Understanding limiters
The idea behind limiting is you choose a threshold volume and compress audio volume peaks that reach the threshold level. Then, you can raise the overall volume of the sound close to the threshold level without going over. This results in your ending sound appearing louder overall to your listener. In general, if your sound is louder, listeners will be able to hear your sound more easily and have a more enjoyable listening experience.
When mastering, the last plugin on your master channel should always be a limiter. Maximus acts as a limiter by default. If you are using Maximus to master your music, it will be the last plugin on your master channel. We also discussed limiters in Chapter 6, Compression, Sidechaining, Limiting, and Equalization.
Without a limiter, you risk having your audio go above 0 dB, which can result in uncontrolled distortion on speakers. A limiter ensures that the final sound is contained below a threshold to help prevent the distortion...