[Beta] SOL-4 – Transparent Limiter with No Hidden Behavior

[SOL Studio]

Quick update:

I’ve just updated the build with a few fixes and improvements based on early feedback (including M/S behavior and gain structure).

If anyone else would like to try the beta, feel free to reach out

Thanks again for all the helpful feedback so far!

[pekbro]

Latest 2ndfixed does seem to sound more weighty? Have you done something there? Or is it my imagination?

Sounds great though!

[SOL Studio]

Thanks! Glad to hear that

Yes, I fixed the threshold behavior, so the limiter should now respond more consistently.

Nothing was intentionally colored, but that change might make the low-end feel a bit more solid.

Really appreciate you checking it again!

[pekbro]

Thanks! Glad to hear that

Yes, I fixed the threshold behavior, so the limiter should now respond more consistently.

Nothing was intentionally colored, but that change might make the low-end feel a bit more solid.

Really appreciate you checking it again!

Awesome! Anyway, no worries, I am liking this a great deal. I would recommend getting a mac version out if possible, most of the really experienced guys around here are on mac. Input from some of them would be invaluable if they were to become interested.

Including guys that have advised on Pro L and more.

-Cheers

Hmm just encountered something in Live 12 (latest), it doesn't seem to like the oversampling.
It sounds like turning on a very fast cyclic gate, turning off the OS stops it. This is the first time I have loaded it into live actually. I had to update it which I am lazy to do. I will try to verify it...

*It does seem to be exclusive to Live 12 for me at least.

[SOL Studio]

Thanks for reporting this — really appreciate it.

I don’t currently have access to Live 12 on my side, but I’ll definitely look into the oversampling behavior and see what might be causing it.

Good to know that turning off OS resolves it — that’s very helpful.

Thanks again!

[pekbro]

Thanks for reporting this — really appreciate it.

I don’t currently have access to Live 12 on my side, but I’ll definitely look into the oversampling behavior and see what might be causing it.

Good to know that turning off OS resolves it — that’s very helpful.

Thanks again!

I understand, well just so you know, I have been using it with Bitwig 6, Mulab 10, Reaper 6, Live 12. I will try FL Studio, Studio One (6) and Tracktion Waveform. I like DAW's, nearly as much as I like dynamics processors.

[SOL Studio]

That’s amazing — really appreciate you testing it across so many DAWs!

That’s actually incredibly helpful, especially for catching edge cases like the Live 12 oversampling behavior.

And yeah, I can relate — DAWs and dynamics processors are both a bit addictive.

Thanks again, this kind of testing is extremely valuable!

[SOL Studio]

Quick update:

I’ve just prepared a new build (v2.3.40), which is now very close to a release candidate.

Main improvements include:

* Fixed M/S gain reduction behavior
* Fixed threshold response
* Improved low-end behavior (less distortion on sparse material)
* Fixed oversampling issue in Ableton Live
* Added LUFS metering and crossover solo
* Resizable GUI and improved readability

Also, the plugin has been renamed to:

SOL-4 Mastering Limiter
(previously SOL-4 Mastering Limiter Maximizer)

If no major issues are found, I’m planning to move forward with a public release.

Thanks again to everyone who has been testing and providing feedback — it’s been incredibly helpful!

[SOL Studio]

Quick note:

I’ve also updated the user manual for this build.

If you have time, I’d really appreciate it if you could take a quick look — especially to check if anything is unclear or missing.

Thanks again!

[pekbro]

While I can't say my proof reading is overly good typically, the manual seems fine to me.

[SOL Studio]

Quick update:

I’ve made a few improvements based on recent feedback, including:

* Improved stereo linking behavior (S-Floor Link)
* Better UI feedback for presets
* Added Undo / Redo
* Added A/B copy in both directions

I’m still testing internally and will share a new build shortly.

Thanks again for all the helpful feedback!

[pekbro]

Nice, hopefully you got some good input, seems like nobody wants to share their impressions with the rest of us. Good in FL Studio and Waveform btw, not really using Studio One or Reason currently, so I don't have them installed. I can't say about those.

-Anyway

-Cheers

Looking forward to the release.

[SOL Studio]

Thanks, really appreciate you testing it across different DAWs!

And yeah, I’ve been iterating quite a bit on my side as well — not everything comes directly from feedback, but the testing definitely helps validate the direction.

Good to hear it’s working well in FL Studio and Waveform

Looking forward to sharing the release soon!

[Lesha]

I have compared it to some of the limiters I use and unfortunately it cannot compare at higher threshold levels. 1-2 dB should be fine, but it sounds like it "eats" the initial kick drum "power", even at the shortest release.

[SOL Studio]

Thanks for taking the time to compare it — really appreciate that.

That’s a very interesting observation about the kick losing its initial power at higher gain reduction. I’d like to understand that behavior a bit better.

If you don’t mind sharing, what kind of material or genre are you testing with? Also, are you mainly pushing it as a maximizer or using it more conservatively?

In some cases, the interaction between attack, release, and the transient shaping can affect how the initial hit comes through, so I’d be curious to hear more about your settings and test case.

Thanks again — this kind of feedback is really helpful.