I thought it was just one player.

op : "I'm about to do a recording with a brassband in my home
studio..."


My point is, if you have them play with the apropriate dynamics, then
you wont have to worry about compression for leveling purposes. I've
found that will lead to tracks that are really easy to mix.

Do you find yourself spending a lot of time fixing your horn tracks?


Yup. Far too much emphasis on turd-polishing these days. Play the
music right in the first place.