Actually, It is a question about difference between compressor and limitor.
I know that limitor is some special kind of compressor.
But I wonder how limitor works?
Automatic attack?Automatic Release? or maybe anything besides threshold is automatic.
since L1 just has only one parameter----threshold.
What about other parameters?
What is essential difference between a C1 and a L1
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leisuremuffin
- Posts: 4721
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 12:45 am
- Location: New Jersey
a limiter is just a compressor with a ratio of at least 15:1
i haven't had access to waves plug ins for a long time now, so i forget what the L1 is like.
but if i remember correctly you can change the threshold and ceiling (the maximum the limiter would output) at the very least. I thought there was a release time on it as well....
.lm.
i haven't had access to waves plug ins for a long time now, so i forget what the L1 is like.
but if i remember correctly you can change the threshold and ceiling (the maximum the limiter would output) at the very least. I thought there was a release time on it as well....
.lm.
TimeableFloat ???S?e?n?d?I?n?f?o
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djadonis206
- Posts: 6490
- Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 4:23 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA.
weird, something I actually think I know about 
a limiter stops the volume from going over a certain volume (threshold) - you can keep turning up a track but it wont go above your threshold period - so much so the volume starts to sound squashed - super loud but super distorted
but if you limit it just right, with the right limiter you can just get it super loud
the compressor compresses sound - it limits the highs but boosts the lows - with creative attack, release, threshold and ratio:ratio you can get some very creative results - but a compressor can be used as a limiter (with an e)
so yeah, the limiter stops music from going above a certain threshold (volume)
and a compressor limits the high volume and raises the lows <-- basic type definition but you can get more creative with the sound as I stated above
like I said, my knowledge is limited as I just started making music a couple weeks ago but that's what I got for now
peace
Ad!
a limiter stops the volume from going over a certain volume (threshold) - you can keep turning up a track but it wont go above your threshold period - so much so the volume starts to sound squashed - super loud but super distorted
but if you limit it just right, with the right limiter you can just get it super loud
the compressor compresses sound - it limits the highs but boosts the lows - with creative attack, release, threshold and ratio:ratio you can get some very creative results - but a compressor can be used as a limiter (with an e)
so yeah, the limiter stops music from going above a certain threshold (volume)
and a compressor limits the high volume and raises the lows <-- basic type definition but you can get more creative with the sound as I stated above
like I said, my knowledge is limited as I just started making music a couple weeks ago but that's what I got for now
peace
Ad!
compression & limiting
sometimes some compressors can't respond to some changes in 'volume' - (sometimes/usually referred to as the 'dynamics' of a sound, instrument, or whatever - ie, how quickly the volume increases or decreases as the sound plays).
so if you're using compression on a sound to limit these large dynamics, you might find you have to increase the ratio in order for it to grab the sound and bring it under control.
and if you have to use a large ratio, for example, to bring it under control, you might find that your character of your sound changes too much, or more than you want. in this case maybe you should try a limiter to keep the peaks under control.
when you use a large ratio, what happens is that the 'background' sounds are increased - sometimes this can be really useful in bringing out detail hidden in the quieter parts of the sound. but if you're happy with your sound, maybe you don't want to bring the background sounds up.
additionally, its good to have dynamic movement in your sounds. if you over-control them, your sound can become flat and becomes much less interesting - in fact, if you over compress your whole mix, then yes, it can become louder overall, but the relative high volume of all parts in the mix have a fatiguing effect on listeners.
compression and limiting are really powerful tools and it takes practice in order to learn how to use them to benefit your tracks creatively.
another difference between compressors and limiters is that you don't (as far as I know) get multi band limiters - but you can get multi band compressors which can be really powerful tools to use, say on a whole mix, but can also damage your sound in a big way if you don't really understand them.
one other thing (you might want to research this for yourself) but I don't think limiters have side chain inputs. side chaining one track into the track on which the compresser is being used can make some fantastic rythms.
_________
just went back and read your post properly, and I didn't really answer your question so...
Limiter controls.
I usually work like this - I decide at what output or ceiling the sound should be limited. this varies a lot and depends on whether its a full 'song' or an individual track in the mix which has a large dynamic range.
if its a full, mixed song and you're looking for some extra loudness, you could set the output to .5 to .3bd under 0dB. the reason i (personally) use this setting is because some older cd players read anything closer to 0db as 'overs' and this might cause problems.
then to increase the perceived loudness, you can bring the threshold down around 3 or 5dBs - this will give you an extra 3-5dBs increase in overall 'volume' over the full track, without exceeding your ceiling setting.
larger changes in the threshold setting could give a louder perceived sound, but could also have a negative impact on the quality of your song, as heavy limiting brings in usually unwanted changes.
the release time can be adjusted to suit the type of sound or music you're working on.
the other L1 controls like 'dither', quantise, 'shaping' are best avoided unless you're at the stage of mastering your finished mix - which, in effect you could be, if you wanted to give a finished mix the treament I've described to get a bit more volume out of the track.
sometimes some compressors can't respond to some changes in 'volume' - (sometimes/usually referred to as the 'dynamics' of a sound, instrument, or whatever - ie, how quickly the volume increases or decreases as the sound plays).
so if you're using compression on a sound to limit these large dynamics, you might find you have to increase the ratio in order for it to grab the sound and bring it under control.
and if you have to use a large ratio, for example, to bring it under control, you might find that your character of your sound changes too much, or more than you want. in this case maybe you should try a limiter to keep the peaks under control.
when you use a large ratio, what happens is that the 'background' sounds are increased - sometimes this can be really useful in bringing out detail hidden in the quieter parts of the sound. but if you're happy with your sound, maybe you don't want to bring the background sounds up.
additionally, its good to have dynamic movement in your sounds. if you over-control them, your sound can become flat and becomes much less interesting - in fact, if you over compress your whole mix, then yes, it can become louder overall, but the relative high volume of all parts in the mix have a fatiguing effect on listeners.
compression and limiting are really powerful tools and it takes practice in order to learn how to use them to benefit your tracks creatively.
another difference between compressors and limiters is that you don't (as far as I know) get multi band limiters - but you can get multi band compressors which can be really powerful tools to use, say on a whole mix, but can also damage your sound in a big way if you don't really understand them.
one other thing (you might want to research this for yourself) but I don't think limiters have side chain inputs. side chaining one track into the track on which the compresser is being used can make some fantastic rythms.
_________
just went back and read your post properly, and I didn't really answer your question so...
Limiter controls.
I usually work like this - I decide at what output or ceiling the sound should be limited. this varies a lot and depends on whether its a full 'song' or an individual track in the mix which has a large dynamic range.
if its a full, mixed song and you're looking for some extra loudness, you could set the output to .5 to .3bd under 0dB. the reason i (personally) use this setting is because some older cd players read anything closer to 0db as 'overs' and this might cause problems.
then to increase the perceived loudness, you can bring the threshold down around 3 or 5dBs - this will give you an extra 3-5dBs increase in overall 'volume' over the full track, without exceeding your ceiling setting.
larger changes in the threshold setting could give a louder perceived sound, but could also have a negative impact on the quality of your song, as heavy limiting brings in usually unwanted changes.
the release time can be adjusted to suit the type of sound or music you're working on.
the other L1 controls like 'dither', quantise, 'shaping' are best avoided unless you're at the stage of mastering your finished mix - which, in effect you could be, if you wanted to give a finished mix the treament I've described to get a bit more volume out of the track.