Limiter Shootout

[Barbarossa]

I voted for A.

Although i listened to the examples on my integrated laptop-speakers, i could hear this:
A keeps the transients very good alive and creates an "expensive" impression therefore. The kick get's a nice full and warm sound (i mean the transients, the bass i can't here here ).
Especially with the 6dB example, it doesn't bring up the mids so much (which are annoying on my laptop anyway ), and the groove and the rythmic impression of this nice track, which becomes better the more often you listen to it, stays completely alive.

I find B and C are bringing up the mids too much, produce no "pressure" and reduce the rythmic feeling. One of those two, did even something annoying with the transients of the cl hht/shaker.

After the first impression, i found D also quite good in the 3dB example. But in the 6dB example, there is a big difference to A.

A is my clear laptop loudspeaker winner!

[M'Snah]

Please let the poll run for a couple of days... 24 hours is much too short...

[Amberience]

The conclusion of this is just going to be that people have different tastes.

So what's the point?

[pw]

The conclusion of this is just going to be that people have different tastes.

So what's the point?

exactly. the test is far from on any solid 'scientific' ground. Given bmanic's recent vocalisations about another test, I am suprised.

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[AD80]

B

But I must say I like to original clip too.

[martian]

I found A and B to have a more calm and convincing bass. A was distorted yes so I picked B; it sounded very much like hardware. C sounded like plastic; the bass was thin and aggresive. D was the worst.

Torben

you're probably right, and id assume from a devs perspective, quality is of paramount importance, but i think for the producer/mix engineer its often going to be about keeping the mixes balance and intent, which is why i believe many hot masters in similar styles are treated more like A. since it better preserves the drum levels you chose at mixdown to form the tracks dynamic. plus, hard limit sounds louder with max peaks aligned, although i find bmanics compensatory leveling makes this test more about isolated listening perspective, which i think is better.

so what does hardware sound like?

[bmanic]

The conclusion of this is just going to be that people have different tastes.

So what's the point?

exactly. the test is far from on any solid 'scientific' ground. Given bmanic's recent vocalisations about another test, I am suprised.

Huh? That's the whole point of this test. I quite clearly say that in the first post. The point is to show that there is no such thing as the perfect limiter and the poll clearly shows that. It also shows that for certain material some limiters are not very good at raising the loudness a lot. Like you have probably noticed, the light limiting examples have very few differences, it's only with the more heavy limiting that the correct limiter for the task is required.

Personally I'm a bit suprised of the results seen so far. It just shows that different people prioritise different things in the music. For instance, I think that the rythm part is one of the most important aspects in this tune. Some limiters don't handle it very well. Whereas other people seem to listen more to the overall "density" or "clarity" instead of specific parts.

What ever the final results, I think this poll has been very useful for everybody so keep em votes coming!

One more thing: You have to also consider the human factor, me. I chose the settings for each limiter and I am definately far from perfect when it comes to doing this. I hesitated a lot during the testing as I found it difficult to choose fair parameters. Basically I tried to get every limiter to sound as good as I could but it's still of course not objective.

Cheers!
bManic

[martian]

removed.

[Torben]

so what does hardware sound like?

Like good software but maybe a little harder No you are right, references like that do not say much though often used as reference.

Torben

[friteuse]

bManic, I appreciate this test and as you clarified in your first post, it's neither the ultimate "what's the best limiter ever" test nor any kind of scientific test. But anyway it shows, that there ARE differences, not only between the limiters, but also between peoples taste.

Btw, I votetd also for B (before I read the thread!) just because I personally found the rhythm part not the most important, rather than the overall relaxed feeling of this tune. And it is imho limiter B, that handles this best, while A brings the drums (esp. Snare) to the front, but at the expense of "sense of well-being" if it can be said like this...

I am very curious to see the results when you disclose the secret...

[TotcProductions]

Personally, I like A the best. A and B were better than C and D, but I feel that B is too squashed, to the point where there's no movement...A seems to pump and "breathe" very nicely to my ears. A all the way!!!

Now tell me which limiter I picked so I can see If I have it in my vst lineup!!!

[friteuse]

Ok, so far, 12 hours ago and no more votes... when do you reveal?

[arke]

yeah, would interest me what the results are

[bmanic]

Patience.. patience.

- bManic