Adam Greene
Member
I was going to purchase the FG-X to do some quick loudness maximizing on demo's. Then this week the L3 went on sale. What are some opinions on these 2 plugs. Thanks much.
Waves L3 Multimaximizer VS. Slate FG-X
- Thread starter Adam Greene
- Start date
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
I've used the FG-X on several hard rock masters and I like it. The Constant Gain feature is a great way to compare before and after without the difference in level.
Raz Klinghoffer
New member
They are very different L3 isn't 100% about volume like Slate FG's...
So if you are all about the volume, that's the way to go, if you are looking for a limiter only then L3
So if you are all about the volume, that's the way to go, if you are looking for a limiter only then L3
Adam Greene
Member
Other reviews I've read say the FG-X may be better on heavy or hard material and the Multimaximizer (not Ultramaximizer) may be better on softer material (which is what I do). It is probably best to have both, but with the Waves on sale (the L3-16 bundle is at $199 OBO on fleabay right now) I will probably pick that up first. The FG-X has been staying around $99 for a while with sellers on ebay willing to sell even cheaper. Any other opinions would be great. Thanks.
antichef
pornk rock
I use Fabfilter Pro-L for the most part when I want to make something loud. Mostly I leave that step to someone else mastering for the finished product, but when I want to send snapshots to my customers I sometimes make them louder while being careful not to change things very much. I like to mix with tons of headroom, so I usually have to do something, but that can also just be raw gain on the master bus.
If it's something less serious and I'm 'self-mastering' then it's usually Pro-L or sometimes Voxengo Elephant, which seems great, but I haven't learned it yet.
If it's something less serious and I'm 'self-mastering' then it's usually Pro-L or sometimes Voxengo Elephant, which seems great, but I haven't learned it yet.
Brian Miller
New member
One more vote for Pro-L from Fabfilter. Gets stuff loud and remains incredibly transparent, if you want, or use tone shaping options. One of the best plugins I ever purchased.
Pinky
and The Brain...
I've been using L3 for many years now, both for track level compression and mastering. It seems solid at both, you just need to rtfm and learn the controls if you want more than the out of the box quality. I find the Loud and Proud preset is fine for most everything I need compression, just use it sparingly/only as much as needed.
R
RAMI
Guest
I've been using the L3 forever, too. But not the "Multi-Mazimizer", just the "Ultra-Maximizer". I have no use for a multi-band compressor. I put it on "16 bit moderate limiting" and then just adjust the threshold, and Bob's your uncle.
Pinky
and The Brain...
The multiband is pretty sweet though, depending on the need at the time. I've used it to bump the low end on a master without needing to EQ everything from scratch (or remix). It's especially clever since it's really just a priority and doesn't blindly raise the entire spectrum like a volume control. I've also used it to brighten up a mix, and does so without being harsh. It's just a way of adding flexibility to an already great tool. The bands are fully modifiable, so if you only want to maybe raise the snare's pop you can set a band to the common snare frequency range. It can be a time saver especially if mastering someone else's work. Alternatively, I've also put a parametric EQ in the chain and accomplished the same thing with even more granuality. It really does depend on how fine you need/want to be.
I really can't stress how great the L3 is. I've tried MANY other compressors and this is the only one I can get sounding exactly how I want across many instrument tracks and song types when mastering. The only con is that because it is so good, and is doing a lot of work in real time, there's a small latency penalty which I get around by freezing my tracks once I get them close. At this point until I get a top of the line interface I'm in the habit of freezing everything as I go anyway.
R
RAMI
Guest
Thanx. I'll experiment with it a bit more in that case.
I agree 100%. I've A/B'd with a ton of other master limiters and it's the only one that I can't hear any pumping with when I have all the settings the same.
Agreed, L3 is insane. I use it a lot when I don't have the means to get to the mix to correct drastic differences in frequency range and so I need to lay into them without a hot (or cold) range 'over-effecting' the limiter.
It's also great in that it is phase coherent (linear phase)... like the Linear Phase EQ .....
As far as the latency goes... on your master it doesn't really matter right? lol... but... they do have a Low Latency (LL) variation as well
- however, that one is not Linear Phase
It's also great in that it is phase coherent (linear phase)... like the Linear Phase EQ .....
As far as the latency goes... on your master it doesn't really matter right? lol... but... they do have a Low Latency (LL) variation as well
- however, that one is not Linear Phase
Pinky
and The Brain...
Pinky
and The Brain...
There's currently a coupon code (not sure how long it will work) for $50 off any Waves product: GIFT50
The Dave Aude EMP Toolbox, which I purchased a while back and use the C6, delay, and L3 religiously, is on sale for $150. The the $50 off coupon you get the L3 AND a bunch more useful plugins for the same cost as the L3 ($150) minus the $50 coupon.
Dave Aude EMP Toolbox | Bundles | Waves
If you haven't looked at the C6 compressor, it's a fantastic plugin. The presets are really great for quick mixing and includes sidechain abilities, which I've used for ducking the kick drum on some of my bass-heavier tracks.
Pinky
and The Brain...
This bundle is on sale for $129 right now, again this is a steal for the flexibility and quality of these plugins.
Dave Aude EMP Toolbox | Bundles | Waves
If you look around you could probably find a coupon code for another 10-15% off.