Best limiter

[bmanic]

Gotta give a shout out to the IK stealth one. I just tried it on a song and 5 seconds in, I got louder LUFs while having less distortion & pumping than all the others I currently use (I tried all the top tiers too). Pretty sure it's single band because I don't hear any tonal change (I dislike multiband limiters). And it's extremely simple to use too.
Ofc it's just 1 example, I need to test on more stuff but first impression is wow, what the f*ck have I been missing out on.

If you only listened to "how much distortion" you got, then yes, you can get quite loud with it but it sacrifices transients very quickly and totally changes the macro dynamics (probably has some form of upwards compression in it too). Some of the other limiters YOU can set them to those settings and get similar results, but the IK limiter can not be easily tweaked to be more clipper like.

Listen carefully and compare A/B versus the original source at equal volume levels and you'll hear how quickly transforms all the dynamics. Then again, if transients aren't part of your type of music and you aren't looking for something to be as transparent/true to the source as possible, then I guess it's fine.

In summary: Objectively, comparing A/B against the source, it's not transparent at all. It's quite distortion free but that's because of it's relaxed release timings and other shenanigans to bring up levels. Thus it sounds more like a compressor + limiter, squashing the source together and quite drastically transforming the dynamics. Other limiters do the opposite, they instead stay more true to the source, like clippers, but sacrifice added amounts of distortion instead.

EDIT: No I was wrong. The shenanigans wasn't happening under threshold. So it is a hard knee design it seems. Hmm.. not sure what is going on with it but it definitely changes low level stuff. Perhaps it has a sort of overshoot algorithm, like some of the Voxengo Elephant modes have. That gives you a nice little extra boost in perceived volume (though it messes with the original dynamics quite a bit).

[jtsterays]

Gotta give a shout out to the IK stealth one. I just tried it on a song and 5 seconds in, I got louder LUFs while having less distortion & pumping than all the others I currently use (I tried all the top tiers too). Pretty sure it's single band because I don't hear any tonal change (I dislike multiband limiters). And it's extremely simple to use too.
Ofc it's just 1 example, I need to test on more stuff but first impression is wow, what the f*ck have I been missing out on.

If you only listened to "how much distortion" you got, then yes, you can get quite loud with it but it sacrifices transients very quickly and totally changes the macro dynamics (probably has some form of upwards compression in it too). Some of the other limiters YOU can set them to those settings and get similar results, but the IK limiter can not be easily tweaked to be more clipper like.

Listen carefully and compare A/B versus the original source at equal volume levels and you'll hear how quickly transforms all the dynamics. Then again, if transients aren't part of your type of music and you aren't looking for something to be as transparent/true to the source as possible, then I guess it's fine.

In summary: Objectively, comparing A/B against the source, it's not transparent at all. It's quite distortion free but that's because of it's relaxed release timings and other shenanigans to bring up levels. Thus it sounds more like a compressor + limiter, squashing the source together and quite drastically transforming the dynamics. Other limiters do the opposite, they instead stay more true to the source, like clippers, but sacrifice added amounts of distortion instead.

EDIT: No I was wrong. The shenanigans wasn't happening under threshold. So it is a hard knee design it seems. Hmm.. not sure what is going on with it but it definitely changes low level stuff. Perhaps it has a sort of overshoot algorithm, like some of the Voxengo Elephant modes have. That gives you a nice little extra boost in perceived volume (though it messes with the original dynamics quite a bit).

I always gain match my stuff so the only thing I paid attention to was distortion,pumping and main transients (kick & snare), but yeah it does sound like a compressor + limiter which happens to fit perfectly to my source - it was an EDM type drop where I wanted to sausage it (I'm not a fan of over limited track but it was appropriate for this particular song).

But yeah you're right, it's not transparent, and niche use case for me so I deleted it,
good first impression but it wore off quickly after. Pro-L2 is just a really nice limiter for most stuff overall.

Also the IK shenanigans, AFAIK I have to download 3gbs of plugins just to use 1, like why? That was a huge turnoff.

[ATsoundstorm]

No audio company has the resources to make a good DAW and include good stock plugins. Programming even a mediocre DAW is already a nightmare just like one good limiter.

I think UAD's Luna might be the one. Someday.

[ampetrosillo]

Gotta give a shout out to the IK stealth one. I just tried it on a song and 5 seconds in, I got louder LUFs while having less distortion & pumping than all the others I currently use (I tried all the top tiers too). Pretty sure it's single band because I don't hear any tonal change (I dislike multiband limiters). And it's extremely simple to use too.
Ofc it's just 1 example, I need to test on more stuff but first impression is wow, what the f*ck have I been missing out on.

If you only listened to "how much distortion" you got, then yes, you can get quite loud with it but it sacrifices transients very quickly and totally changes the macro dynamics (probably has some form of upwards compression in it too). Some of the other limiters YOU can set them to those settings and get similar results, but the IK limiter can not be easily tweaked to be more clipper like.

Listen carefully and compare A/B versus the original source at equal volume levels and you'll hear how quickly transforms all the dynamics. Then again, if transients aren't part of your type of music and you aren't looking for something to be as transparent/true to the source as possible, then I guess it's fine.

In summary: Objectively, comparing A/B against the source, it's not transparent at all. It's quite distortion free but that's because of it's relaxed release timings and other shenanigans to bring up levels. Thus it sounds more like a compressor + limiter, squashing the source together and quite drastically transforming the dynamics. Other limiters do the opposite, they instead stay more true to the source, like clippers, but sacrifice added amounts of distortion instead.

EDIT: No I was wrong. The shenanigans wasn't happening under threshold. So it is a hard knee design it seems. Hmm.. not sure what is going on with it but it definitely changes low level stuff. Perhaps it has a sort of overshoot algorithm, like some of the Voxengo Elephant modes have. That gives you a nice little extra boost in perceived volume (though it messes with the original dynamics quite a bit).

Hmm. I tested Stealth Limiter in Harmonics 2 mode and by delta-comparing the effect (thanks, Reaper), and it is utterly transparent. It is complete silence if Out Ceiling is left at 0.0dB and the limiter is not limiting. (You can turn on Unity Gain Processing to make it easier to check).

The other modes, I haven't tested them, but I tend to use Harmonics 2 the most anyway (since it is a combination clipper-limiter). It isn't good at catching ISPs though. No biggie.

[Good Times]

I'm not certain which new limiter plugin the "gurus" were referring to, but the following could be of interest to you: Cedar Audio's APEX, and Naturl Audo's AL-1. Both are priced above the $200 mark. Cedar Apex is now available; the latter is still in Beta, but it is available to demo and even purchase!

I'm currently demoing Cedar Audio APEX. I like what I hear, but I'm surprised that this limiter has been flying under the radar. Any known red flags that I'm unaware of?

[Kretch]

It’s a really nice limiter but it’s not cheap at all. I love how it sounds.

[Good Times]

Yep, it definitely is expensive. But in my tests, so far, APEX has beaten every other limiter I tried. I'm using it at the end of the mix bus and get really good results. I would have expected pages of comments on KVR and GS. Just want a sanity check before I shell out 200+ €...

[Kretch]

If I could afford it I would probably get it too. As it is, my alternatives are either Elevate or MasterPlan.

I’m still waiting patiently for that secret limiter bmanic spoke about though which I’m speculating is going to be from Tone Projects. I really want to hear how that limiter is going to sound like.

[Aloysius]

The better I get at mixing, the more Fab Filter Pro-L2 suits me. I didn't use it much to begin with.

[Good Times]

I’m still waiting patiently for that secret limiter bmanic spoke about though which I’m speculating is going to be from Tone Projects. I really want to hear how that limiter is going to sound like.

Thanks, I thought APEX and AL-1 were the "new" limiters to look out for. Something else too?

@bmanic: Can you give us a hint without going into too much detail? Is there something to look forward to? And approx when?

Don't you hate it when you blow your wad and something that would have fit better drops the next day? APEX seems good quality, but at least I would like to compare...

[enCiphered]

If I could afford it I would probably get it too. As it is, my alternatives are either Elevate or MasterPlan.

I’m still waiting patiently for that secret limiter bmanic spoke about though which I’m speculating is going to be from Tone Projects. I really want to hear how that limiter is going to sound like.

I don’t think a good limiter should have a sound by default. Ideally it should be transparent first, character second.

For mastering / final level / streaming deliverables, the limiter’s job is basically to act as a reliable ceiling: raise loudness without changing the tone, stereo image, transient punch or introducing HF grit, pumping or codec problems. In that context, if a limiter has a strong “sound”, that’s usually just artifacts (bad time constants, transient over-suppression, release pumping, aliasing, true-peak issues, etc.).

Where a limiter can have a sound is in mixing or creative loudness. Then it becomes part of the aesthetic: density, forwardness, transient rounding, soft clipping, glue. That’s totally valid but the key is that the character should be intentional and controllable, not a side effect of the algorithm breaking under gain reduction.

So for me, a top-tier limiter is one that gives you both:

a mode that’s basically invisible and predictable
and a mode that adds controlled character if you want it

If it only works in one narrow sweet spot, it’s not the best limiter, it’s just a specialist. A truly great limiter lets you decide whether it has a sound or not.

Having said that, if Tone Projects release a limiter, I’m in. Their tools tend to be engineered first and flavoured second, which is exactly what I want from a limiter.

[Kretch]

I’m still waiting patiently for that secret limiter bmanic spoke about though which I’m speculating is going to be from Tone Projects. I really want to hear how that limiter is going to sound like.

Thanks, I thought APEX and AL-1 were the "new" limiters to look out for. Something else too?

@bmanic: Can you give us a hint without going into too much detail? Is there something to look forward to? And approx when?

Don't you hate it when you blow your wad and something that would have fit better drops the next day? APEX seems good quality, but at least I would like to compare...

I’m just speculating though that it’s Tone Projects as the 2 people who talked about it are always on the beta team for that dev. But yeah…I think waiting is good. On TP’s instagram they did mention something new is coming too. But no real news after.

[Kretch]

If I could afford it I would probably get it too. As it is, my alternatives are either Elevate or MasterPlan.

I’m still waiting patiently for that secret limiter bmanic spoke about though which I’m speculating is going to be from Tone Projects. I really want to hear how that limiter is going to sound like.

I don’t think a good limiter should have a sound by default. Ideally it should be transparent first, character second.

For mastering / final level / streaming deliverables, the limiter’s job is basically to act as a reliable ceiling: raise loudness without changing the tone, stereo image, transient punch or introducing HF grit, pumping or codec problems. In that context, if a limiter has a strong “sound”, that’s usually just artifacts (bad time constants, transient over-suppression, release pumping, aliasing, true-peak issues, etc.).

Where a limiter can have a sound is in mixing or creative loudness. Then it becomes part of the aesthetic: density, forwardness, transient rounding, soft clipping, glue. That’s totally valid but the key is that the character should be intentional and controllable, not a side effect of the algorithm breaking under gain reduction.

So for me, a top-tier limiter is one that gives you both:

a mode that’s basically invisible and predictable
and a mode that adds controlled character if you want it

If it only works in one narrow sweet spot, it’s not the best limiter, it’s just a specialist. A truly great limiter lets you decide whether it has a sound or not.

Having said that, if Tone Projects release a limiter, I’m in. Their tools tend to be engineered first and flavoured second, which is exactly what I want from a limiter.

You’re absolutely right. I didn’t word what I meant correctly. Thanks for the detailed response.

Looks like there’s quite a number of people who are excited for the next Tone Projects plug to come out.

[ATS]

the one that sounds best to you

[DCrown]

Even though I have some limiters for mastering, I often end up using free Max Loud plugin recently. It is the most neutral and transparent of them all and it is free!