vaultwit
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Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
Can someone give me suggestions for a good and cheap (looking for < $50) mastering limiter / volume maximizer? I've been trying to use Concrete Limiter for a while, but for mastering purposes, it just isn't transparent enough for my needs.
My music style is usually fast-paced and high-energy pop, techno, dance. I need a good transparent limiter that I can use to maximize my songs to levels similar to today's pop songs heard on the radio.
One good limiter I've found already is TB Barricade at $19. Anyone who uses this, feel free to chime in. And of course, other limiters are welcome. Thanks!
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ltb
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/23 21:59:39
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Barricade is excellent for the $$ Save up for Fab-Filter Pro-L! For loud masters check out Slate's FG-X
post edited by carl - 2012/06/23 22:06:04
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Fog
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/23 22:06:16
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tricky to say as I use a few. http://www.meldaproduction.com/ I would save up your money and go for ozone. vengeance do stuff specifically for dance stuff , but aren't exactly cheap
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...wicked
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/23 22:07:13
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Concrete Limiter is actually pretty darned good.
Voxengo's Elephant is pretty rad.
I think the freeware W-1 (L1 knockoff) is still out there and last I used it it was great.
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daveny5
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/23 22:24:09
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I need a good transparent limiter that I can use to maximize my songs to levels similar to today's pop songs heard on the radio. Be careful emulating the over-compressed recordings that are topping the charts. I like Adele's voice, but her recordings, in my opinion are not well produced. Her voice is too loud in the mix and the backing tracks sound like mud. But who cares... she's selling a lot of CDs.
post edited by daveny5 - 2012/06/24 06:57:24
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Rasure
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/23 22:27:50
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Barricade all the way here, don't let Barricades price fool you, download the trial :-)
The only thing you cant do in the trial is save any custom settings.
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bobguitkillerleft
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/24 00:12:50
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Barricade,and Tone Boosters Reel Bus even,has really surprised me,although I'm forced to Demo ATM,as I kinda over spent,with Waves/N.I. recently,but TB,very good stuff.
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FastBikerBoy
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/24 01:57:15
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Fog beat me to the Melda Productions recommendation..
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JSkeen
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/24 04:05:13
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californiamusic
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/24 10:04:12
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could be worth it to spend a few extra bucks on a slightly better Plugin.. ; )
Voxengo Elephant
Fab Filter Pro-L
But it's about what your ears like.. we all have different tastes
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clintmartin
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/24 16:05:20
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TB barricade sounds like something I need to try. $19 is hard to beat! Have any of you tried their compressor or eq?
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CoteRotie
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/24 17:30:14
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I'll throw in another vote for the Elephant.
John
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Bristol_Jonesey
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 04:04:05
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T-Racks3 Brickwall Limiter
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AT
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 11:10:30
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Voxengo Elephant. I'm still on 2, and it works just about as well as the higher-priced ones. There used to be packages - you could get Elephant and curve EQ together for a discount. Tho the SONAR EQ is superb, too, Curve has a nice, integrated graph. You won't need more software for mastering - the only real step up is hardware from there.
@
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Zouki
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 11:33:46
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bapu
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 11:42:28
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daveny5
But who cares... she's selling a lot of CDs. You do and that's one less sale. Well done.
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Jonbouy
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 17:25:54
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Zouki
Just look here... Free and awesome... http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/vst-effects/ Zouki
Yup, it's a pity Bootsy don't have a Limiting Maximizer just yet as it would be a good one for sure. The recommendations here will all do the job, starting from JB's Barricade and going upwards. Shame that the Ozone Maximiser isn't available seperately as that particular component is probably the best part of it. But at the price range you are looking at you wont be disappointed with Barricade.
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shawn@trustmedia.tv
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 17:27:04
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Studio SONAR X3. Axiom 25 midi controller, DUNE 2, Producer Content, Good Times, Bandlab Mojo 
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clintmartin
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 18:04:29
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clintmartin
TB barricade sounds like something I need to try. $19 is hard to beat! Have any of you tried their compressor or eq?
Anyone?
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ltb
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 18:09:31
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clintmartin
clintmartin
TB barricade sounds like something I need to try. $19 is hard to beat! Have any of you tried their compressor or eq?
Anyone?
Yes, they work fine. Try the demos.
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dubdisciple
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 18:33:36
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"Transparent" is not a word I have ever seen applied to Boost 11, but it will squash the crap out of your music and give it a pumping effect whether you want it to or not
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musicroom
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 18:58:00
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It's shame this one Kjaerhus MPL-1 Pro SE is no longer available. I have Elephant but use this one the most.
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chuckebaby
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 19:21:51
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im with bristol on t-racks.
although im a big fan of nomads bluetubes and they have a brickwall thats is to slay for.
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bladetragic
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/25 21:17:22
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Well here is a free one that was just released. Haven't tried it myself but it's free so you can give it a go w/o losing anything. The same developer makes the Molot compressor which gets a lot of praise. And it's 64-bit as well. http://vladgsound.wordpress.com/plugins/limiter6/
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Linear Phase
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/26 06:30:54
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Odd graphics behavior with Toneboosters... http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2570570 May I suggest Event Horizon from http://www.stillwellaudio.com/?page_id=16 Its a < $40 limiter, that I have used for years, and years. Its trusty, it works great, sounds descent, does the job. Is it, "PSP Xenon, Flux Epure, Sonalksis, or the even the Concrete Limiter from Cake." No.... Event Horizon is a good. Solid. Working and functioning limiter, with good sound.
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M_Glenn_M
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/26 09:58:01
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Is this all ToneBooster stuff? I haven't had this yet with Barricade. (32 bit x1)
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chuckebaby
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/26 19:21:12
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bladetragic
Well here is a free one that was just released. Haven't tried it myself but it's free so you can give it a go w/o losing anything. The same developer makes the Molot compressor which gets a lot of praise. And it's 64-bit as well. http://vladgsound.wordpress.com/plugins/limiter6/
this doesnt look to bad...nice free bee kid.
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JClosed
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/27 02:41:28
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I recommend the ToneBooster stuff. You get great plugins for a incredible low price. I was really surprised by the quality when demoing and bought a few items a day later. @Liniair Phase - the odd graphics behavior of those plugins was a result of switching off aero in Windows 7. This pushes graphic calculations from the GPU to the CPU, and as a result redraw is sloppy because the CPU has other priorities (like calculating audio effects).
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NW Smith
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/27 09:22:39
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Don't forget to look at the Sontius plug-ins that come with Sonar. They do a surprisingly good job.
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Freddie H
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Re:Best (cheap) mastering limiter / maximizer?
2012/06/27 09:28:53
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vaultwit
Can someone give me suggestions for a good and cheap (looking for < $50) mastering limiter / volume maximizer? I've been trying to use Concrete Limiter for a while, but for mastering purposes, it just isn't transparent enough for my needs.
My music style is usually fast-paced and high-energy pop, techno, dance. I need a good transparent limiter that I can use to maximize my songs to levels similar to today's pop songs heard on the radio.
One good limiter I've found already is TB Barricade at $19. Anyone who uses this, feel free to chime in. And of course, other limiters are welcome. Thanks!
http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/ProChannel-Modules/ProChannel-Concrete-Limiter.aspx 
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