Learn the Secret to REALLY LOUD Mixes: Clippers vs. Limiters

Do you know the real difference between clippers and limiters? Hear how the sound of limiting compares to soft clipping, hard clipping and the original signal, and learn when to use each one for super-loud mixes and masters. Learn more: link.waves.com/qpe
0:00 Introduction
0:36 Example #1: Hear the difference between clipping and limiting
0:53 What are the differences between clipping and limiting?
1:40 Example #2: Hear the difference between clipping and limiting on a master
3:01 When should I use a clipper?
3:30 When should I use a limiter?
3:59 What else can clipping and limiting achieve in a mix?
4:28 Example #3: Compare clipping and limiting
5:15 Sign off - Which do you prefer?
One of the quickest ways to get a loud mix is with a limiter, but many argue that clippers are better. Which do you prefer and why? There’s no right or wrong answer here. In this video, we discuss the main technical differences between clipping and limiting, how each sound, and when you should consider using one over the other in certain mix and master applications.
If you’re new to mixing, this tutorial will prime you with the essential information you need to get loud mixes fast. We also recommend Infected Mushroom Pusher - an all-in-one mastering suite - as it provides a built-in level matched clipper/limiter you can use to compare the sounds of clipping and limiting in your music in just one click!
Download Infected Mushroom PUSHER: link.waves.com/zmu
Discover more Limiter plugins from Waves Audio: link.waves.com/qpe
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[@moskva-kassiopeya]

In the latest example clipper sounded more "open" while limiter sounded more "squashed". It really depends on the algorithms of each plugin, the audio it applies to and settings such as threshold and etc..

[@ErreGamer]

Love this "shorts" and straight to the point videos, keep up the good work!

[@dancooperwaves3685]

Will do, thanks for the positive comment!

[@Ben-cg8qk]

me too great vid!

[@Tryggvasson]

clipiiiiing! i would use limiters more for technical purposes, for containing material, or consolidating it, but musically, on a master, on clean, sterile stuff, clipiiiiiiiiing. you don't have to overdo it, either. love these concise, clear, to the point, yet complete videos.

[@ettiennelane9173]

This is relative to the LUFS you are aiming for. If you are mastering for Spotify a limiter should be fine. If you are mastering for CD or Radio, a clipper is better in my opinion. For a LOUD master (Radio or CD) a mastering limiter will always (without fail) push down the transients of the drums. This is very noticeable since the drums sound softer. This is a massive problem if the mastering engineer will use a limiter instead of a clipper. Waves should've given the LUFS of the examples to place things in perspective. An LUFS of -12 vs an LUFS of -8 will make these tests sound totally different.

[@AlexeySolovievMusic]

Awesome and very knowledgeable video Dan! Thank you so much!

[@DaVoskDocta]

For me secret for loudness is : balanced mix/ clipping / bus compression / saturation and limiting combined with taste and general producing skills. And it comes with experience. And of course there is meta question : do we still need loud masters in era of normalized loudness on streaming services ? Question is open. But i remember what pensado said about loudness too.

[@TheMonkBeatsOne]

please quote pensado, and where, thx. Never heard his ideas about that.

[@DaVoskDocta]

@@TheMonkBeatsOne into the lair #167

[@TheMonkBeatsOne]

@@DaVoskDocta thanks, will grab a beer for you and watch that. 🤙

[@lighterwaves5659]

balanced mixes are a thing of the past, the sound changed, n so has everything in the chain you suggested. its really clipping and saturation the out of balanced mixes need...bus compression and limiting impossible...currently.

[@lighterwaves5659]

​@Muse Axe Backing Tracks loudness to me is out of balance, well balanced is what would make u need the bus compression n limiting. so u right...but its only cause ur mixes are balanced in the first place, that makes those steps necessary. Jay n Bey different from doja cat n lil baby.

[@thoveler]

Awesome and concise tutorial!

[@LosantoBeats]

Great video! Short and straight to the point.

[@brettwheeler7793]

This was a great video! I’m a producer trying to learn more on the mixing side and one thing I’ve overlooked was thinking that both limiters and clippers should be used in just the mastering part… I feel like the limiters allow each element to breathe rather than the clipper that just smashes the sound down but I can definitely see uses for both. Thanks!

[@5adb0i]

I definitely prefer the sound of Clippers; however I utilize both. The end of my chain is the T Racks Clipper which is variable between soft and hard clipping to tame some of the transients before hitting my final limiter, the L1+ set to True Peak. A little bit (or a lot, depending on the song) of both really helps finish off the track.

[@auggiebendoggy]

IK's Stealth is so freaking good!

[@PALMLINES]

This 👏 Ozone 9 EQ, T-Racks Clipper, L2 limiter (I’ve always preferred the sounds of this limiter).

[@clydesdead]

Killer video brotha, thank you 🤌🏽🤌🏽

[@TM-fj2dm]

Thank you, very clear and helpful

[@MKD371]

Using a bit of soft clipping before limiting works well. Soft clipping is not too dissimilar to passing a signal through or on to tape, tape smooths out the transients slightly, which is worth noting. So, even out the transients slightly, for greater rms levels, the bring the level up slightly with a finalising brick wall limiter - is a good combo.

[@lxvesick2267]

what about limiting before clipping?

[@MKD371]

@@lxvesick2267 It wouldn't make sense to do that. If you are going to use a clipper it will be to get a higher ceiling level, but then you would need to limit, helping and making sure you don't digital exceed 0. So by softening the transient spikes you can push into the limiter gaining a few db's. You can place a limiter earlier in the chain of levelling things, but clipping in turn, would be to maximise the level in conjunction with the limiter. Otherwise it would defeat the purpose.

[@jonathanbyrdmusic]

On acoustic drums, I’m always shocked at the increase in perceived loudness- and decrease in metered dynamic range- when I phase align all the mics. That said, I REALLY loved this quick easy comparison. The limiter was beautifully punchy on the drum track, and I preferred the clipper on the later mix.

[@jameswalkerbassandkeyboard7644]

Geez. I liked the clipped sound. For some reason that makes me feel bad.

[@buckycore]

There's all this weird dogmas in the audio production field that totally discounts style and tastes. I have a fatty collection of all these tape plugins to make my mixes sound they were done on old.schopl 4 track cassettes or book boxes. While this is extreme and I'm using it almost to convey an era, I do greatly enjoy that 80s/90s demo sound and want even if not always that intense. So just go with what sounds and feels right. But it's good to learn the conservative *clean and proper* way, just so you have it as another tool in your tool chest

[@SonicAutocracy]

It didn't worry these young guys. The console clipping on drums and guitars to out of control!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHuco4iwfrKWkLM

[@Tryggvasson]

i like the clipping sound, and that makes me feel good.

[@OnyinyechukwuBoma]

I preferred it too

[@ettiennelane9173]

Yeah, we all belong to clipper club.

[@intostudio4455]

Fantastic video! Thank you!

[@eXpas04]

Great video mate, thank you!

[@ominousbeatsofficial6774]

Awesome video🔥

[@AuteriaWWinzerJr]

In the last example, Clipper perceives more "punch" and "weight", whereas the Limiter sounded more "squashed" and "distorted". The difference is listening to the Snare.

[@ljones2087]

The clipper made it seem louder but I wouldn't say it necessarily made it punchier. I'm surprised you found the limiting to be excessive, sounded appropriate to me.

[@contraspower6302]

Very helpful 🙏🔥

[@adilmuzic]

I use soft clipping before limiting on the master. And mostly Limiter on vocals for the glue and upface punch.

[@049Studio]

@georg walt why?

[@millermottla]

@@049Studio don’t listen to this gentleman 🙏🏼

[@049Studio]

@@millermottla Ahaha don’t worry, I was just wandering what’s the meaning of his comment

[@pharaohonthetrack9544]

@georg walt Limiter Sounds Good On Vocals it's a Must for me

[@Thatnigacj]

@@millermottla how can you say he’s wrong from him saying “he never needed” one. That’s like saying you never needed a flat tire.

[@seemoreinsight]

Great video. For the Infected Mushroom song at the end I actually preferred the limiter. I love extra bite that the clipper gave, but it made the snare sound a hair too loud in this case. I guess it just depends on what kind of sound you're going for in the end. Edit: Sorry, just realized Infected Mushroom is the plugin, not the artist! Sounds killer!

[@jeevesmakingnoise]

Same thought here! The clipper gave it a more aggressive tone overall but the limiter sounded a little bit cleaner with more room for the drums to breathe

[@Yurkinz]

Thanks for a video!

[@DavidMadvaliev]

Brilliant tutorial

[@Testosterone_Messiah]

Good video man

[@BeautyLovesTech]

the info in this video was so clear, accurate and concise! and with great illustrations! I like how you mentioned it all comes down to personal taste. One is never better than another in all cases! 🙏 excellent! Question: Do you think 'on-the-fly' limiters such as the ones you shown have exactly the same result as applying a limiter transformation effect in Audacity (transform with limiter before you playback, then playback)? I feel like limiter-transformed tracks register differently on the meters than on-the-fly limited tracks. 😕 Thank you

[@correametal]

Great video, thanks! I prefer Limiting.

[@dethstar727]

Great video

[@poldolino]

well explained :)

[@nurinakibarcelona2925]

In your mixing file you have to clip it first before exporting it and use a limiter for the mastering process the dynamics of the song will sound clean/loud

[@harvicjm3551]

verdaderamente, las dos funciones tienen un proposito. Bendiciones.

[@closedcircuitsports]

Credit for the dj skills involved in getting those track samples to flow smoothly enough that you had to look at which sound was clipped or limited. The originals stood out without looking though. Great content!

[@theopinson3851]

I actually find clippers to be cleaner if used very conservatively…I use them to cut out those crazy rogue peaks you get in acoustic drums. Limiters in the same context seem to take out the punch, but I love them on basses and electric guitars.

[@elikamin5678]

Thank you man

[@darlawkopx]

I like this video .❤

[@royallyrics849]

Thanks 🙏

[@MohammedMehdiTBER]

I short, use a clipper for a stem. A limiter for a mix because a clipper can indeed crush the sound and you don't want that on a whole mix except if you have some kind of transparent clipper.

[@stevewills735]

I really like the dialog of this topic it is very subjective but I do wonder why waves and other big plugin makers all didn't rush to the clipping hype. It is a subtle yet interesting sonic journey that I go back and forth with. cheers!

[@alstonsam3414]

strong and short video , i give a like

[@DiSTURBEDBLADe]

I like that song with the string

[@fressshclub]

i would prefer the sound of clipping in this example! :D

[@crestlefloyd4271]

Nice explained however It would have been great to explain about the 2 categories of clipping (soft/hard clipping)

[@hummarstraful]

The clipper made me feel I was INSIDE the music. It's more intense but I liked it more.

[@Donato2082]

Thanks a loooot

[@LohPro]

clipping works really well on drums or material that has excessive transients, which eat away precious headroom. you can often clip drums upwards of 4dB worth & still retain punch & the body of the drum, while gaining back extra headroom. even smaller amounts of clipping may not make a huge difference at track-level, but by the time everything is summed together at bus level, you'll find you'll have much more headroom on the master. also, pushing a signal harder through a clipper by adjusting its threshold to find just the right amount, can add that "bite" to the vocal or bass, as the signal pushes past the threshold & clipping begins to occur.

[@yaoguangtang1759]

In your demo,I like the clipped sound.

[@JRegoMusic]

In the last comparison I liked the punch from the clipper, however I liked the clean sound from the limiter as well, and I would probably choose limiter in this situation based on my above perceptions for the best scenario to have the cleanest translation across other devices than what I'm currently hearing it on (earbuds).... Please let me know if anybody has any thoughts based on my own conclusion...🙏🏽💯🙏🏽 I'm only here to keep learning and appreciate any insight

[@darioparisi6863]

Thank u so much! I thought limites were more like clippers (maybe brickwall's one r Idk lol :,) ...) ! Now my songs seem more squashed and the dynamic range is smaller just like in the professional one's! I love u lol

[@macksstheinvader9671]

i find both sound good really depends on what sound your looking for and what your aming to do :)

[@Xylume]

I like a clipper to shave off the tip of a rare occasional spike that usually only happens in a short part of an entire mix, then use the limiter to maximize or tune loudness.

[@PhallicEnergy]

Dan ‘Da Man’ Cooper! Another great video. Thank you for the knowledge... I have a better understanding between the two now and can make a more informed choice when mixing, mastering and doing sound design. Also... Thank you Waves, these short and to the point videos are well produced and I find them very enjoyable.

[@digitaltrash_]

Always putting Clipper on Drum Buss!

[@abcdubeatmaking]

For me on drum bus we can use a soft clipper for have a best controle on the drum bus but for mastering the limiter stay the best tool ,after for house music or danse we can use a soft clipper and after a limiter for have the best controle of the dynamic of the sound It's an option to !!!!

[@ProdKamoReef]

At the end of the day producers, just do whatever sounds the best to you

[@marceloribeirosimoes8959]

Thank you for the great video. I'm missing the soft clipping and hard clipping differences. Because they are really different.

[@100chuckjones]

Im not sure what clipper you are referring to but clippers are much "LESS" aggressive of on the edges not "more". For example, most good clippers (Standard clip by SIR Tools) has a knee adjustment allowing you to set the ceilings gradual drop off. Limiters are harsh and in most cases square wave the signal (IE- brickwall).

[@crisjohnalvarez6036]

Clipping, i saw this video because i ordered compressor pedal that have a clipping knob the keeley c4

[@gangsterdistrict1154]

What is waves clipping plugin?

[@shevyjohn9308]

how would one implement clipping on the stems ? let’s say you got all your processing done like for example :eq -compression - maybe saturation then use a clipper last on the stem? like a drum stem and instrument stem ?

[@virgilhughes7837]

You should experiment and see whatever sounds best. Using distortion/clipping on stems is not an issue. Same as applying it on a channel.

[@inseCT320i]

I very offten have the problem when putting Clipper on my master bus before the Limiter for final mastering...the Clipper always makes some minor distortion sounds to the Low end frequency,which i do not like at all .No matter if i use Softclip,i do no like this distiorions,maybe i am doing something wrong,i am not sure.

[@zimmedia263]

Hie Waves Why Did you strike my channel with copyright l didn’t use any of your video but you submitted strike against my video

[@billbull4924]

I've been saying this for years waves please make a clipper plugin ☺️☺️

[@qcgarcia]

chkhld's "sine clipper" is awesome. you're welcome.

[@nexis74]

I second that!

[@pharaohonthetrack9544]

i love watching your videos, i hope i meet you and work with you some day #100

[@cwilliammusic]

Waves Audio has my favorites compressors (CLA 76 bluey, CLA 2A, (Rvox) and one of my favorites reverbs (Rverb)

[@musicforthemind3421]

Why when I'm using a limiter on my master, its adding low end harmonics??? I need something transparent so it doesn't add no unwanted extras??

[@JedBayes]

I preferred original in most cases 🤷‍♂️

[@HenriRN]

In general i like the more agressive aproach, clipping is right up my alley

[@waynecsmith5145]

Limiter - sound field had depth and slight distancing of the elements... fuller sounding...I would judiciously hard clip the drums and finalize with a Mastering Limiter over the hard mixed down track...JMO

[@nikolaudio]

Clipper quite literally are trading dynamic energy for harmonic content, whereas limiters with a release of 100ms or greater are just raising RMS, and usually are meant to maintain the original harmonic content but just to lessen dynamics.

[@lukeshirtliff7861]

my logic limiter doesnt sound punchy but makes my snare and kick punch less and washy which sucks

[@k4mgur]

so thats the reason why all my tracks have fked drums after limiting. time for clipping action!

[@cokesdidit]

clipping sounds good

[@earledaniels4539]

I prefer to use a Limiter to preserve and control the transients. Clipping always seems to be too harsh and dulls the track. Of course this is purely subjective as it depends on the audio material, the plugin you use and the settings.

[@tylerdengler6960]

Depends on how much you’re clipping the transients. A soft clipper smoothens out the peaks for more punch, in theory. Think about it like this, a clipper affects signal above the threshold clipping it where the limiter pushes down the peaks to bring up the rest of the signal where too much limiting could also dull out the track.

[@dannyvinyard6630]

what song 1:50 ?

[@BillGraper]

I prefer a limiter over a clipper. I don't like the idea of clipping transients. I'd rather squash them a bit, so you can keep the integrity of the peaks.

[@kourentzismspro]

sorry, but I have never seen a limiter not cutting the peaks as you showed with clippers, maybe a gentle analog one. but I think you must reconsider your examples. analog, digital soft hard?

[@Quant-Beat]

Correct me here, a clipper can if used properly increase loudness (insanely much if one wants) but keeps very much of the perceived dynamic range? Limiting will finally make the snare (and more) sounding like a pancaked snare, more 2D. Too much limiting also brings up the root notes (sometimes) to be too audible and it all sounds disastrous (also with the most transparent limiting possible, still the gain reduction does too much however transparent it is in all other regards).

[@tylerdengler6960]

Nailed it! I see a clipper as like a transient designer with saturation and distortion to help with the punch. Limiting isn’t always a bad thing, but you definitely don’t want to overdo it where it seems flat or 2D.

[@Quant-Beat]

@@tylerdengler6960 No it just clips in a better way than clipping on a channel/bus. Clipper is candy on percussion, to a great extent and can even improve the whole sense, then saving the limiting later. So clipper is a great way to keep the dynamic range but still increase loudness.

[@tylerdengler6960]

@@Quant-Beat that’s what I basically just said.

[@Quant-Beat]

@@tylerdengler6960 It has nothing to do with saturation and/or distortion.

[@tylerdengler6960]

@@Quant-Beat distortion means to reshape something and by clipping the peaks, you’re literally reshaping them. Hard clipping turns a sine wave into a square one.

[@Crossfire2003]

To be honest, in this example, the Clipper sounded better than the Limiter. I think there's a place for both, though, the Limiter is a "must" in general, while the Clipper is more for specific situations.

[@campar1043]

what about clipping vs saturation?

[@alrecks619]

saturation is essentially a form of soft clipping, with flavors (EQ curve, pre-distortion frequency emphasis, soft clipping curve, and even subtle compression) to set it apart from general purpose clipping.

[@LeonOnBass]

is the infected mushroom the only clipper by waves?

[@ryanshreevedrums]

I believe so

[@ryanshreevedrums]

I believe so

[@ahw5hcgfyj]

anything is a clipper if you use it wrong enough

[@LeonOnBass]

@@ahw5hcgfyj true to a certain point

[@harryolive1853]

why you didn't drive the clipper and limiter more aggressive.. so ppl can recognize the sound difference between..

[@lintonlupahla1347]

I prefer the clipper

[@colomboisdoido]

For really bad clipping listen to JVKE "this is what heartbreak feels like".

[@virusindigoindigovirus2870]

Clip

[@MahmoudNader]

Clippers all the way for metal music

[@PALMLINES]

Why pick just one? Use a little clipping and hit it with a L2 on the end of the Master

[@samuelromero4real]

Isn't it best to use both a limiter and clipper for your track, no?

[@vidoemakenoke2424]

Prevented Can you help me

[@vidoemakenoke2424]

Can you help me with this aanbieding perfect en attent Indie music Can you help me Dutch television program RTL4

[@RiffLair]

This video is a re-upload. I guess the 1st video was too loud?!

[@evsrax9556]

Dont let the limiter be a crutch though! That is what the difference is.

[@evsrax9556]

Throw the limiter on the post but keeping it at 0db so no dynamics are lost is critical. (Especially on drums)

[@crownloops]

We liked the clipping example better. The punch of the drums was more clearer.

[@Kickdrum00]

how many -db should the master be when applying this???

[@saporob]

it depend on what support you are mastering.

[@SonicAutocracy]

Consider anything more than 3dB to be quite aggressive.

[@audiospectra]

Forget about the numbers and rely more on your ears, that's the best approach. Focus on how things sound and how they make you feel instead of relying on numbers because different songs will require different numbers. This is why it's pointless to look at numbers.

[@hettovennik2887]

Clipping sounded 'better' to be :-)

[@alohaadane]

I don't really hear the difference on the last one example 3. If it is just me how can I train my ears?

[@ryanshreevedrums]

Listen to the punch (transient) of the kick and snare. Thats where you will hear the most difference between clippers and limiters

[@audiospectra]

You can only train your ears through practice, especially on your own material. That's the best approach and then in time you won't even be able to un-hear the difference. All the best.

[@alohaadane]

@@ryanshreevedrums yeahhhhh once you told me where to listen to, I can hear the difference now. Thank you guys.

[@tylerdengler6960]

@@ryanshreevedrums to add on, you can also listen to the decay of the transients where the clipper seems to have a faster decay and the limiter has a slower decay.

[@ryanshreevedrums]

@@tylerdengler6960 totally! Some limiters even have a release knob but i always use a very fast release

[@marlowdurden5330]

I prefer limiters

[@vjmcgovern]

The clipper made the drums knock harder i think

[@Flashback_Jack]

I must be deaf. I rarely can hear the difference between original audio and processed audio.

[@vidoemakenoke2424]

Please help me Together In The Music World please

[@xyz-yq1ix]

In your tutorial I don't find much difference between clipper and limiting ,what can I do to train my ear