Limiters???

[lurgan liar]

Hey guys i have only recently started to get the hang of the brickwall limiter concept....

Before i often wondered why my mixes were so quiet ...then i started to stick a limiter on the master bus and pull down the threshold ...

However i have since noticed that if you drop the threshold too much the attenuation starts to increase.... which results in that crappy sound ...

So what i have started to do is lower the volume of the mix at the points where the attentuation happens the most ....And it seems to be doing the job ok ...

Now what i would like to know is ...Is this the right way to use a limiter ....???

and what exactly is the difference between a limiter and a compressor...?

 

[Farview]

That is one way to use a limiter.

The difference between a compressor and a limiter is a limiter has a much larger ratio and much quicker attack and release times. Other than that, the concept is the same.

 

[lurgan liar]

Hi Farview, what other ways are there to use a limiter?

 

[Farview]

A lot of this stuff just depends on the situation. For example, I never adjust the mix so that the limiter acts the way I want it. There isn't anything wrong with that approach, it's just not me.

I will use a limiter to make a kick drum sound thick.

I will use it to tame peaks before I go into a compressor.

There are a dozen other things that I can't think of right now.

 

[loki]

also try playing around with the ceiling setting. a lot of the time you can minimize some of the limiting artifacts by bumping the ceiling down to -0.5 db or something.

 

[mixsit]

...However i have since noticed that if you drop the threshold too much the attenuation starts to increase.... which results in that crappy sound ...So what i have started to do is lower the volume of the mix at the points where the attentuation happens the most ....And it seems to be doing the job ok ...

What you are doing here is gain-riding the mix into the limiter so it isn't hitting as hard there and in turn keeping the effect (good or bad) of it less. You are in effect doing a form of very slow-attack, pre-limiter manual compression. A completely valid method of control.
Wayne

 

[lurgan liar]

What you are doing here is gain-riding the mix into the limiter so it isn't hitting as hard there and in turn keeping the effect (good or bad) of it less. You are in effect doing a form of very slow-attack, pre-limiter manual compression. A completely valid method of control.
Wayne

cool i knew i was doing somethin right

 

[FALKEN]

I usually try to find a certain number of hits to get me in the ballpark...maybe one blink every 7 seconds. that can be too much or too little for me...I adjust by ear from there.

If I'm just limiting a single instrument like bass or kick drum; its all by ear.

 

[lurgan liar]

what i don't get is that some people say they compress individual files , for example a kick drum, ac/ guitar, snare.....

but then other people say they use a limiter to do the same thing ......

from what i have learnt so far on the forum ...a compressor should be used on individual tracks sparingly ...and then put a limiter on the master bus ...

what about songs where the chorus is to be louder than the verses??? ....this will result in a lot of attenuation on the limiter???

some one help....

 

[Farview]

There are no set rules. Limiters sound different than compressors so they are used for different things.

A lot of people use compressors and limiters for the sound of them, not necessarily dynamic control.

 

[nonovice]

Farview sounds like your on the right track. But remember limiters should generally be used for controlling peaks. Not squashing a track which results in pumping (large amounts of sustained attenuation) Dynamics in a song are a good thing. Limit the louder parts of your song watch your attenuation and most importent listen. Usually more than 3db of atten. causes distortion that sounds bad. Remember a loud mix is good a good mix is better.

 

[nonovice]

sorry Farview my last post Was to be addrssed to Lurgan Liar

 

[XLR]

It just takes time to get to know the sound of compression and limiting - how ratio, threshold, attack, and release interact and what changes in each actually sound like, and how gain reduction and corresponding make-up gain can have such a big impact on the sonority of a track or mix. The Peak Compressor is good for this, I think, as it has a pretty good quality sound and an excellent graphic interface for visualizing the compression/limiting being done. It's free.

Tim