wouldn't it be great if the video creator just did a quick comparison? but I'm sure he didn't because he wasn't surgical about getting the results he got - so it's not exactly a fair comparison.
You have really examined the Sonnox in depth. There's a lot of confusion around how to the plugin works. I love using mine with longer attack times. Also, the price isn't too bad if you buy multiple plugins at the same time while there is a sale going on. Weiss is also incredibly versatile and there's the option to upgrade to ds1-mk3 later.
@@sageaudio I think the UAD one is nearly the same as the one from Softtube.A comperison between the two was nice to see. Oxford Pluguns are really great, but from UAD they are always sound very musical and more analog.
My choice of these is Sonnox. ProL2 is a bit CPU hungry. I used to prefer iZotope and IK Stealth but now I use a BX_Clipper ahead of my Limiters or on Drum Bus. It's good to have choices 😊
Honestly, i have the Oxford, weiss. Fabfilter...and recently discovered the " old" uad precision limiter and i bought it because very easy to use, clean and ....whaou i like it !
my questions that I have - is - .... seems like most people are mastering and slamming the meters up at around -1... but Spotify requires that things be an averages of -14... if you're slamming these masters way up there, does that make it a quieter track in Spotify?
Hey Steve! The -1 you're talking about is regarding dBTP which is the peak of the signal, but the -14 is the integrated LUFS or average loudness of the signal. That said, you can have a signal that peaks at -1dBTP but is still -14 LUFS, since they're 2 different forms of measurement. If you're using Logic, there are some great stock meters that show true peak and LUFS if you want to see the relationship between the 2 different measurements. Thanks! SageAudio.com
From what I understand all.of the platforms turn done the music to their db standard. Main thing is to have them turn it down instead of then turning it up. Can't remember the video and the channel but me personally I'd rather peak it without slamming the signal.
You can get a handle on the LUFS spec in an hours of research. Good mixing skills, however, will take years. It is much more crucial that your mix sounds good and balanced before applying any master-bus limiting whatsoever, than to be worrying about this or that spec for streaming. It is a back-end technical triviality of little creative import for (almost) everyone.
Limitless and Elevate are missing. These are only broadband limiters though (except the Weiss I think...I don't use that because it tends to distort when you push it too hard and it also has less features than say, Limitless). So, these are only really good for certain mixes. You need to test out multiband limiters. There really isn't the best all-around limiter, technically. They all do best on the type of input signal you give them. Some perform better than others but, most people don't actually understand how to use them or how to set up what goes into them. It's like everyone doesn't study formal audio engineering but they call themselves "engineers"...lol. Yea, right. I have only seen one video on all of TH-cam that actually demonstrates how to use them correctly. That is, how to set up the input signal.
Thanks for letting us know about these plugins! We'll check them out as well as some multiband limiters. You're right in that the input does affect how a limiter responds and behaves - but this is true of any processor that you use. Also personal preference has a lot to do with it as well. Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com
I'm sorry but is it just me or does the weiss sound other worldly to anyone other then me???? Jesus christ i love the way that thing sounds.....it sounds amazing to me.....the other ones sound good but its something about it that sounds amazing to me!
Out of this bunch I liked Sonnox the best. Many good limiters out there, I use Ozone 9, Eventide/Newfangled Audio's Elevate. IK Multimedia Stealth Limiter, and a newer one I just began using by Ursa DSP/Devious Machines called Boost. May pick up Sonnox when it's on sale again as it would be a nice addition to the toolbox. Not impressed with the Weiss, demoed it before and didn't care for it. One recommendation, It would have been helpful to put up some metering so that we could see you were limiting all to similar LUFS or RMS, and how far you were really pushing. Lastly, really enjoyed the demo music, who is that by?
Hey Kyle! Thanks for sharing! There are a few new ones here that I'll have to check out. Also great recommendation on using the LUFS meter to make the compression levels more consistent! SageAudio.com
Thanks for this video. Saves a lot of time in the search for the ultimate limiter. One thing i didnt get. Why did you push the L2 only an average of 3db of GR while on the Melda afterwards you went all up to 8 and later 5 gr average? This makes it harder to compare tbh. And no, the thumbs down is not from me. I liked the video. Even though you didnt include some of the best limiters there are. Dmg Limitless, Newfangled Elevate, Ursa Dsp Boost, AOM Invisible Limiter (when looking for single band limiters) , Tdr Limiter 6Ge, Melda mlimiterMb, Psp Twin L , Nugen ISL, come into mind without a lot of thinking right now
Hey Saar! Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts! You're right - it would be easier if we made the gain reduction identical, we'll work on making this happen for future videos. Also, thanks for your suggestions! We'll check these out. SageAudio.com
I'd like to bring the T-Racks Stealth limiter to your attention. :) Thankd for the great video. Can you make a video on how to use OXford Limiter based on your mastering experience? Thanks.
Hey Kev MiCs! I'll check it out - thanks for watching and leaving a comment! Sure - I'll make a video that goes more in depth about the plugin and a couple of other Oxford plugins. SageAudio.com
Hey Jon Snow! Thanks for watching - I wasn't able to find any info on the oversampling used in the plugin, but based on the latency it creates, my guess is that its 2x to 4x, but again not entirely sure. SageAudio.com
@@sgfdancecompany Great point! That is one of the reasons why UAD plugins so much more "analog". I believe they are the only company that over samples all of there plugins! Other companies should do the same.
@@DalleyMusic Kush Audio, Acustica goes straight with this feature, Other ones comes with the option, you just need to activate it when printing online happens (plugin alliance, aAdified, Fabfilter, Sonimus, etc)
@@sageaudio what would be the most versatile and high quality sound one don't tell me pro-l cause i already have it and it seems to work on accoustic music.
Ozone for beginners or if you want to do some quick mastering just to throw it out these here are more strategic mastering limiters that are the tip of the iceberg on your mastering chain 🔗
how can sonnox knee sound more natural but give more compression makes no sense?? i think the knee makes it less compressed and more natural waht u say???
Hey Andy! Great question! Since the compression is more gradual with a soft-knee setting it sounds more natural. Soft knee compression or gradual compression occurs both in electrical circuits and tubes during saturation, and in our ears when sound sources become louder. I ears tend to tighten up so to speak when a persistent loud sound occurs, similar to how a soft-knee setting compresses louder sounds. SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio No problem. I think that it's good that you did that to show that it can distort if pushed (as most limiters will). Some may not have been aware of that. Great videos!
I duno man I find Sonnox to distort easily after like 3 db of limiting- even after messing with attack, release, and the other options. Was super disappointed after purchasing. It also really lessens the low end of the track even when doing less than 3db or limiting.
Out of curiosity, what genre do you mainly work? I find it great for rock. Also, if you have the Pro-L2, I think a really great combo is using Sonnox first, but mainly for the Enhance function. This will bring up a lot of quieter details (so maybe get only 1dB of attenuation with sonnox and set a longer attack to reduce attenuation). Then, insert the Pro-L2 and use it for the peaks. The 2 have a great sound when combined.
@@sageaudio this client was a rapper, the song had heavy 808s. I actually found that the enhance function was the main culprit for the distortion, but even when turned all the way down, it seemed finicky and still got crunchy quickly. I replaced with Voxengo Elephant and there’s a world of difference. Not sure why anyone would pick Sonnox over Elephant.
That music behind your voice is stupid LOUD, and disturbing! Is so hard to understand your words... specially for the non native english speakers!!! But its OK if you don't made the video for everybody! Thank you anyway!!
Sorry about that! We've lowered the music a little in our more recent videos. Let us know if it's at a better level! Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio sounds great..its a vibe..if you know you know..I'm peacefully watching and hearing you fine as I scroll on my computer as it snows outside on a snowy December evening..
@@sageaudio Yeh, 80% off, so random...all their VST's have extra built in it seems, total bargain! I just pick them up in deals like this, I got the drum strip for about the same...amazing....
For a comparison: 1 @ 4:00 2 @ 5:33 3 @ 8:33 4 @ 11:15 5@ 13:57
wouldn't it be great if the video creator just did a quick comparison? but I'm sure he didn't because he wasn't surgical about getting the results he got - so it's not exactly a fair comparison.
Wow. The Melda shocked me. I think it's maybe the best sounding with the widest stereo image of the 5.
Melda for the win. mComplete is the ultimate cheat code.
My Top 3 list is 2021:
1. DMG Audio Limitless
2. Newfangled Audio Elevate
3. Fabfilter Pro-L2
Hey Frank! Thank you so much for watching for sharing your thoughts on your favorite limiters!
SageAudio.com
You have really examined the Sonnox in depth. There's a lot of confusion around how to the plugin works.
I love using mine with longer attack times.
Also, the price isn't too bad if you buy multiple plugins at the same time while there is a sale going on.
Weiss is also incredibly versatile and there's the option to upgrade to ds1-mk3 later.
Hey Ef! Thanks for watching - it's a really great plugin!
SageAudio.com
Nice! Just a suggestion: ate the end, play all the examples switching between them so we can compare.
Hey David! Great idea! We'll add something like that at the end of these types of videos. Thanks!
SageAudio.com
The sonnox is my go pro since long time ago, also like the precision UAD and the mcDSP ones, plus the TDR Limiter 6 GE
Hey Sebastian! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
SageAudio.com
A top 5 compressor test too 🔥
Hey Saahas! We'll make that video soon - thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
My favourite is the TR5-One (T-Racks). No controls for limiter except a gain boost knob, sounds amazing.
Hey Miracle Records! Thanks for watching - that's a good one! We'll have to use it in one of our videos.
SageAudio.com
UAD Oxford Limiter V2 , still the best on the market!!!!!
Hey Nic! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! I haven't tried the UAD version, but really like the one used here!
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio I think the UAD one is nearly the same as the one from Softtube.A comperison between the two was nice to see. Oxford Pluguns are really great, but from UAD they are always sound very musical and more analog.
My choice of these is Sonnox. ProL2 is a bit CPU hungry. I used to prefer iZotope and IK Stealth but now I use a BX_Clipper ahead of my Limiters or on Drum Bus. It's good to have choices 😊
Pro L2 is cpu hungry indeed, but it sounds really good.
Honestly, i have the Oxford, weiss. Fabfilter...and recently discovered the " old" uad precision limiter and i bought it because very easy to use, clean and ....whaou i like it !
my questions that I have - is - .... seems like most people are mastering and slamming the meters up at around -1... but Spotify requires that things be an averages of -14... if you're slamming these masters way up there, does that make it a quieter track in Spotify?
Hey Steve! The -1 you're talking about is regarding dBTP which is the peak of the signal, but the -14 is the integrated LUFS or average loudness of the signal. That said, you can have a signal that peaks at -1dBTP but is still -14 LUFS, since they're 2 different forms of measurement. If you're using Logic, there are some great stock meters that show true peak and LUFS if you want to see the relationship between the 2 different measurements. Thanks!
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio okay lol it just looked like the meter was staying way up there! Thanks 🙏🏻
From what I understand all.of the platforms turn done the music to their db standard. Main thing is to have them turn it down instead of then turning it up. Can't remember the video and the channel but me personally I'd rather peak it without slamming the signal.
"Spotify requires that things be an averages of -14"
no, it is not _required_...that is simply their algo's normaled avg level in iLUFS
You can get a handle on the LUFS spec in an hours of research. Good mixing skills, however, will take years.
It is much more crucial that your mix sounds good and balanced before applying any master-bus limiting whatsoever, than to be worrying about this or that spec for streaming. It is a back-end technical triviality of little creative import for (almost) everyone.
The Melda does not get enough credit. 👌🏿
Melda plugins are great, top level plugins.
Hey Jason! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment - they're a great line of plugins!
SageAudio.com
+1 for Melda
I love Melda plugins, but this limiter did not sound good in this test. In my opinion it was the worst in this test.
Dope content. Great job guys so informative.
Hey Carlos! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
SageAudio.com
Great comparison. How do you think these would compare to Voxengo Elephant? Thats been my go-to for 2 years now.
Dmg limiters are on another planet next newfangled audio they dont destroy the sound or color it they are soooooo transparent and true to the sound
sonnox limiter is amazing! Will buy it when it's on sale.
on sale today!
Limitless and Elevate are missing. These are only broadband limiters though (except the Weiss I think...I don't use that because it tends to distort when you push it too hard and it also has less features than say, Limitless). So, these are only really good for certain mixes. You need to test out multiband limiters. There really isn't the best all-around limiter, technically. They all do best on the type of input signal you give them. Some perform better than others but, most people don't actually understand how to use them or how to set up what goes into them. It's like everyone doesn't study formal audio engineering but they call themselves "engineers"...lol. Yea, right. I have only seen one video on all of TH-cam that actually demonstrates how to use them correctly. That is, how to set up the input signal.
Thanks for letting us know about these plugins! We'll check them out as well as some multiband limiters. You're right in that the input does affect how a limiter responds and behaves - but this is true of any processor that you use. Also personal preference has a lot to do with it as well. Thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
post that video! ;)
a year late to the party... still something really special about fab filter. I learned from you to switch the true peak off. sounds better to me.
Limitless by DMG.. is pretty next level imo
Hey Kitty Purpz! Thanks! We'll have to try that one out!
SageAudio.com
I'm sorry but is it just me or does the weiss sound other worldly to anyone other then me????
Jesus christ i love the way that thing sounds.....it sounds amazing to me.....the other ones sound good but its something about it that sounds amazing to me!
That's awesome thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
Nope. Sounds fairly standard!
Out of this bunch I liked Sonnox the best. Many good limiters out there, I use Ozone 9, Eventide/Newfangled Audio's Elevate. IK Multimedia Stealth Limiter, and a newer one I just began using by Ursa DSP/Devious Machines called Boost. May pick up Sonnox when it's on sale again as it would be a nice addition to the toolbox. Not impressed with the Weiss, demoed it before and didn't care for it. One recommendation, It would have been helpful to put up some metering so that we could see you were limiting all to similar LUFS or RMS, and how far you were really pushing. Lastly, really enjoyed the demo music, who is that by?
Hey Kyle! Thanks for sharing! There are a few new ones here that I'll have to check out. Also great recommendation on using the LUFS meter to make the compression levels more consistent!
SageAudio.com
Thanks for this video...which one would you recommend most for Dancehall/Afrobeat if you had to pick one?
I'd go with the FabFilter Pro L2! Thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
Thanks for this video. Saves a lot of time in the search for the ultimate limiter. One thing i didnt get. Why did you push the L2 only an average of 3db of GR while on the Melda afterwards you went all up to 8 and later 5 gr average? This makes it harder to compare tbh. And no, the thumbs down is not from me. I liked the video. Even though you didnt include some of the best limiters there are. Dmg Limitless, Newfangled Elevate, Ursa Dsp Boost, AOM Invisible Limiter (when looking for single band limiters) , Tdr Limiter 6Ge, Melda mlimiterMb, Psp Twin L , Nugen ISL, come into mind without a lot of thinking right now
Hey Saar! Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts! You're right - it would be easier if we made the gain reduction identical, we'll work on making this happen for future videos.
Also, thanks for your suggestions! We'll check these out.
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio cool stuff! Love from here
I'd like to bring the T-Racks Stealth limiter to your attention. :) Thankd for the great video. Can you make a video on how to use OXford Limiter based on your mastering experience? Thanks.
Hey Kev MiCs! I'll check it out - thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
Sure - I'll make a video that goes more in depth about the plugin and a couple of other Oxford plugins.
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio Thank you very much for listening. Would like to see your PRO opinions on those plugins.
Excellent limiter as well!
@@sageaudio Can't wait!
Very good comparison. Many thanks
My Favorit is the Isotope Maximizer, a part of Ozone 9 Advanced.
Funny that you mention they are listed in no particular order then you start with Weiss, 😁 yeah right I believe you ;)
Haha a little bit of personal preference might have changed the order. Thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
How's the oversampling on the oxford limiter?
Hey Jon Snow! Thanks for watching - I wasn't able to find any info on the oversampling used in the plugin, but based on the latency it creates, my guess is that its 2x to 4x, but again not entirely sure.
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio Could always throw that in the Metaplugin too for the oversampling option(?).
@@DalleyMusic if you used into the UAD plugin platform they over sampled by default to 192
@@sgfdancecompany Great point! That is one of the reasons why UAD plugins so much more "analog". I believe they are the only company that over samples all of there plugins! Other companies should do the same.
@@DalleyMusic Kush Audio, Acustica goes straight with this feature, Other ones comes with the option, you just need to activate it when printing online happens (plugin alliance, aAdified, Fabfilter, Sonimus, etc)
Whats with the l2 by Waves
what about ozone 9
Hey Jams Saint! They're good too - I used to use an earlier version of Ozone and liked their maximizer.
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio what would be the most versatile and high quality sound one don't tell me pro-l cause i already have it and it seems to work on accoustic music.
Ozone for beginners or if you want to do some quick mastering just to throw it out these here are more strategic mastering limiters that are the tip of the iceberg on your mastering chain 🔗
@@TrillTraxx i know use pro-l with standardclip.
I love to use Lurssen Mastering Console
how can sonnox knee sound more natural but give more compression makes no sense?? i think the knee makes it less compressed and more natural waht u say???
i mean with the knee up all the way to me it looks like it compresses signal less
Hey Andy! Great question! Since the compression is more gradual with a soft-knee setting it sounds more natural. Soft knee compression or gradual compression occurs both in electrical circuits and tubes during saturation, and in our ears when sound sources become louder. I ears tend to tighten up so to speak when a persistent loud sound occurs, similar to how a soft-knee setting compresses louder sounds.
SageAudio.com
What is the song used in these tests?
Was hoping you’d have the Weiss MM1 instead.
Hey Marvin! That's a good one too, maybe we'll do a part 2 of this video. Thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio Please do!
1.3.5 ❤️❤️
What one you liked
Hey LOR Takeover! I liked them all for different reasons, but probably would go with either the Weiss or Oxford. Thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
Have you tried flatline or big clipper a lot of youtube review say it great but I only trust your channel a lot of people are paid to sell us anything
Oxford Win ?
Thanks for watching! I actually like Elephant by Voxengo - worth checking out.
SageAudio.com
That was my personal choice. It's on sale at the moment. Might just pick it up!
The Weiss sounds like it was starting to distort though.
Hey Daniel! It does - especially when I use the compressor. I think I may have pushed it too hard in the example.
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio No problem. I think that it's good that you did that to show that it can distort if pushed (as most limiters will). Some may not have been aware of that. Great videos!
But there was something very pleasing about the Distortion & Compression... 🎛🎧
@@MiracleDee Weiss products have no analog modeling as far as I know. So any distortion is the not-so-pleasant digital kind I think though.
@@DalleyMusicWeiss ds1 mk3 is a hybrid hardware so in truth that pretty legit since the original has a digital heart haha
I duno man I find Sonnox to distort easily after like 3 db of limiting- even after messing with attack, release, and the other options. Was super disappointed after purchasing. It also really lessens the low end of the track even when doing less than 3db or limiting.
Out of curiosity, what genre do you mainly work? I find it great for rock. Also, if you have the Pro-L2, I think a really great combo is using Sonnox first, but mainly for the Enhance function. This will bring up a lot of quieter details (so maybe get only 1dB of attenuation with sonnox and set a longer attack to reduce attenuation). Then, insert the Pro-L2 and use it for the peaks. The 2 have a great sound when combined.
@@sageaudio this client was a rapper, the song had heavy 808s. I actually found that the enhance function was the main culprit for the distortion, but even when turned all the way down, it seemed finicky and still got crunchy quickly. I replaced with Voxengo Elephant and there’s a world of difference. Not sure why anyone would pick Sonnox over Elephant.
Enter Smart limit.
FLUX sounded cleanest with 4 stages
the new Elixir Essential is even better with 12 stages
Copying and pasting code for downloads, must be expensive. 200 for one plugin, will pass
Hey jmac2050 - it must have taken them a long time! Thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
FIRST
Nice!
SageAudio.com
That music behind your voice is stupid LOUD, and disturbing! Is so hard to understand your words... specially for the non native english speakers!!! But its OK if you don't made the video for everybody! Thank you anyway!!
Sorry about that! We've lowered the music a little in our more recent videos. Let us know if it's at a better level! Thanks for watching!
SageAudio.com
@@sageaudio sounds great..its a vibe..if you know you know..I'm peacefully watching and hearing you fine as I scroll on my computer as it snows outside on a snowy December evening..
MLimiterX is $20 in a sale on VST buzz for a couple of days.....normally $100....
Cool I'll check it out - thanks
@@sageaudio Yeh, 80% off, so random...all their VST's have extra built in it seems, total bargain! I just pick them up in deals like this, I got the drum strip for about the same...amazing....