Afrodrum
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How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
Hi, anybody here knows how L2 Ultramaximizer works? I have checked the Waves "Gold" plugin bundle, most of the stuff was not much impressive except for L1 ultramaximazer. It is not enough to justify the purchase of the whole bundle (even the stripped version of TH2 is far superior to GTR). I suppose L1 and its bigger brother L2 is very smartly combined compression, gate, eq and distortion, any idea how to get such effect with the plugins we already own in X3?
Windows 10/64, Intel i7 Xeon X6575 3,07GHz, 24Gb RAM, chipset: Intel X58 Express, Kingston SSD 240Gb, Sonar Platinum ∞, Edirol UA-25. ( Some extra VSTs: PSP almost all/ IK - AT4, ST3, / AAS - all/ TH3 full/ +10dB/ Melodyne Editor). EVE sc205 monitors, Defil Kosmos guitar, blue lava lamp, ashtray. And there is some great music you may find at: https://soundcloud.com/pawel-jan-1
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Sanderxpander
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 08:10:45
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It depends a lot on the application. It's essentially a transparent limiter with dithering options.
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dcumpian
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 08:10:58
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☄ Helpfulby Afrodrum 2014/12/11 11:49:54
Serial compression using multiple instances of a compressor, followed by a brickwall limiter. The reason for multiple compressors rather than one is to minimize pumping. As far as I know, there is no EQ in L1 or L2.
Regards,
Dan
Mixing is all about control. My music: http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.
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Sacalait
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 09:17:35
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☄ Helpfulby Afrodrum 2014/12/11 11:50:05
Every now and then Waves puts the plugins on sale. I bought the L2 when it went on sale a couple of years ago. Just keep checking their site.
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Anderton
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 09:38:13
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☄ Helpfulby Afrodrum 2014/12/11 11:49:36
There are basically four choices. - BlueTubes brickwall limiter. Just getting into this so don't have many comments.
- Boost Eleven. Okay for individual tracks but not my favorite.
- Sonitus Multiband compresor. This is overlooked and underappreciated. There is a limit button on the Common page and when enabled, you can increase the output and drive it into limiting. Once you get above about 6 dB of limiting the sound deteriorates, but you don't want much more than that anyway. And because it's a multiband compressor, you can tweak the frequency response a bit to sweeten things up.
- This takes a little more work but can sound really good. The LP-64 Multiband Compressor is very high quality but doesn't have limiting functions. What you can do is use the LP-64 to do most of the compressing, then add the Sonitus afterward to catch any transients.
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Afrodrum
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 11:54:44
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Anderton
There are basically four choices.
(...)
- Sonitus Multiband compresor. This is overlooked and underappreciated. There is a limit button on the Common page and when enabled, you can increase the output and drive it into limiting. Once you get above about 6 dB of limiting the sound deteriorates, but you don't want much more than that anyway. And because it's a multiband compressor, you can tweak the frequency response a bit to sweeten things up.
- This takes a little more work but can sound really good. The LP-64 Multiband Compressor is very high quality but doesn't have limiting functions. What you can do is use the LP-64 to do most of the compressing, then add the Sonitus afterward to catch any transients.
Thanks, there be a lot tweaking. I just didn't know where to start ! Sonitus is my one of my favourites and indeed deserves more attention. Would you put (as suggested above by DCUMPIAN) several instances of Sonitus or LP-64 compressors in series and then add limiting?
Windows 10/64, Intel i7 Xeon X6575 3,07GHz, 24Gb RAM, chipset: Intel X58 Express, Kingston SSD 240Gb, Sonar Platinum ∞, Edirol UA-25. ( Some extra VSTs: PSP almost all/ IK - AT4, ST3, / AAS - all/ TH3 full/ +10dB/ Melodyne Editor). EVE sc205 monitors, Defil Kosmos guitar, blue lava lamp, ashtray. And there is some great music you may find at: https://soundcloud.com/pawel-jan-1
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Afrodrum
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 11:57:05
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dcumpian
Serial compression using multiple instances of a compressor, followed by a brickwall limiter. The reason for multiple compressors rather than one is to minimize pumping. As far as I know, there is no EQ in L1 or L2.
Regards,
Dan
Thanks Dan, would you be able to suggest the settings of consecutive compressors, even in general terms like "from mild to radical or vice versa" ?
Windows 10/64, Intel i7 Xeon X6575 3,07GHz, 24Gb RAM, chipset: Intel X58 Express, Kingston SSD 240Gb, Sonar Platinum ∞, Edirol UA-25. ( Some extra VSTs: PSP almost all/ IK - AT4, ST3, / AAS - all/ TH3 full/ +10dB/ Melodyne Editor). EVE sc205 monitors, Defil Kosmos guitar, blue lava lamp, ashtray. And there is some great music you may find at: https://soundcloud.com/pawel-jan-1
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Afrodrum
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 11:59:02
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Sacalait
Every now and then Waves puts the plugins on sale. I bought the L2 when it went on sale a couple of years ago. Just keep checking their site.
So you have it, cool. How do you use it ? I found it shines on stereo bus, made my mixes clearer and louder.
Windows 10/64, Intel i7 Xeon X6575 3,07GHz, 24Gb RAM, chipset: Intel X58 Express, Kingston SSD 240Gb, Sonar Platinum ∞, Edirol UA-25. ( Some extra VSTs: PSP almost all/ IK - AT4, ST3, / AAS - all/ TH3 full/ +10dB/ Melodyne Editor). EVE sc205 monitors, Defil Kosmos guitar, blue lava lamp, ashtray. And there is some great music you may find at: https://soundcloud.com/pawel-jan-1
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dcumpian
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 13:11:45
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☄ Helpfulby Afrodrum 2014/12/11 14:31:06
The Whole point of serial compression is so that each instance doesn't work too hard to avoid compression artifacts like pumping and distortion. Each instance should be gently pushing up the overall level.
If you really want to squash the track and make it super loud, you'll have to balance what each compressor instance is doing and then still push it when you get to the limiter.
Regards,
Dan
Mixing is all about control. My music: http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.
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dcumpian
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 13:13:38
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Not that I recommend that, BTW. I use the L1 and L2 as well, and while they are really good, they aren't going to magically make a quiet track with peaky transients loud and still sound good.
Regards,
Dan
Mixing is all about control. My music: http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.
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Anderton
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 13:17:59
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☄ Helpfulby Afrodrum 2014/12/11 14:30:46
Afrodrum
Thanks, there be a lot tweaking. I just didn't know where to start ! Sonitus is my one of my favourites and indeed deserves more attention. Would you put (as suggested above by DCUMPIAN) several instances of Sonitus or LP-64 compressors in series and then add limiting?
That depends. When I use serial compression, it's to give as transparent a sound as possible. But Multiband Compression tends to be more transparent anyway because frequencies aren't affecting other frequencies. So I would use only one instance of a multiband compression. I'd also include a Console Emulator in there. The Waves Maximizers seem to add a little high-frequency sparkle.
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dcumpian
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 13:40:51
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☄ Helpfulby Afrodrum 2014/12/11 14:30:39
Anderton
Afrodrum
Thanks, there be a lot tweaking. I just didn't know where to start ! Sonitus is my one of my favourites and indeed deserves more attention. Would you put (as suggested above by DCUMPIAN) several instances of Sonitus or LP-64 compressors in series and then add limiting?
That depends. When I use serial compression, it's to give as transparent a sound as possible. But Multiband Compression tends to be more transparent anyway because frequencies aren't affecting other frequencies. So I would use only one instance of a multiband compression.
I'd also include a Console Emulator in there. The Waves Maximizers seem to add a little high-frequency sparkle.
Craig is, of course, correct regarding multiband compressors. Serial compression should only be done with a "normal" (if there is one) compressor. When I do it, I deliberately use different compressors for each instance because I like the character that each stage adds to the overall sound. Regards, Dan
Mixing is all about control. My music: http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.
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Afrodrum
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 14:42:51
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Craig and Dan, I much appreciate your help, thanks :-)
Windows 10/64, Intel i7 Xeon X6575 3,07GHz, 24Gb RAM, chipset: Intel X58 Express, Kingston SSD 240Gb, Sonar Platinum ∞, Edirol UA-25. ( Some extra VSTs: PSP almost all/ IK - AT4, ST3, / AAS - all/ TH3 full/ +10dB/ Melodyne Editor). EVE sc205 monitors, Defil Kosmos guitar, blue lava lamp, ashtray. And there is some great music you may find at: https://soundcloud.com/pawel-jan-1
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Anderton
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Re: How to emulate Waves L2 Ultramaximizer with X3 plugins ?
2014/12/11 16:11:34
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☄ Helpfulby Afrodrum 2014/12/11 20:33:22
And FWIW, the best compressors I've found for serial compression are the two in the late, great, 32-bit VC-64. Set those for a really low ratio, put them in series, and they just sing. I have absolutely no idea why.
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