Compressor attack setting

I've used limiters on drums too. It really depends on the sound you are after, as to what compression technique is appropriate for the task.

Most of the time, I use a compressor on the individual track to lengthen the note, then send the drums to a bus and compress there to make them pump a bit.
 
Check out the PSP Master Comp
PSP MasterComp plug-in (VST, AudioUnit, RTAS) Stereo Mastering Compressor
It is a bit on the pricey side, but along with being very versatile and nice (tone wise), it does an interesting thing to transients even when set with a slow attack. So you have a situation where you can open the attack (and get what that does), but it still does it's own bit of fast controlling. **
One of about five options I'll go to for drum or master bus.

add.. Actually, my wish would be that if that were selectable, it would actually add more to its utility but...
 
Dealing with transients at the mastering stage is not a good idea if you've mixed the song too. Going back to deal with those tracks in the mix will be far more effective. "Glueing" a mix with a compressor is a gentle application and not a way to tame dynamic range. The depth of your toolbox options will determine how & what to use. Ozone 7 has some great ways to deal with your mastering and Neutron can do masking and analyzing these problems can make life easier. I don't work for Izotope but I have all their best plugins. Waves Vocal Rider can work more naturally than a compressor and draw automation on your track that you can edit. It works on guitars & keyboard tracks too. Doing your own mastering on a song you've also mixed is a tall order.
 
I use the Slate Grey, it's supposed to be like the SSL bus comp so maybe this could apply to that too. But I like to actually put it on the slowest attack, and play with the release time. Lots of transients get through, that's okay I'm not really trying to catch those with the bus comp. It more evens out the whole song, maybe adds a little movement when the kick hits. If you're getting a lot of transients I'd look at the drums, they seem to be culprit most of the time for me.
 
If you're getting a lot of transients I'd look at the drums, they seem to be culprit most of the time for me.

Same. Usually snare or kick, for me. I'm still working out good snare comp settings. I'm reaching for around 40-50 ms attack on the snare to let some snap through, and a quick release. Kick drum, longer attack, about 50-60 ms, also quick release. When I get those things in order inside the mix, putting a bus compressor on makes it a lot smoother since the main antagonists are controlled.
 
2:1 is a good place to start for a master compressor. 100ms attack and release is also the place I've found to be also good starting point. Then tweak the threshold until you get a dB or two of gain reduction.

Other than that, paralell compression can sometimes work very well on acoustic music to thicken things up without trashing all the dynamics.
 
for acoustic music which is aimed at organic sound with natural dynamics I would definitey started with the slowest (30ms) attack which allows to gently control dynamics without choking drums
 
if you add a compressor, and hear it pumping, that's no good.

long attack times, and lower ratios, is better than more volume and killing transients.
 
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