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Peaks in the low end are treated the same as those in the midrange and high end. The Waves L2 Ultramaximizer is what's called a "wide-band limiter," which means it processes the entire frequency spectrum of your music in the same way. Let's take a look at some of these options for mastering limiters.
WAVES L2 ULTRAMAXIMIZER LIKE SERIES
Both the L2 and 元 series limiters were specifically created for mastering (although some of the variations in the series are great for mixing as well) and Waves recently released the Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain which offers a compressor/limiter alongside EQ, filtering and stereo imaging. Waves makes a selection of mastering-quality peak limiters, which vary in both features and capabilities. Some might be more useful than others, depending on the source material and how you’re using them.
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There are different types that go about their jobs in different ways. Peak limiters are not all the same flavor.
WAVES L2 ULTRAMAXIMIZER LIKE SOFTWARE
You'll find this option in most software that provides dithering, including in mastering limiters. Another aspect of dithering that you'll come across is called “noise shaping.” It's an additional process that makes the dither even harder for your ears to hear. Without getting into too much detail here, dither helps mask what's called “quantization distortion,” which is caused when you reduce the bit depth of a digital file. The process of bit-depth reduction is also known as "re-quantizing" or "truncating."
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What is dither? Simply put, it's very low-level noise (it sounds a lot like white noise) that gets intentionally added to a signal when digital audio is being reduced in bit depth.įor example, if you're going to convert your 24-bit mixes to 16-bit for streaming services or CD duplication, you'll need to dither them. When mastering, generally the only processing that happens after the limiter is dithering, and most mastering limiters offer dither options. That said, there are times when you want to add specific characteristics like a "vintage" sound, which can be achieved through different release settings or by using plugins that model older hardware processors. In other words, you want to increase the level without it sounding like it's being processed. Limiters are used in both mixing and mastering, but for the latter, their primary purpose is to transparently make the audio louder. However, too much pushing not only makes the audio sound squashed and lacking in dynamics, but can also cause distortion. Since it can't go up any further, the distance between the lowest and highest levels shrinks the more it's pushed. One way to visualize brickwall limiting is to think of it like pushing your audio up against the ceiling. With the peaks reduced, the dynamic range gets smaller allowing the limiter to then apply make-up gain to boost the whole signal louder.Ī mix prior to (left) and after (right) peak limiting As a result, the signal can never get above where you set the target level.Ī limiter does its job by reducing the peaks of the signal and bringing up the overall level. A brickwall limiter, which is what you'd typically use in a mastering situation, has a ratio of infinity:1. This guide will help you determine which type of limiter is right for your song.įor those unfamiliar, a limiter works just like a compressor, except that it has a much higher ratio. Still, limiting is essential for getting the music up to standard listening levels and sometimes for subtly shaping frequencies and transients. Because streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube have instituted loudness limits, you no longer need to squash the life out of your music to allow it to compete in level with other recordings. If you're doing your own mastering, whether it's for a complete album or it’s just a song you're releasing online, you'll need a mastering-quality limiter to use as the last processor in the chain. Here we’ll guide you through picking the most effective limiter for your music. Putting a brickwall limiter at the end of the master chain is a staple in the sound of modern releases, but you have many different options.