Since its introduction in the mid 1970's, the dbx 160 series has been the world's most popular line of audio compressors. After the classic 160 (which is still used daily in many world class studios), came the 165, the 160X and the 160XT. The 160X/XT were the models that truly became the industry standard. Solid construction, fool proof operation, great sound, at-a-glance metering and a bulletproof output stage all contributed to its popularity with musicians, recording studios, consultants and installers, and broadcast media production people alike.
The dbx® 160A is a legendary dbx® 160 family of compressor/limiters. The same classic sound, easy set-up and no compromise metering is now married to an improved signal path and stronger chassis design. The result is industry standard compressor/limiter which is digital-ready and road tough.
Featuring switch-selectable OverEasy® and Hard Knee compression curves along with extremely wide-ranging threshold, ratio and output controls, the dbx 160A is up to any task. True RMS level detection provides the most natural-sounding dynamics processing available, from subtle compression to 'brick wall' peak limiting. Choose low ratios and OverEasy® compression to transparently smooth out fluctuating vocal and instrumental levels. Or use the 160A's Hard Knee compression and high ratios (up to and beyond :1 and over 60dB gain reduction) for bombproof protection against overload distortion in digital recording, P.A. systems and broadcast signals. The 160A is fully compatible with +4/-10dB and balanced/ unbalanced systems, and its electronically balanced output stage is an outstanding line driver for long cable runs (an output transformer is optional). The 19-segment, switchable input/ output LED metering can be easily calibrated to any operating level. 12-segment gain reduction LEDs provide precise analysis at a glance.
The dbx® 160A's unique 'INFINITY +' inverse-compression mode actually decreases the audio output level below unity gain when the input exceeds threshold, a real lifesaver for correcting overbearing vocal choruses and controlling runaway house mix levels. A detector input can be used with an equalizer for de-essing sibilant vocals and selectively smoothing out boomy notes on acoustic guitar and bass. And two 160As can be stereo-coupled to process an entire mix or instruments mic'd in stereo, without shifting the left/right image. Its musical sound, easy operation and unequaled versatility made the original dbx® 160 a world standard. The 160A follows that tradition, while meeting the challenges of a digital world.ent in the mix, or overall characteristics of 4 independent signals or control the gain leveling on a couple of stereo pairs, the dbx 160A is for you.
The Invisible Limiter's limiting algorithm minimizes the difference between the original and the limited signals. Fabfilter Pro L 199 USD A brickwall limiter is an essential tool for every mastering or mixing engineer. Fabfilter Pro L is a professional, feature-packed limiter that is loud and transparent at the same time. 50 Great Compressors – The List. While the list is not in strict rank order and features a round-up of the very best compressors of all types, this time around we have condensed some of our very favourites into the top ten positions, providing something of a 10 Best Compressor Plugins list for those who asked. Basic VST de-esser plugin Modern De-Esser is a freeware de-esser VST plugin by Antress. It features frequency control in the 3000 to 9999 Hz range and output level control (-15 to +15 dB) The gain reduction can be adjusted with threshold, ratio, width, and release controls. Uad Precision Limiter Vs Dmg Limitless 3 We're excited to introduce Limitless to the DMGAudio range, because now you can build a pro-grade mastering facility just from DMGAudio processors and a DAW, and you'll have the best gear money can buy whatever your objective.
Some of the best EQ plugins are modelled not after standalone outboard units, but the EQ sections of classic mixing consoles. In particular, the term ‘British EQ’ became something of a selling point over the years since the 1950’s, and essentially refers to the quality and sound of the equaliser sections found in many classic British-made mixing consoles by the likes of Neve, AMEK,.
Recommended for: Portable, Tour, Studio.
DMG Limitless ($199 MSRP) is a modern mastering limiter plug-in for PCs and Macs that offers precision dynamic control using two closely integrated limiters. One limiter is specially configured to work only on transients, while the dynamics limiter uses look-ahead and a more conventional release time to control dynamics musically. Limitless produces loudness enhancement to any desired stylistic effect—from transparent to very colorful—based on built-in preset Style algorithms. Styles are Aggressive, Punchy, Warm, Smooth, Tight and Transparent.
For the mastering engineer, Limitless is a smart “complexity inverter”; it uses numerical solvers on a sample-by-sample basis to work out the best possible limiting action for producing loudness to a specified targeted output level without clipping and without adding artifacts. As the excellently written manual states for basic workflow: “Reduce Threshold until track reaches desired loudness. Enjoy!” I liked that Limitless works straightaway like any full-bandwidth limiter—important for quickly dealing with problems.
Digging Deeper
Limitless (Version 1.03 tested) is a multiband processor that uses six Band Strips with linear phase filters, each with adjustable frequency centers, band gain faders, mute/solo buttons, and individual release time settings. There are nine additional Advanced controls, a 64x oversampled pre-limiter Clipper section with a choice between three different clip algorithms, plus a Dither dropdown menu with noise-shaping/bit-depth preferences.
To monitor everything, Limitless has several information-rich, resizable screens with four resident Master controls: Threshold, Ceiling (or maximum output), and Release time that groups the release times for all six Band Strips together.
There are zoomable PPM and GR meters and fully integrated EBU R-128 Loudness metering with both True Peak and LRA measurement; you can switch between gated (LUFS) and un-gated (LKFS) measurement. A resettable separate History screen with an adjustable time scale shows a Short-Term loudness line with LRA (Loudness variance) displayed around it in gray.
Limitless Mastering
My first Limitless mastering project was a Wall Street protest song. The producers used no real instruments—just synths, samples, loops and shouting vocals. He wanted it clean–sounding and louder than loud for downloading and streaming; they complained they were unable to match the loudness of other Electronica/EDM tracks.
My workflow in Pro Tools | HDX started with copying the Aggressive style to Manual—you can also step through any Style, or any of the included presets from the Preset tray. There is a lot to learn about Limitless processing parameters from these descriptively named presets.
I used two screens—Frequency and Time Graphs—to monitor and set up Limitless. Sculpting the sound is made visual using the Frequency Graph screen with its spectrum analyzer overlaid with six multiband crossover nodes. You can delete nodes, change their frequency centers, audition (solo and mute), and set their contribution to the finished sound. While in Manual mode, each band’s release time is adjustable.
For this song, after I dialed-in and centered the six frequency nodes, I shortened the Release time for the upper bands and lengthened it for the lower frequency bands. I found the adjustable release timing for each band crucial for obtaining loudness with transparency and minimal collateral damage.
Traveling across the GUI from left to right, it continuously redraws Limitless’ current activity. When synched to the song’s timeline, it’s easy to see where each and every peak and resultant gain reduction happens, plus understand the Release time curve shapes visually. You can set up beat-synched redraw in Preferences in the Setup window.
In Manual mode, the Advanced parameters are freely adjustable at any time, but I didn’t touch Input Trim, Slope (adjusts the slope in dB/Oct of the crossovers) or Separation.
Separation at 100 percent (the default setting, but ranges from 0 percent to 200 percent) is the most transparent-sounding, with each of the six bands acting independently. At 200 percent, the band that needs to change the most will change more, causing the other bands to change less. I found using Separation an acquired skill; it was the last adjustment in the quest for the best sound. I did put Stereo Link at 0 percent for wider stereo imaging, with the caveat that no loud mix elements are panned hard left or right.
Look-ahead was set to 0.25 ms (ranges up to 10 ms), but I reduced it to 0.15 ms for a more aggressive sound. This Style had the Dynamics control at 35 percent (50 percent is the default), so the transient limiter was working harder to produce loudness compared to the dynamic limiter. Here I used two different Dynamics settings and automated switching between them: 30 percent for choruses and 60 percent for verses. At 60 percent, the second limiter, with its slower release time, caused the verses (only) to sound smoother.
The Knee parameter is applied before the first limiter, and either narrows (hardens) or broadens (softens) the range around the exact threshold setting. It was set to 0 dB—i.e., hard limiting. I also switched on ISP so that Limitless prevents Inter-sample Peak Distortion and it works well; I never had any “reds” onscreen or on my interface metering.
I pulled Threshold down to -9.1 dB and set the Release time to 97.62 ms. Ceiling went to -0.8 dB, and that worked out well to produce a single, compatible audio file ready for both CDs and downstream for codecs such as Apple’s Mastered For iTunes. I had Pop music loudness and density while maintaining the song’s dynamics.
Louder Than Loud
But the producers wanted it louder! A particular mastering engineer style uses a clipper to add gain and clip the signal before the limiter. Limitless’ Clipper has three algorithm choices: Swell and Swell2 both add third-order harmonic distortion, and the Knee algorithm varies from hard clip (ADC clipping) to soft clip.
I tried Swell2 and put the Drive control up to 7.7 dB and set the amount, a mix between the clipped signal and input, to 50 percent. Oversample was at 16x. I also changed the Weighting control to 124 percent (100 percent is the default) to encourage Limitless to limit the low frequencies more with this bass heavy music.
Options, Options, Options!
Limitless is a complete and very powerful mastering toolkit; it works as transparently as you like, or not! In the past for in-the-box mastering, I always fussed over getting what I wanted using a compressor followed by a limiter. Now as my new, singular mix bus processor, I found Limitless’ sound and operation wonderful and worthy of “mastering” its immense capabilities and options. You can have your mixes loud yet retain musicality and high-quality sound with minimal downside. Awesome!
Barry Rudolph is an L.A.-based recording engineer/educator.
Try This
Limitless drum bus processing is fast and colorful if desired. I used the “Tighter Bass, Everything Else Louder” preset across a stereo drum bus including the kick mic tracks. I set the Release Shape to 100 percent—that’s a Log release time curve, as it seems to keep the drums lively sounding versus the inverse log release at 0 percent. This setup made for a louder, more compact and super-solid drum track for a pop-rock song.
PRODUCT SUMMARY
Company: DMG Audio
Website:dmgaudio.com/limitless
Uad Precision Maximizer Vs Limiter
Product: Limitless Master Limiter Plug-In (V. 1.03)
Price: $199 MSRP
Uad Precision Limiter Vs Dmg Limtlesstreehorse
Pros: A complex problem-solver with a refined interface.
Uad Precision Limiter
Cons: Mastering the learning curve a must for optimal operation