Vintage Limiter - Ozone 8 Help Documentation

May 2024 · 4 minute read

Overview

The Vintage Limiter allows you to create a louder and fuller master by limiting the dynamic range and boosting the overall level of your mix. It is loosely modeled after the Fairchild 670, a feedback-based tube compressor/ limiter with a soft knee, with slightly di erent attack and release envelopes due to a differing feedback topology. An IRC I limiter is then applied after the tube processing to transparently prevent clipping. Like the Maximizer, the Vintage Limiter is applied to the entire bandwidth of the mix; it is not a multiband effect. The Vintage Limiter represents the best of both worlds by providing a warmer, more analog-sounding final-stage of limiting while retaining the ease and precision of digital maximizing.

Controls

vlim

MODES

Three separate limiting modes are available, each with unique characteristics and sounds:

ANALOG

With a fast attack and variable release time, this mode provides a tight bass response with a “thick” limiting quality. This brings out the low-end transients while still providing the smoothness that is characteristic of analog circuitry.

TUBE

A more balanced limiter with variable attack and release times, this mode provides smooth feedback limiting with a wider range of sonic characteristics that vary depending on your incoming signal. Despite its non-linearity, it still allows for modern precision in preventing any clipping or peaks.

MODERN

A true hybrid of old and new, this mode blends thicker vintage characteristics and wide range of non- linearity with modern IRC limiting, variable release times, and transient reproduction.

THRESHOLD

The Threshold control determines the level at which the Vintage Limiter will begin limiting. When the incoming signal level crosses above the threshold value, the limiter kicks in. This control also adds gain as the threshold value is lowered. Turning down the threshold limits more of the signal, which in turn creates an overall louder mix.

In other words, when you turn down the threshold you limit the dynamic range of the mix, the Vintage Limiter will automatically add a proportional amount of gain to maximize the output level.

CEILING

The Ceiling control sets the maximum output level of the Vintage Limiter.

It is generally recommended to use a setting of -0.3 dB when dithering, or a more dramatic setting (-0.6 dB to -0.8 dB) when converting to MP3 or AAC formats in order to prevent clipping during conversion. See the Codec Preview section for more details.

Links Threshold and Ceiling controls, when linked these controls will move relative to each other.

TRUE PEAK LIMITING

The True Peak Limiting control enables the limiter to take into account not only the levels of each digital sample but also the levels of the analog signal that will eventually be produced by D/A conversion. This is sometimes necessary, since an analog signal’s peak level can exceed its corresponding digital signal’s peak level by more than 3 dB.

Note: This option will result in a small increase in CPU usage, but if your mixes are running very hot you may want to enable it to ensure that absolutely no distortion is introduced when your audio is nally run through a D/A converter.

CHARACTER

The Character control adjusts the attack and release times of the Vintage Limiter. It employs di erent attack and release times depending on the mode that is selected, but allows a continuous range from Fast (0.0) to Slow (10.0) in each mode.

Meters

THRESHOLD METER

The Threshold meter uses level meters to display the gain reduction taking place. The two outer meters display the levels of the incoming signal and the inner meters show the amount of gain reduction taking place.

MINI-METER VIEWS

To view a given display mode, click on its icon on the left side of the display.

GAIN REDUCTION TRACE

trace

The Gain Reduction Trace is a scrolling meter that displays the waveform of the input signal with a superimposed trace showing the amount of gain reduction taking place. The vertical scale on the left side of the meter can be adjusted by hovering over it and using your mouse wheel to zoom or clicking and dragging to change the range. This can help you to set attack and release controls appropriately and to monitor the envelope of gain reduction.

SPECTRUM VIEW

vlim spectrum

The Spectrum View displays the output signal in a spectrum analyzer.

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