised the level of the voice track significantly high and then put a compressor (BOOST11 or the 64 Multiband...not sure) on the MAIN output bus.  This created a kind of ducking effect that probably could have been done with sidechaining but hey, it worked! -Shawn

Loptec is spot on !!! There are no rules to break and if it enhances creativity then why not but I always use the -6db rule on all stems without a limiter first but sometimes those pesky peaks just will not be tamed . I use a Freq Analyser to look at what each particular freq is peaking at so as to EQ any problems out where I can on any given stem 

I always associate "tracking" with recording. I do not use a limiter for tracking, (recording) or any other FX. It would not do much anyway. If you want to use a limiter for recording it will need to be a hardware unit placed before the audio inputs of your audio card. Otherwise you will get erroneous readings and the audio wont be limited at all.  

I avoid putting anything I can easily apply in post on the actual recording.  There are times it is somewhat necessary, like recording live events where volume can fluctuate drastically

When recording in 24bit, there is really no need for limiter in your recording signal chain as you never need to record as hot as you would with 16bit recording. Its something like 256 more times the resolution than 16bit. So you can record with your peak dB level between -24dB and -12dB and this will not effect sound quality or noise floor....
 
Also, plugin effects like the one you are using when you record, do not effect the recording signal. So it will not prevent clipping as the signal will already pass your sound card's converters. So why use it when recording? Just use it in the mixing stage, as plugin effects add latency and they do not effect the recorded signal. Its non destuctive, jys like every other plugin you would add in the program.
 
CJ

CJ's got the right of it....
 
Although you may put a digital limiter in the plugin-in chain for artistic reasons - during tracking - it cannot prevent clipping in the analog domain. The only way that can be done is with an outboard analog limiter, placed in the recording chain before conversion to digital.