MOTUnation.com

Hi. I'm looking for a limiter to use as a plug in DP 6, mostly to pump up the volume a bit on mixes I give clients to listen to at home, not really for final mastering. The MasterWorks limiter seems ok, but it seems like it gets kind of "crunchy" sounding really fast. I was curious what you guys are using that you could recommend. Thanks!

The wong W1 waves L1 clone is free and pretty good.

The stillwell rocket is very good for the $$.

The vintage warmer (although much more $$) is very good for these purposes as well.

I agree for light master channel Limiting the MW limiter as ok but for heavy work it just doesn't cut the mustard at all.

It's really much better as a channel limiter IMO.

+1 what the kass cat said.

If you're able to(budget wise) check out the UAD Precision Limiter... among man other plugs.

T

Well you'll think I'm crazy, but for not a lot of dough one option that's not too bad is something called Spectraphy LE:

http://www.crysonic.com/spectraphyle.html

It's currently only $35 and it actually does a pretty decent job and stays pretty transparent. There are some interface quirks, but it works fairly well and is great for the price. I usually use UAD Precision Limiter, but download the demo and see what you think. I think at $35 it's a very good option for the situation you describe.

I also agree with Kassonica re the Yohng W1. Plus it's free! Try it out, it might be just what you need.
I've found the MW Limiter pretty unusable on the Master bus.
Link:

http://www.yohng.com/w1limit.html

grouse wrote:I also agree with Kassonica re the Yohng W1. Plus it's free! Try it out, it might be just what you need.
I've found the MW Limiter pretty unusable on the Master bus.
Link:

http://www.yohng.com/w1limit.html

Thanks for providing the link and the mans correct name. I wasn't on my own computer and took a guess, a bad guess at that .

I really like using the Voxengo Elephant for this type of thing...

+1 on the W1 and Spectraphy LE too.

Thanks all. I picked up Elephant, and I think it's going to fill the bill.

I'm piping in late, but after using Precision Limiter for a while, then Ozone 3 (Ozone 4 is awesome), my go to limiter is Xenon - the best I've heard IMHO (also used the waves L1 and L3).

.

Waves' limiters are awesome in quality.

The company is not the best in terms of ... never mind.

I use and like Waves' products.

Ozone 4. Ten day demo.

kassonica wrote:

grouse wrote:I also agree with Kassonica re the Yohng W1. Plus it's free! Try it out, it might be just what you need.
I've found the MW Limiter pretty unusable on the Master bus.
Link:

http://www.yohng.com/w1limit.html

Thanks for providing the link and the mans correct name. I wasn't on my own computer and took a guess, a bad guess at that .

I thought you had a pretty good stab at it! I found out about that plug-in through this website so I thought it only fair to pass it on.

Since this is, as you said, not for the final mastering, you should at least give the LA-2A Leveler a shot. It has a limiter function as well, and you just might discover that you like it. The final page of the tips sheet thread -- I think we're up to 7 pages now -- offers some hints from Magic Dave on using the Leveler. Despite the controversy surrounding this plugin, it behaves just like the real one, which has been a studio standard for 40 years, plus you can save a memory state for its optic device which required warming up in real life. It's an odd bird, never giving precisely the same results twice (so they say), but it sounds pretty wonderful and it's... free.

Shooshie

Let me add two dittos:

1. The MW Leveler, used carefully, can do what you want.

2. Ozone 4 is terrific. It has several tools that will help you pump up the volume BUT

3. Be sure to pick up Bob Katz's book, Mastering Audio, which will help you get a sense of both the potential and the perils of mastering. He has excellent advice.

If anyone is considering the Stillwell plugs (I'm really digging them) it's actually the Event Horizon that's their peak limiter. The Rocket compressor is another kettle of fish as is the Major Tom compressor.
http://www.stillwellaudio.com/?page_id=16
Their plugs are cheap and demos are unlimited.
No affiliation here.

Cheers
Phil