how to build a brickwall limiter/maximizer with good compressors

  • Thread starter Thread starter banjo71
  • Start date Start date
B

banjo71

New member
I don't own a good brickwall limiter/maximizer. But I do own a good Waves RCompressor. How would I build a limiter/maximizer with using different settings on the RCompressor? What would the settings be?

So far I've set the attack and release as small as the RCompressor will allow, and set the ratio very high (50:1). I set the threshold so that no more than 3 dB of reduction occurs, and set the gain up until it doesn't distort or go over 0dB.

Are there better steps to take in building one?
 
Two questions might be, how fast does the attack allow and second simply what happens to the faster of the transients you're trying to control- do they get stopped?

One old 'comp plug I can think of right off at least says it goes to 'zero- and may have lookahead if I remember correctly(?) I've used it as low ratio limiter quite nicely for example- but by ear' and don't recall testing if it would actually grab anything and everything thrown at it.
 
Another way to look at it might be how much do you have to pony up' for a decent limiter plug anyway?


..side doobie.. Re; 'maximiser' - let it be known..

I hate auto gain!

(FWIW.. That ='s ..NOTHING of course

:D
 
The significant problem I had with trying to use a compressor for this is that there always seemed to be overshoots....
 
Hey thanks Massive.
Having just read this, I'm curious when they say (keeps from) exceeding a specified maximum', would that be 0dBFS? (I'm wondering about allowing for a bit of safety room above that for example?
 
-0.0dBFS is the maximum digital signal -- You don't want to be there either. A half dB of headroom goes a looooong way with many of the incredibly crappy DA converters out there these days.
 
I forgot - I own C6 Waves Compressor, I can taylor any kind of multi-band limiter I want. I've been working on it the last few hours, and it makes a nice limiter. You can definately go too far and it sounds like crap. But I think I found what I want. Thanks guys for your help.
 
Massive Master said:
-0.0dBFS is the maximum digital signal -- You don't want to be there either. A half dB of headroom goes a looooong way with many of the incredibly crappy DA converters out there these days.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was curious in that I didn't see a post gain or threshold on that plug.

gees I intended to try that compressor-as-zero response limiter on a kit tonight but it's going on two' and monday's comin fast
 
Ok, a follow up on 'zero attack compressor as a brickwall limiter.
I've used plugs in this way but never ran them any where near this hard nor bounced down comparison tracks. I gotta say I'm friken amazed how nice this turned out.

The old 'Sonitus comp/limiter is the plug. Came with Cakewalk' (way back when. Isn't this fairly old stuff in digi land?!

A pair of solo kit tracks. 'Earthworks L and R. Peaking about -6 on the drum bus, and a UAD 31102 eq that was on the bus doing some light shaping- I bounced w/ and w/o just curious if it was doing anything squirrely' -no, so I left it on

Sonitus's indicated min attack "0", min release "1" ms. Threshold -24, ratio 'inf, 'hard knee.
Limiter and auto release ('TCR) off.
The help manual says 'look ahead is for the limiter only. Also it says max ratio is 30:1 even if the display lets you set "inf" and a flat line- more on that

At 'inf:1' the track's peaks made a mild curve that followed the same general levels of the raw track as it past up and down through it's dynamic sections- A +/- few dB variation in and around -24.
-The result was exactly the same at 30:1 (-ie the display allowed false setting
- 3:1 printed the same peak curve- but with much larger swing (no surprise, just as it should have

The kicker! I thought w/o some controlled (slower) release it would have to sound nasty. -Add about ten dB gain and this thing sounds like a proper smashed room mic' track- clean as can be. WTF?
It got 'pumping artifacts at 10ms release ( 'worse again at 40 ms

I got about exactly the same result with BlueCat's dynamics plug. (This one might go to 'inf, I stopped there

Every once in a while I use the parallel smashed drum thing but always tried to 'dial in attacks and release-
I think this may be a totally better sound!
Can't wait to play with it some more.

I just thought of something. It's been a while, but hearing the snare's attack pull down as you lower the threshold on this thing-- reminds me of the RNC - in full attack / 'SuperNice NOT mode :D
 
Last edited:
From what I remember, the RComp has got an incognito L1 brickwall limiter built into it, set at 0dBfs to kill peaks.

Ah yes, here we go. From the RComp manual:

Waves said:
Just above the Input/Output meters is the indicator for the built-in limiter. The Renaissance Compressor has an L1-style limiter at the output stage, and works well in compression or expansion modes. Threshold and Output Ceiling is set to 0dBFS and it is activated only when the level would exceed 0dBFS. On activation, the limiter action is in addition to the compression, and the total actual gain reduction is shown in the gain reduction meter.
Click to expand...

So, if you only want to use the L1 section of the RComp, you can set the ratio to 1:1 and then push the output into the L1 using the output gain.

Cheers :)
 
I think buying a very cheap one such as "Barricade" would be a good idea, certainly likely to be better than a cobbled together one.
The results if there is no look ahead peak detection is unlikely to be transparent enough to perform like a good limiter.

SafeandSound Mastering
Online mastering services
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top