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 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...