Underneath this rotary, you’ll find the release dial which can be switched between Fast, Medium, and Slow. The release is program dependent, meaning it adapts to the incoming signal. On the right, you’ll notice a meter that uses a few different visuals to indicates how the compression is occurring. In the bottom right you have the Out Gain or output’s gain, which also ranges -20dB to 20dB.
This ranges from -20dB to 20dB, is if you have a very quiet signal, or maybe a signal that’s too loud, you can adjust it with this dial. In the bottom left is the In Gain function or the input’s gain. A longer release with result in a smooth sound, whereas a shorter release results in a more transparent and dynamic mix or master. To the right, you have your release time which determines how long the limiter holds onto the signal for. The Threshold rotary determines when the limiting starts and ranges from -20dB to +6dB, meaning you can limit signals that have already clipped and pushed above the 0dB mark – although this won’t be needed too often, it’s cool that it’s an option nonetheless. Up top, you’ll notice a blue square next to the title Limiter – although called a “snapin” by the plugin’s pop-up hints, this function is basically a bypass for the plugin. As said before, this plugin is pretty simple in its design. Next, let’s look at the plugin’s functionality. Notice that no harmonics are showing, meaning that little to no distortion is occurring when using this plugin. If you’re an artist or engineer, and you’re looking to have your mix mastered, send it to us here:
Keep in mind that this list is in no particular order, since each one may be better suited for a particular genre or form of processing. We’ll be testing each plugin with a 200Hz sine wave and measuring the amount of distortion caused by the limiter. Additionally, we’ll heavily compress a 200Hz sine wave to see if the limiter causes any unwanted distortion. We’ll take a listen to each one of these plugins, as well as discuss their functionality and interface in depth.
With that in mind, we sought to create a list of the best free mastering limiters that we could find. Whether you’re trying to maximize the loudness of your mix for demos, or you’re preparing your final mix for distribution – having a go-to limiter is a must-have for a lot of engineers.Īlthough DAWs offer some options for limiting, it never hurts to have a few more options to create different tonalities, or perhaps achieve a more transparent sound.Īlthough some of the best digital limiters cost a fair amount of money, that doesn’t mean you can’t find some great free options.
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