KVR Audio

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 7:49 am

Good advice! I almost forgot the brand new BuzMaxi 3 v1.0.

And there are some great plug-ins by TBT Audio: Tubelimit, Tls Maximizer and TOW Compressor - except the website is closed now...anybody know what happened to that guy and where to get his plug-ins?

brause · Post by **brause** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 10:07 am

AUTO-ADMIN: Non-MP3, WAV, OGG, SoundCloud, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter and Facebook links in this post have been protected automatically. Once the member reaches 5 posts the links will function as normal.

http://www.sonictimeworks.com (http://www.sonictimeworks.com)
nobody knows/reviewed that limiter in kvr.

Timeworks Mastering Compressor

Pros:
1. good for any host that knows directx-interfaces
2. very easy to control - handy in live mixes
3. rock solid and stable
4. very low cpu usage, mode "hard" - low on "soft"
5. sound: transparent, a little warmy in "soft"-mode

it is not mentioned in KVR because this is an ugly old plugin but who cares. Just try the demo, maybe you are more excited than me?

Cons:
1. very high price at 180 USD
2. old, ugly and too big looking skin

There are lots of Brickwall Limiters like TMC out there but I found that one to be the easiest tool to achieve nice results. Maybe that helps? Just take a look at the facts and requirements and grab the demo at http://www.sonictimeworks.com (http://www.sonictimeworks.com)

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 2:51 pm

All the suggestions have been helpful, but my original post did state VST, and many of the suggestions are direct-x.

Ok, so only vst now...

What about a simple, very CPU efficient and low-latency *peak* limiter?

I don't think I need a mastering style limiter such as the W1 or Final Plug - to me that seems like overkill.

Let's assume the issue of adding warmth or character is done and focus mainly on decent *VST* limiters/compressors with low latency, minimal CPU hit and excellent stability.

It seems like Endorphin might be the perfect solution. Anyone have any knowledge of how much latency Endorphin produces?

Thanks again to everyone. I know I can always count on the gang at KVR to help out.

fac · Post by **fac** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:01 pm

What about a simple, very CPU efficient and low-latency *peak* limiter?

That's precisely why FinalPlug would be a good choice. It's probably the most CPU efficient limiter out there.

And when you talk about "peak" limiting it only means that you will use a threshold close to zero (probably something around -3db), just to limit the loudest peaks. You're not trying to push the limiter to mastering levels. In this sense, any limiter will do a decent job, so the deciding factor is stability and CPU usage. In these areas, FinalPlug is top of the line, but it is expensive (even with the 50% academic discount). The other commercial limiter I can think of which is very stable and efficient is the db-audioware limiter, which is much cheaper ($30, I think), but it's DirectX only (no VST).

Other than that, you should look into the freeware options.

BTW.- I just bought a Presonus ACP-88 8-channel compressor for $250 USD. Not good for using it at the main out, but great for live mixing and drum compression.

Paulie Phonick · Post by **Paulie Phonick** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:42 pm

What about a simple, very CPU efficient and low-latency *peak* limiter?

I don't think I need a mastering style limiter such as the W1 or Final Plug - to me that seems like overkill.

George Yohng's W1 is no overkill - it's free and uses a couple percent of CPU power. And it's definitely VST.

http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1510.html

or the GUI version:

http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1622.html

lsd · Post by **lsd** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:59 pm

Powercore Master X5 before Sony Inflator or Waves C4 before L2.

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 5:34 pm

Just recieved an email from the author of Endorphin (Sascha) and he has indicated that Endorphin only introduces 8-10 samples of latency. Not even noticeable. Endorphin is looking more and more like the best choice.

Now I'm curious how W1 compares to Endorphin in terms of latency.

~Exit0

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:36 pm

lsd wrote:Powercore Master X5 before Sony Inflator or Waves C4 before L2.

Talk about throwing money at the problem! Whooch!

lsd · Post by **lsd** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:40 pm

I do mastering for a living as well and this is "minimum" for me. My chain is usually EQ, Multiband Comp, then limiter.

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:51 pm

Sure, that sounds like an ideal setup for mastering; but he's looking for a live-performance, low-latency, inexpensive VST solution, no?

lsd · Post by **lsd** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:53 pm

My bad. Then I second the Endorphin or the W1.

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 7:15 pm

Cool. I gotta say: check out the TBT Tube Limit plug; simple, low latency, analog emulation.
(For anyone who missed these plugs:)
http://www.palebluedot.ca/kvr/TBTAudio.rar

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 8:07 pm

Exit Zero wrote: Now I'm curious how W1 compares to Endorphin in terms of latency.

~Exit0

W1 Developer contacted me...

The latency is 64 samples.
It's additional 1.4ms at 44100

RNr · Post by **RNr** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:13 pm

Hey, try new buzmaxi3.
very low CPU usages and latency (under 1ms/44.1kHz).
http://www.x-buz.com/BuzMaxi3.html

Best compressor/limiter for final output bus