This is opinion. I've never seen anywhere outside of this thread claim that there's some sort of standard cut-off point for the ratio beyond which compression ceases to be compression and becomes limiting.

 
WOW!! i guess you never looked then, as there are many examples: You should have googled and did a little research before saying such statements.
This is From WIKI
Limiting:
Limiting and clipping compared. Note that clipping introduces a large amount of distortion whereas limiting only introduces a small amount while keeping the signal within the threshold.
Compression and limiting are not different in process but in degree and perceived effect. A limiter is a compressor with a high ratio and, generally, a fast attack time. Most engineers consider compression with ratio of 10:1 or more as limiting
 
Here a link -http://thedawstudio.com/Tips/Limiter.html and it says "A limiter is basically a compressor on steroids. Once the compression ratio goes above 10:1 on a compressor you have limiting
 
http://www.mediacollege.c...io/processing/limiter/
 
http://ethanwiner.com/compressors.html
Ethen winer says its greater than 5:1 in this link. HUM?????
 
http://www.rolandus.com/support/knowledge_base/view/22627646 and it says
"A compressor and a limiter are basically the same thing, except that a compressor uses a ratio of less than 10:1 and a limiter uses 10:1 or higher. With its higher ratio, a limiter’s threshold is like a brick wall that the signal will not be able to exceed."
 
This is from Sound On Sound - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun99/articles/mixcomp.htm
"To start off with, let's consider the simplest kind of compression - the limiter. A limiter is just a compressor with a very high ratio (10:1 or more) 
 
I can google and insert hundreds of links saying 10;1 and greater is limiting. I laos can quote many books written form 1964 to present that say the same.
 
 
 
CJ

You do realise that finding a bunch of links that say 10:1 doesn't make all my earlier-posted links to different ratios disappear, right?
 
Lots of people have their own idea of where to draw the line, but there's no standard. No idea why you're flogging this dead horse so insistently.

I honestly cannot find an actual consensus scientific definition of Limiter that names specific ratios.  Most are worded in ways  like "most consider" which only lends to my earlier statement that the 10:1 definition embraced by many is more tradition than etched in stone fact.  I'm fine with that cutoff because for the most part it works.  At the same time I think it's downright silly to fight so vehemently over something that does not appear to have an official standard. Links have been posting that support multiple definitions.  To embrace one and ignore the others basically shows  one is more concerned with being right at all costs.

And if not already mentioned here's a free one that you can really slam.
http://vladgsound.wordpress.com/plugins/limiter6/

carl
And if not already mentioned here's a free one that you can really slam.
http://vladgsound.wordpress.com/plugins/limiter6/

+1 for Carl.

CJaysMusic
WOW!! i guess you never looked then, as there are many examples: You should have googled and did a little research before saying such statements.
This is From WIKI

 
That last line pretty much destroys your credibility. 
 

The real problem isn't the definition or lack thereof, it's that there is no standards committee in the music industry to define terms. The back-and-forth in this thread is just one example why it's a problem. Of course in reality, whatever you call an amplifier's input/output relationship doesn't matter, the sonic results are what matter. However, when trying to discuss something and use terms, the lack of standardized terminology makes teaching or knowledge transfers difficult. More manufacturers are simply calling these kinds of devices "dynamics processors" as several of them can combine elements of expansion, compression, and limiting within a single transfer function.
 
If I became the Music Industry Language Police tomorrow, here's how I'd define the difference.
 
Limiter: The ratio of input to output remains linear at 1:1 up to a certain threshold. Above that threshold, the ratio of input to output becomes infinity to 1.
 
Compressor: The ratio of input to output remains linear at 1:1 up to a certain threshold. Above that threshold, the ratio of input to output increases based on the compression ratio and knee characteristics. If the ratio reaches infinity to 1, the signal is then considered to be limited.
 
 

LOL... I finally logged in from a computer so noticed these latest posts. Please also realize that the "definition" came from the analog world. In the analog world 10:1 was a massive achievement... In the digital world, a "limiter" can be as simple as comparing output (calculated) to output max (defined by user) and setting the output accordingly (and instantaneously). The knee on a digital compressor/limiter can be defined however a programmer chooses, but in the analog realm it is defined by the hardware involved. In many ways, we have been totally jaded and lost touch with where "definitions" evolved and seem to have lost appreciation for what we have at times. Digital processing allows for infinite FXs to be added to a signal chain without signal loss, yet we tend to complain (incessantly) about it.

Karyn
...A limiter will prevent the output from rising regardless of how high the input goes above the threshold level. A slow acting limiter will let peaks through while keeping the average level constant. A fast acting limiter will also limit the peaks. THIS is a brick wall limiter. It let's nothing go higher than the threshold level...

Now THIS is a brick wall limiter. Letting the peaks try to go above 0dBFS! No attack times to worry about, no finite gain reduction or signal propagation delays to deal with. (Not recommended though...)
 
Actually with very high compression ratios, you're sort of doing the same thing. Instead of limiting the signal compliance level to the inherent "all ones", the new compliance number is a function of the "threshold". (Assuming fast attack, hard knee, and high compression). The result of course is distortion.
 
Walt