Ten Minute

Master No116
Peak level (0dBFS)
Average level (-12dB)

Master without limiting

Limiting
In the ongoing quest for ever-increasing
loudness, is a limiter always the
simplest and most effective solution?
Mark Cousins takes it to the limit...

hen you
consider all the
plug-ins
developed over
the years, its
the humble limiter that has arguably
had the most fundamental impact
on the way we listen to,
appreciate and produce music.
In short, the limiter has played
a lead role in the so-called
Loudness War, where every last
decibel of a tracks dynamic range
is squeezed to within an inch of
its life, resulting in a waveform
that appears to atline at 0dBFS
and an output level that demands
your attention whether you like it
or not.
But beneath the deceptively
simple controls, what actually
makes a limiter tick? Can limiting
really achieve the perceived boost
in output level that manufacturers

claim, and, ultimately, is their

impact on audio quality an
acceptable one?

Know your limits

The limiter is based on the same
technology as a compressor, with
the signal being attenuated in
response to movements above a
given threshold. However, the
fundamental distinction between
compression and limiting is
dened by the devices ratio.
In the case of a compressor,
the intention is to preserve some
of the original signals integrity. For
example, if the input strays 8dB
over the threshold, the amount of
gain reduction is only -4dB in
other words, a 2:1 ratio (1dB
reduction for every 2dB rise above
the threshold). A limiter, on the
other hand, has a ratio of innity:1,
so any movement above the

Threshold at 0dBFS

Input gain -0dB

Peak level (-4dBFS)

Average level (-8dB)

Master with limiting

Our perception of loudness is based on average signal levels. While the upper track has a
higher peak level (0dBFS), its lower average level means that its perceived as quieter.

threshold results in a corresponding

reduction in gain. In the case of the
previous example, an 8dB move
above the threshold would result in
8dB of gain reduction.

Shaping up
Given its somewhat brutal nature,
the limiter was initially seen more
as a preventative measure rather
than a tool for deliberately shaping
a mix in a creative way. For
example, FM radio stations were
originally equipped with limiters to
prevent the programme output
overloading the FM transmitter.
Ideally, the limiters gainreduction circuitry would rarely be
called into action, but should
excessive peaks occur, the
stations volume would be
attenuated by the limiter rather
than risk distorting the FM
transmitter. In music production,

Peak limited

Input gain +3dB

Input gain +8.25dB

A conventional brickwall limiter operates with a fixed threshold. Varying the amount of input gain, therefore, achieves differing amounts
of limiting. Increasing the gain too far, though, may begin to generate audible distortion in the signal.

52 November 2007 MusicTech MAGAZINE

the compressor was seen as the

preferred tool for gain control, with
limiters (such as those found on
classic compressors like the Neve
33609 and Urei 1176) used more
to control stray transients or for
extreme special effects, but
certainly not as a solution for
processing the entire mix.
The sea change in attitude to
limiting came in the mid-90s, when
different approaches to mixing and
mastering began to be explored.
Fundamental to this change was
the concept of loudness the
difference between the absolute
level (the loudest metered point)
and the audiences perception of
how loud a mix sounds.
Intriguingly, our ears have a
clear bias towards averaged signal
levels (also known as RMS) rather
than short peaks. A track with a
few scattered peaks at 0dBFS will
sound subjectively quieter than a
track that peaks at -2dB but has
an average RMS level of -6dB.
The problem in the early 90s
was that the newly digitized
recording process was very good
at preserving absolute levels, but
less effective at masking stray
transient peaks than distortion or
tape saturation in other words,
digital recordings and their
associated CD masters sounded
distinctly quieter than their
analogue counterparts. By running
the mix through a limiter, though,
peaks could be ironed out,
www.musictechmag.co.uk

Ten Minute Master

No116 Limiting

Compression 2:1 ratio

Limiting innity:1 ratio

The principal difference between compression and limiting is defined by ratio. A

Waves L3-16 splits the input into multiple bands, enabling a greater amount of limiting to be

compressor will use a soft ratio, whereas a limiter uses a hard, infinity:1 ratio.

applied. Gain reduction is applied to problematic frequencies rather than the mix as a whole.

achieving a more satisfactory

overall loudness. However, this
kind of power was addictive,
resulting in engineers pushing the
limiter increasingly hard to
produce output levels that were
louder than the competition.

Hitting the wall

To achieve these extreme average
levels, a new breed of limiter was
developed the digital brickwall
limiter. Riding the levels so close
to 0dBFS means that the limiter
needs a fast-acting response
time plus super-precise amounts
of gain reduction. Even the

material. Ideally, the release

should be optimised to be fast
enough to restore the signal level
between peaks, yet not too fast
so as to produce signal distortion
when catching low-frequency
sounds. In some cases, a
programme-dependant Auto
Release control will automatically
congure the release setting, with
the limiter setting the time in
response to the input it is
presented with.
Finally, a limiters threshold
value is often xed (usually just
below 0dBFS), with increasing
amounts of gain reduction and,

transients produces small levels of

distortion, although the ear is
relatively forgiving when this
occurs over a short duration.
Pushed even harder, the
aggressive, quick movements in
and out of gain reduction can also
create their own form of distortion,
which is particularly evident in the
low frequencies. Ultimately, what
youll nd is that different limiters
deal with these issues with varying
degrees of success, which is why
well-respected third-party limiters
tend to see far more professional
use than the majority of those
included with DAWs.

The humble limiter has had a fundamental

impact on the way we produce music.
quickest movements above the
threshold need to be matched by
an instantaneous, corresponding
amount of gain control.
For example, although soft
analogue limiters have a fast
attack (in the region of a few
nanoseconds) it isnt uncommon
for fragments of loud transients to
slip through the net. In contrast,
a digital brickwall limiter has a
look-ahead buffer that stores a
few milliseconds of the audio
input ahead of the gain reduction
circuitry. This enables it to
respond quickly and precisely to
movements over the threshold.

On the attack
Given the importance of a fast
response time when it comes to
brickwall limiting, youll rarely nd
any controls to vary the attack
time. However, varying the release
is vital to achieving a result that is
sympathetic to the programme
www.musictechmag.co.uk

therefore, loudness dened

solely by how hard you drive the
input level.
As one of the last processors in
the mastering signal path, some
limiters also incorporate dithering
controls. Technically, dithering isnt
part of the limiting process, but its
useful if you intend to render your
16-bit masters direct from the
limiters output, taking advantage
of the additional perceived
resolution dithering offers. (For
more information, see the Ten
Minute Master on dithering in
Issue 39, June 2006.)
Alternatively, you could use a
dithering plug-in after the limiter, or
use the dithering options in your
DAWs bounce to disk feature.

Side effects
What is difcult to assess are the
cumulative negative effects that
heavy peak limiting can bring.
Undoubtedly, the squaring-off of

One such plug-in is Waves

L3-16, which splits the signal into
16 frequency bands before
individually limiting each band and
summing them to form the nal
output. Until now, conventional
wisdom has suggested that a
single broadband limiter provides
more than enough gain reduction
for the required amount of volume.
But as musicians yearn for
ever-hotter masters, it has become
apparent that the current
technology is being pushed well
beyond accepted levels of gain
reduction. By focusing on specic
frequency bands rather than the
mix as a whole, the limiter can
cope better with peak energy
without the entirety of the mix
being aggressively attenuated.

The end of the War?

Although its hard to imagine
contemporary music production
and mastering completely

foregoing the limiter, it is

interesting to see at least some
individuals nally growing weary of
its effect. While heavy limiting and
mp3 le compression might have
made music louder and more
convenient than ever before, we
may well begin to see a return of
older values as the progressive
solution for making your music
stand out from the crowd. MTM

Tech Terms

0dBFS
Indicates the maximum peak level
available in a digital system in other
words, a digital byte that has all its
component bits set to 1.
RMS
An RMS reading is an averaged signal
level rather than the peak reading,
providing a figure that has closer parity
to our ears perception of loudness.
Tape saturation
Tape saturation is the process of
deliberately overloading a signal being
recorded to tape to impart small
levels of distortion and peak limiting
as the signal is recorded.

FURTHER INFO
For a detailed examination of
the principles and approaches to
loudness in mastering, visit:
www.musictechmag.co.uk/mtm/
features/mastering-the-questfor-loudness
For expert insight into the
Loudness War, visit:
www.soundmirror.com/
articles.html
For more information on
compression in general, see:
www.musictechmag.co.uk/
mtm/features/the-ultimateguide-to-compression-part-1compression-essentials
For more information on prolevel brickwall limiters, visit:
www.waves.com
www.uaudio.com

MusicTech MAGAZINE November 2007 53