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Using a limiter (L2) on master bus for quick mastering.


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When using Waves L2 or another limiter on the master bus, I notice sometimes, there is no attenuation/gain reduction, sometimes there is 3 db, sometimes there is 6 db, sometimes 9 db during a kick drum sample for example.

 

Now what I'd like to know is how do you set limiters, so that you can specify a minimum volume/level for your track without having crazy amounts of gain reduction during the louder spikes such as kick drums that are very momentary. I don't care if for a few milliseconds there is 9 db gain reduction which goes against the generally accepted "3 db max of reduction". I want the overall waveform to thicken/become louder, and not have to set the threshold based on these momentary spikes of kick drum. Hopefully I'm explaining myself clearly...

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the generally accepted "3 db max of reduction".

Where did you read that? :shock:

 

how do you set limiters, so that you can specify a minimum volume/level for your track

A limiter specifies a MAXIMUM level, not a minimum level (which is impossible to do).

 

how do you set limiters (...) without having crazy amounts of gain reduction during the louder spikes such as kick drums that are very momentary. I don't care if for a few milliseconds there is 9 db gain reduction

If you don't care, why are you asking the question? :shock: :?

 

If you do care, then lower, compress it or limit the kick drum individually (on its own channel strip).

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the generally accepted "3 db max of reduction".

Where did you read that? :shock:

 

Are you talking about the 3db of headroom a mastering engineer will normally ask for so that he.she can master the track? - If so the 3db is obtained with no mastering chain added to your track. Mastering engineers with normally ask that you don't have any mastering chain inserts. Any limiting is done on the individual channels.

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