Using limiters
So far, we’ve discussed simple compression, parallel compression, and sidechain compression. Fruity Limiter offers another tool, called a limiter. Limiters are tools used to lower the amplitude peak of a sound. Limiters have a threshold level, and when it’s reached, the average volume of the audio is compressed and then raised until it reaches the threshold. The result is that the overall sounds appear louder but are contained under the threshold.
The difference between a compressor and a limiter is that in a compressor, you set the compression ratio to an exact value (for example, reduce by a 3:1 ratio), whereas in a limiter, the ratio is not specifically set by you. The ratio of compression adapts until the overall volume is raised up to the threshold.
Why would you use limiters? One reason to use limiters is to prevent unwanted distortion. If the volume of your final audio exceeds 0 dB, unwanted distortion occurs. In hardware, this causes a signal overload. Limiting reduces your audio signal to prevent this.
Another reason to use limiters is to increase the overall perceived volume of your completed song. Audio that appears louder is easier to hear and is preferred.
A limiter is used on your master channel. Limiters are used to bring up the overall volume of the finished song in the mastering process. Before exporting your final song in mastering, the last plugin effect that the sound is processed through is always a limiter.
Let’s use a limiter in our project:
- Create any project with some music playing.
- If it isn’t there already, add Fruity Limiter to your master channel:
Figure 6.13 – Fruity Limiter in Slot 10 of the master channel
Under the LOUDNESS section, you can see three controls: GAIN, SAT (saturation), and CEIL (ceiling). GAIN and SAT perform the same function as they do in a simple compressor. The CEIL control sets the maximum level that the volume of the sound can reach. Any sound that reaches the ceiling is compressed until it no longer exceeds the ceiling level. By default, the ceiling level is set to 0 dB. This means the maximum volume that can be reached is 0 dB. Anything above 0 dB could result in unwanted distortion, so you never want to set the ceiling above 0 dB. You can leave the ceiling at the default of 0 dB in most cases. Setting a ceiling threshold is sometimes known as setting a brick wall: a metaphor to mean that no sound gets through.
- Increase GAIN slightly. You’ll need to experiment with how much to increase the gain. If you increase the gain too much, you’ll find your overall sound feels squashed. Increase the gain until you find a comfortable balance between making your song as loud as you can while still maintaining the desired dynamic range.
The end result of using a limiter is that our sound is louder and easier to hear. We’ve covered the main types of compression. Next, let’s look at equalizer plugins.
