Limiter vs Compressor: What You Need to Know (Easy) | musicianonamission.com - Mix School #34

[@masteringcom]

Do you use limiters on individual channels, or just on your mix buss?

[@pablov1973]

Most of the times in master bus, but sometimes on individual tracks if I don´t want that very high peak enter on the plugin chain and distorted all.

[@fabioramirez852]

I do, quite a lot. When I need to control peaks I use limiters, at the end of the chain, after compression. Vocals, bass, tambourines / shakers. For rock drums I use saturation to control peaks, unless they are particularly unconsistent then I would use limiters on top as well. I find limiters to work and sound much better than compressors with 0 attack time and 1:infinite ratio

[@CarlosPerdomo]

On individual channels when the sound is too high. I never had to use it on the mix buss so far.

[@johnmacallar5777]

I use it when I do final master. I mix the song and then save it to a stereo wave file. I open it and master, eq + classic master limiter.. thanks for the advice. I'm a novice t this and your video explanation was very helpful...so much to know...

[@HarishChawriazVox]

Mix Bus

[@Tazazo1]

My brother, I must tell you that you explain in a very precise and simple way, I understood things that I could not understand anywhere

[@masteringcom]

Happy to help!

[@parasite-b9604]

Agreed! I've watched many videos on compression, threshold and ratios, and this is the first time any explanation has made sense to me. Excellently explained!

[@AsapSCIENCE]

Such a great explanation - one of the most clear and understandable I've come across. Really appreciate it :)

[@masteringcom]

Glad to help!

[@chozen_666]

and still is !!!!

[@DeathMetalManiac]

@@chozen_666 Yep, the only video that made me understand that ratio thing no one wants to explain

[@saucebeatz8977]

Well. From my personal perspective, I always admits that music production is such which you can earn all not even a pro, however, waking up everyday to learn more is such a genius moves to be a better version of your desire. This video is truly priceless to me. Thanks so much 🙏🏿

[@michaeldouglas2634]

This is the best explanation for Compression and Limiting I have seen. Thank you so much.

[@masteringcom]

Glad to help!

[@dipidity89]

As a visual learner this FINALLY made me understand Compression. Thank you so much

[@masteringcom]

Awesome! Glad we could help :)

[@shanohall7958]

Thanks for these videos really helpful. I started out learning basics in my D.A.W and put learning compression off for a while not realising how essential it was. I started learning but was very confused and possibly watched misguided tutorials! I have watched quite a few of your videos and they have really helped me get to grips with it finally. I hearing it better and understanding it when I use it to process sounds and the confidence really helps too! So yeah thanks!

[@heavymetalmixer91]

Sometimes I use a limiter on individual tracks if there are some very annoying peaks.

[@LuanBermudez]

M A S T E R P I E C E of didatics. thanks a lot!

[@moncefbkb9353]

So wait, the compression ratio 2:1 means for every db above threshold turn the volume down by 1/2 that amount, right ? So when you turn up a compression ratio, it becomes smaller, so that means a limiter is technically a 1:1 ratio, not a infinity : 1 if i understood correctly, cause that would mean for every db above the threshold we'd turn the volume down the same amount, and that would make the volume never go up above the threshold.

[@matth360]

Super helpful thanks!

[@antoniomarcello9872]

i had a teacher once who just said... "It's all in the names. Compression compresses the dynamic range of whatever its applied to and Limiters LIMIT the headroom of the source they are used on". I know thats not totally accurate but a good place to start learning

[@masteringcom]

Agreed!

[@hyosanggg]

thank you so much

[@masteringcom]

No problem!

[@andicxzy]

So what about the mastering. What the mastering have must to do on literally or good for..? Are you saving the song first after you done the mixing, and then put the file on new project for do the final mastering. Or you just do for final mastering in one project while mixing, but it’s done for the mixing. maybe add the more buss channel for input like eq, compressor, limiter then it’s for the final mastering. So how??

[@takhetabyo871]

After applying hard saturation i use limiter to lower the volume but have that distorted affect just because i don't want to mess with channel volume😅

[@fearofaflatearth]

i know the technical difference is the ratio level, but the most practical way to explain the difference in practice is that a compressor is more for balance while a limiter is more about volume. compressor compresses all the sound 'together' while limiter limits the peak volumes.

[@sjkdhgalgci]

Using a limiter on individual tracks cuts away the punch and leaves the waveform flat which usually sounds unnatural. To avoid this, I like to use a slow-attack compressor to shave a few db’s off the tail of the flat spots. This hides the use of a limiter very well imo.

[@josuezt]

0:20 WTF? Hahahha who use a limiter like that? Hahahahah

[@YouTubeSupportTeams]

amateurs

[@1234321mike1234321]

...or pros looking for specific distortion.

[@godofspacetime333]

I was digging it. With a little better mix you could get a nice Kid A sorta sound out that track..

[@trxxblx-wxs-hxrx]

So w this knowledge, should put a limiter on the master? Some pros say yes and for certain genres and other say if you’re starting out only, but that restricts you to understand how to mix? How do you go abt debunking this

[@CarlosPerdomo]

I stopped the video at minute 2:49 just to say thank you, Rob. I've heard the explanation about compression before and I think I "kinda got it". Being the visual person that I am though, now I really got it... I'm loving the new format that you're using. Love love love it... Thank you.

[@masteringcom]

Carlos, so glad to hear we could help! Thank you for the positive feedback!

[@DennisBastian]

It all depends, there are no rules in mixing just generalities. That being said, for me the limiter is a tool almost exclusively used in mastering.

[@elevenade]

That was comprehensive and straight to the point. Thank you for valuing our time man! Got a limiter on my Bass Amp and always wondered how it is different to compression. Will probably splash on a compression pedal later on when i get the money for a good one. Cheers!

[@rt-uh6mt]

06:50 While "limiting" the limiter to the mix bus is probably a good rule of thumb. Rules are meant to be broken. I like how Andrew Scheps uses it here on the bass and explains how he thinks of a limiter more of a tool to push up the quiet parts and a compressor more of a tool to push down the loud parts. He admits to not using much compression in general though. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpXLd5iYmdx_gqM

[@bassface5983]

FANTASTIC analogies....really helps understanding the differences....

[@parasite-b9604]

I've watched many videos on compression, threshold and ratios, and this is the first time any explanation has made sense to me. Excellently explained! Thank you so much for this. Subbed and liked.

[@masteringcom]

Glad we could help!

[@dampfnudel6801]

Limiter on bass guitar is more often used

[@annother3350]

That's what i was always taught. It helps to even out the really bass notes

[@elgamerico]

Not necessarily. If you're recording an actual bass guitar, it always helps to compress the signal a little going in. Then you shouldn't have to compress it as hard, once the signal is recorded. It's essentially 2 compressors, but they're not both being pushed. Using a limiter just seems excessive.

[@danbreckenridge1337]

i like the mixbot too, explained very simply and clear!!!

[@theunconciousmind7314]

wait hold on. all my life i was missunderstanding compression. i thought a ratio 4:1 is more agressive compression than 2:1.

[@izvarzone]

4:1 is more agressive compression than 2:1

[@ProfessorSaibertin]

Good one, cheers.

[@scpk2246]

This is a WOW WOW WOW explaination

[@tijpete_and_the_magic]

Woah thanks god I found this video. I’ve digged compression and peak limiting, but now I’ve really understood HOW to set them. Great lesson man!

[@DAMIENrap]

on your Slate VMR there is an 1176 Limiting amplifier.. wait.. does that mean that you are limiting somewhere else then on the master bus? yes and you should! Do use those LA-2A, 1176 etc on your tracks for colour and control!

[@aldomanik3329]

Mixing and Mastering is fun! Please check the result : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jni0aJSsqsh_f6M Stay healthy good people 😊 From Indonesia

[@jerifahmed2705]

Thank u bro u r awesome

[@bencheshire]

I find you the easiest to understand and you're just very likeable, I dont get annoyed by you.

[@bernercalito8422]

COMPRESSION IS SO COMPLICATED!!!!! Sorry don't mean to take it out on you is hard to understand this thing...

[@royfulton]

Well explained. Thank you!

[@57RickH]

Thanks, I watched a few videos prior to this one and was still confused about the difference between the two but this illustration was very helpful. 👍🏻

[@NewportScorpio]

I got the concept of the Limiter now but was thrown a bit when you showed the example in realtime where dropping the threshold made the whole song louder. Not really sure what happened there. And from the few videos I've seen about limiting there's always some mention about seeing x dBs of limiting being a sort of sweet spot. But where do these values come from? Not sure what those numbers mean as far as what's happening.

[@danbreckenridge1337]

cool video,l very helpful. Watching at work with nothing to do and still keeping productive YEAH BABY!

[@holzgesicht645]

THANK YOU for this tutorial!!! I finally understood it. That was very good and understandable explained

[@8bitwidgets]

So i get that the limiter auto-magically stops all sound from going over a certain amount, you mentioned the 2db threshold.. that's great for this plugin, but if i'm using hardware limiters like my alesis micro limiter or maybe a plugin that doesn't share that information, then just trust your ears to make sure it's doing the right thing?

[@chrisgrabowski2678]

Well, not having a mixbuss, yet thinking I understand this now, why does BOSS make a Limiter pedal? The LM-2. That I don't understand. Thanks.

[@ScottStieg]

Great explanations. Same apply for live practice? Bass guitar specifically. Compression or limiter pedal for rock style music thru a 4x10. Thanks!

[@soundsfromYYBY]

i use limiter recording in..and i love how it makes the vocals sound..its no rules to music...experiment dont be like bot 🤣

[@ijeny878]

Thank you so much for the video the best explanation of limiter and compressor I could find today.

[@masteringcom]

Awesome! So glad we could help :)

[@donalshijan5615]

youtube channel

[@ioftheuniverse2384]

I like many of your vids, but a little constructive criticism here... it's not a great idea, when you're supposed to be a mixing channel, to have an intro song that has completely unintelligible lyrics. (On a phone speaker to be clear) I've heard the jingle over 20 times and still have no idea wtf the lyrics are, except "...all of us" at the very end, MAYBE? Just saying, not the best impression at the start of every single video... might be a good idea to re-mix that...

[@ImpalaDrive]

I use a limiter on individual channels. but VERY VERY lightly. I look at it like this. there's kind of a loudness control that needs to be adjusted based on what we hear. It's what sounds right, it doesn't have to do with what's technically this or mathematically that, it has to do with the listening experience. THAT is for the COMPRESSOR. Then there's a technical control. This is how your waveform is looking in your DAW, this is all about method, math, accuracy. It's not about making something SOUND louder or quieter so much, it's about catching all those little stray hairs. Like, you have a track, you used a compressor(s) on it, it sounds where you want it to, what's coming out of your speakers is on point, but the track has like 3 to 5 transients that are just spiking up higher than all the other transients. Maybe because you're using a compressor like a CLA where you're getting nice color but also getting those spots where the attack slips and you get those big spikes every so often, or a spot where there's just some inaudible spike in your waveform because of a series of plugins or whatever it be, but you just wanna make sure you're not dealing with those stray spikes in your waveform further down the line. I guess you could say it's my way of being extra thorough in my gain staging process. but on the end of every track that has any issues like that, I'll pop on a limiter. The goal is to keep it as transparent as possible, I absolutely don't want to HEAR it there. I just want to even out all my transients. Like give my waveform a haircut. Just a LITTLE off the top. JUST so it's even. In closing, I guess you could say my take on it is, compressors are meant to be heard, to change how things sound. Whereas limiters are not meant to be heard, only to be seen in the waveform keeping the transients consistent, keeping everything technically controlled. One shapes the sound, one is just a transient control / a gain-staging tool.

[@theorinskies]

What about compressors? There are tons of them, which one would i know to use on which part of the track?

[@773Spair]

To me, it seems like you could just have a "limit" button by the ratio knob, making everything besides the threshold and makeup gain knobs (as well as the frequency selection knobs on parametric multiband compressors, maybe) inactive while the limit button is engaged; instead of having a limiter as a separate plug-in.

[@djmarybaloo]

I saw the video. at the end, the surprise: I received 100 questions so I could call. why?

[@fedorvoronovcomposer]

I never thought that anyone would be massively using the limiter on individual tracks, but now that EDM is over the top, everyone gives their 808 & kick a whacky boost, till it clips and beyond (in place of just using an overdrive for juicing it up a bit, they are doing it the Angus Young way, turning up the knob, lol) and then they put a limiter on the chain

[@adrian_sanchez]

If you're like me, you are here because of the confusion that your use-case for using a limiter had nothing to do with a "limit" and more to do with the volume. MY OCD appreciated this video.

[@Oeg925]

Wow... u are the best..thank you so much for that.im finally getting a kind of grip re compression.. and up until now was clueless regarding the limiter.. thank you Rob

[@DavidFlow]

on the Mix bus :) btw Mixbot Rocks!

[@masteringcom]

Thanks! We like MixBot too. :)

[@negativekreep84]

Well explained. Sorry, but by mix buss do you mean master track? (Excuse me, I'm still a newbie)

[@Themrjakecollins]

Can't help but think your advice needs taking with a pinch of salt, seeing as you've over compressed your own voice.

[@to.pacheco]

very good explanation! i was wondering if a compressor can also be used to avoid clipping?

[@Seuthra]

A limiter and a compressor are both types of audio processing tools that are used to control the dynamic range of a signal. However, they work in slightly different ways and are used for different purposes. A compressor is a type of dynamic range processor that reduces the level of the loudest parts of a signal. It does this by applying a ratio to the signal, which determines how much the loudest parts will be reduced in level. For example, a ratio of 4:1 means that for every 4 dB that the signal exceeds the threshold, it will be reduced by 1 dB. This allows a compressor to even out the levels of a signal and make it sound more consistent. A limiter, on the other hand, is a type of compressor with a very high ratio, typically greater than 10:1. This means that it reduces the level of the loudest parts of a signal much more aggressively than a compressor. A limiter is often used as a final stage in a signal chain to prevent the signal from exceeding a certain level. This can be useful for preventing distortion or clipping, especially in a live sound setting. In summary, a compressor is used to even out the levels of a signal and control the dynamic range, while a limiter is used to prevent the signal from exceeding a certain level and avoid distortion. Both can be useful tools in the audio engineer's toolkit, depending on the situation and the desired result.

[@ALBERTOGARCIA-nk9bo]

Hello. Very very educational info really. I would like to know what is the diff between a limiting of (1: infinity) and (infinity: 1)

[@hifimidi]

Beautiful explanation and editing.

[@Jacek2048]

The part about limiters is bollocks. If it only brought down values which cross the threshold, it would be equivalent to clipping. Obviously, a limiter is just a compressor that also brings down values that get close enough to the threshold *but not necessarily exceed it*, and it does so with a ratio that ensures the output never exceeds the threshold.

[@Hoyalio2k]

Fantastic explanation! Thank you!!

[@masteringcom]

Our pleasure! Thanks you for watching.

[@MichaelDaviesMusic]

I put my email in but did not receive the compression cheat sheet....

[@djentyboi8917]

When it comes to mixing heavy metal I struggle with getting my mixes to sound loud but always had trouble with clipping issues.

[@MrBecker666]

So the limiter chops off the peak of the wave or cuts its volumes down?

[@OsirisXY]

By this logic, wouldn't a limiter just be a compressor with an infinity ratio and no boosting of lower decibels?

[@baseballstud9121]

Excellent video and explanation. Thank you!

[@izhaarali1426]

very nice

[@oasanbeats]

Great advice. Not sure about the mix bus as I don't always send everything to one bus - could you put the limiter on the stereo output instead?

[@bassface5983]

I have a limiter on my master channel and have it set to -0.80....seems to be fine no distortion or any clipping.....

[@LanceClark]

Just to make sure I got this right, if the ratio is 2:1, then for every 2db it goes over the threshold, the compressor reduces the signal by 1db?

[@paultimothy776]

What if the track is already peaking over 2db before you touch the threshold?

[@APerez89]

I'm at 1:49 --this man is an Absolute teaching prodigy.

[@edwardmirza]

Why do so many people talk about putting a limiter in a vocal chain? Surely you can see by the meter on the channel that its not clipping. And for that matter, why does anyone bother with metres, when all the channels have metres you can clearly see?

[@WillAkanaVlogs]

Thank you for the awesome explanation! The mixbot animation was VERY helpful. =D

[@rocren6246]

Limiter increases the overall volume? I thought it limits the overall volume.

[@penseagrandegrandeseancole7974]

Thank you so much!! So much clarity!!!♥️♥️♥️

[@JRSWIFTZ757]

I do hip hop so , i use a limiter on the kick nd snare( sometimes ) . I use compression on my samples and instruments( when needed ) . And limiter on master track

[@itszybm]

Why not compression on the kicks and snares?

[@Tcho2100]

I like ur ending music,i want to hear the full version plz

[@arwinhangginswedomusic8122]

Now I know. Thank you sow much bro. 🙏🙏🙏

[@KNHSynths]

I'm mixing mostly synths, VST and hardware ones. For the latter I'm using a limiter or each because it is so easy to create big peaks in all frequency ranges and to destroy speakers and ears ! But in other situations I'm using compressors, and always a limiter at the end of mix buss. What you said confirm I was doing it right (for once !) so it's cool, thanks for your videos, it is not too long and very informative.

[@masteringcom]

Awesome! Glad we could help you out.

[@bilcifer666]

great video but the cheat sheet link only links to classes. i hope i dont get a ton of spam in my emails now.

[@AdhithyaKuttan]

Bro, Not able to access the compression cheat sheet. Not sure what the issue is. Cheers and Peace.

[@richardbailey511]

Man you're an awesome professor!!!! Thank you sir

[@superZEROKID]

Thank you for explaining it like I’m 5! Really needed it

[@americanbroadcastsystems8729]

Awesome visual explanation!

[@justinward3218]

Limiters are for avoiding ear bleed. Set that bad boy at about -5

[@yungfester]

Can you use a limiter on your vocals to get more volume control?

[@masteringcom]

Yep! It's a good way to get some quick dynamic control!

[@seizingmotion8167]

Hello, thank you for this video. I know you mention to use compression on everything else but why do you say to do that? Why do you use it for everything else and only use the limiter rarely and on the mix bus?

[@itszybm]

Limiter is meant only for the master bus.

[@KillforKickz]

how the hell do you use compression

[@Bill2226]

I've tried on both individual tracks, but mostly on mix buss...

[@Fabio5Corde]

CLA uses a Waves L1 (that many people hate) on several channels, to give a controlled crunch. I'm still experimenting... Thanks for you channel!

[@jasonstudd2353]

Thanks bro !!!! Much Appreciated !!!!

[@frankie4257]

I'm a dj and use bus limit most of the time to equalise music volumes and compression on karaoke mic (idiot volume as I call it lol)

[@arcadiansounds2850]

Can you explain what a mix buss is? I thought you had a lot of effects busses and those were mix busses. You mean the output buss?

[@masteringcom]

Sergio Leal yep, "stereo out" or "master fader"

[@nicholasrosella2952]

Do you have a teaching degree? Your really good at it!

[@NewportScorpio]

And thank you for the video!

[@jamiem8086]

thank the music gods for mixbot