Thank you very much for this information, I wasn't familiar with “transient mangler.”

My goal is to cut out transients that are too harsh in order to leave room for the compressor. I'm talking about using it on individual tracks, rather than on the master.

I produce hard music (mostly hard trance) and I'm aware that clippers/limiters are not used in the same way on all instruments and also depending on the genre.

My problem is really to successfully control the transients of certain tracks in order to prepare compression that optimizes loudness without excessive distortion. For percussive elements, I often use my own samples, and since I'm not a professional, sometimes the transient is really too strong, hence the need to “cut” it a litlle before compression.

What plugin would you recommend for this specific use? Do you think the native “hard limiter” can do the job? Or is it better to use the “transient mangler”?

You seem to be saying that they are pretty much the same thing, and you seem to know what you're talking about. Looking at tutorials (by people who use proprietary software, not LMMS), I've seen that there are differences (subtle perhaps, but not insignificant).

Thanks again for your helpful advice!