Acustica Intros Lime 3: The Sound of a Legend, Evolved.

[Acustica Community]

Lime 3 is a plugin suite available for Windows and macOS in VST3, AU, and AAX formats. It is inspired by a legendary inline mixing desks and is designed for professionals who require an authentic emulation of classic British hardware.

This new and improved version of Lime delivers an enhanced mixing experience, offering cutting-edge technology with a classic British sound.
With Lime 3, we have refined and expanded the original Lime suite, ensuring greater realism, flexibility, and efficiency for mixing engineers looking for high-quality analog emulations in a digital environment.


About the Plugin Suite


Lime 3 consists of five separate plugins:

• Lime 3 Pre – Preamplifier module with multiple analog emulations.
• Lime 3 Bus – Bus processor for adding color and depth to your mix.
• Lime 3 EQ – A faithful recreation of classic console equalizers.
• Lime 3 EQ Ultra – Extended EQ capabilities with finer control.
• Lime 3 – A complete channel strip for efficient workflow.


Key Features

• Faithful Analog British-style Emulations: Captures the harmonic richness and dynamic behavior of classic British gear.
• Hyper Technology: Improved efficiency and sound fidelity with reduced CPU usage.
• Modular Components: Includes multiple modules identified in each plugin of the suite for flexible mixing workflows.
• Zero Latency (ZL) Versions: Optimized for real-time tracking and recording.
• Lime 3 EQ Ultra: In addition to the traditional 3D-style GUI, Lime 3 includes a modern interface version called LIME 3 EQ Ultra, designed for users who prefer a sleeker, contemporary look, minimalist 2D design optimized for simplicity and focus.
• Advanced Monitoring Options: Includes multiple listening modes (Δ, LR, M, S) to facilitate accurate mixing and spatial adjustments.
• Listening Modes (Δ, LR, M, S): Advanced monitoring modes for precise audio analysis.
• Factory Presets: Includes expertly crafted presets (over 150) that offer quick starting points and creative inspiration for various projects.
• Adaptable GUI: A fully resizable interface ensures compatibility with different screen sizes and a seamless user experience
• Interactive Graphic Equalizer: Provides real-time tonal shaping of the EQ signal (in Lime 3 EQ Ultra), with intuitive visual feedback.


Lime 3 EQ Ultra: Innovation and Precision

Lime 3 EQ Ultra redefines digital equalization by combining advanced flexibility with uncompromising sound fidelity. Based on the emulation of classic British equalizers, it delivers a rich, musical tone, perfect for shaping any mix. This version introduces a modern, minimalist interface designed for an intuitive and distraction-free workflow. With ultra-precise processing and a diverse selection of EQ models, it offers unmatched versatility for any production scenario.
Note: Lime 3 EQ and Lime 3 Ultra EQ have significant design differences. For further details, refer to the Lime 3 user manual.





Lime 3 EQ Ultra GUI


What's New in the Lime 2 - L027 Update

With the release of Lime 3 as a major upgrade, we have also introduced an update for Lime 2 (version L027) to ensure continued performance and stability.
This L027 update brings essential improvements, including Resize, an upgraded plugin engine, bug fixes, and various performance optimizations, ensuring a more efficient and stable user experience.
For more details, refer to the Lime 2 user manual.


Technical information:

• Supported formats: VST3, AAX, and AU.
• Available sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz.
• Compatible with Windows 10 and 11.
• Compatible with macOS 10.15 (Catalina) to macOS Sonoma (version 14.x).
• Intel, AMD, and ARM compatible.
• Native Apple Silicon support (Rosetta not supported).


Price and availability

Lime 3* introductory price: €89 | 59% OFF until March 20, 2025 at 11:59 pm CET (reg. price €219)
Get it here!

*Lime 3 is a FREE upgrade for current Lime users!

The product is at an introductory period for the first four weeks after release or until the first official version is released; this implies that the product may receive improvements, changes, or fixes available through Aquarius Desktop updates.


Try our FREE 30-Day Trial
Note: Lime 3's trial version includes 44.1 - 48 - 88.2 - 96 kHz sample rates.
Please remember that trials expire 30 days after authorization, and we strongly recommend not using trial products in commercial sessions or any important project.

Lime 3 user's manual


Lime 3 webpage: https://www.acustica-audio.com/shop/products/LIMEULTRA

[Scotty Ellis]

No thanks, I'll wait for Lime 4 Ultra Pro. Maybe the bugs from Lime 2 will be worked out by then.

[Acustica Community]

No thanks, I'll wait for Lime 3 Ultra. Maybe the bugs from Lime 2 will be worked out by then.

Read again, read better.

[Scotty Ellis]

No thanks, I'll wait for Lime 3 Ultra. Maybe the bugs from Lime 2 will be worked out by then.

Read again, read better.

Try treating your customers better. How many years have Lime 2 owners waited for all bugs to be fixed??

[Scotty Ellis]

dupe

[bmanic]

Okay, you guys know I very rarely have praise to say when it comes to Acustica Audio plugins but hear me out, Lime is special. It's always been extremely good and this new version is no different. Especially the compressor module is one of THE best in the whole Acustica Audio lineup and this may be placebo but I feel like it's even more predictable and better than ever before! The compressor plugin alone (which I wish was possible to install separately!!! I just want that one installed at all times and not waste HD space!) is worth the price of admission in my opinion. All the other extras are just the cherry on top.

Having said that, I do have some issues with the new version.

Compressor module:

- why on earth is it STILL LOCKED to specific values? It works fabulously well with interpolated attack and release times. You can access these completely non-locked times in a DAW like Reaper where you can switch to a non-GUI version where you can expose the raw controls. It gives a huge amount of extra flexibility all of the compressor models. You can freely tweak attack, release and ratio and it interpolates between the values perfectly well. So please, Acustica Audio, unlock this for us within the GUI.

- as per usual, I've had a few crashes and noticed that typing values into the numerical boxes looks as bad and broken as it always does.

Haven't done much more testing than the amazing compressor module yet but I'll update my findings here when I get to the other modules.

Let me stress this again: The compressor plugin in this bundle is worth the price alone (well, maybe it's pushing a bit considering the huge non-sale price!)! You get a very diverse and large selection of different compressors.. and every single one of them is good at different tasks. You can use some of them to smash things to bits, you can others for mastering (notably the C and D variants) to add subtle glue and movement and you get superb control over your audio in a way that is completely unique to these models included in the package. This in my opinion Acustica Audio at it's best in terms of compressors. These are truly useful and great!

[bmanic]

LIME3 EQ and EQZL have bugged B and C filter sections. I don't usually bother with the terrible and super annoying AA ticket system but I'll make an exception this time as Lime is so superb and worth getting some love.

[seangm]

Tough crowd, thanks for the free update.

[tappert]

Which "classic British hardware" is it supposed to emulate?

[dionenoid]

Which "classic British hardware" is it supposed to emulate?

Neve consoles, but not the vintage ones (these are covered by AA Gold), and also not the modern ones (after 2000).