Precision Limiter vs. Stillwell Eventhorizon plus

[janjaal]

hi guyz, it's been some time that i have been using stillwell eventhorizon as my last plug in my mastering chain...
cuz i got better result with it then waves, sonnox, izotope, Trackz, psp, and voxengo..
however before i use stillwell eventhorizon, dont laugh at me but i used to use behringer ultramizer pro as my final limiter cuz i got better result with it then the plugs from the companies i just said...
now UAD has a $50 coupan for june, and i already have $50 voucher and there is a dicount on Precision Limiter so at the end i will be paying just $50 for it...
i have just demoed Precision Limiter and compared it with stillwell eventhorizon which i use, i have attached the files here for u to listen to as well, i do think Precision Limiter has a better debth into it, but i want u guyz to listen to these 2 files and tell me if it's worthed for me to change to Precision Limiter... i did not name the files, so u can tell me which file sounds better...
thank you

[adl]

I used to use Precision Limiter but switched to Voxengo´s Elephant cause it sounds more natural (preserves transients better) when pushed a bit harder. Also it is very versatile, you really should look into that.

[janjaal]

honestly i found behringer ultramizer pro more natural than the elephant, elephant is too stiff for me, it's a good limiter, but not my taste...
any opinion about the files i attached??

[norman_nomad]

I like file2... I think it holds together the low-end better... it reminds me of the Precision.

The PL is probably the best DAW Limiter for work that does not require massive limiting... I stop liking the precision when it's chomping down more than 3db of limiting.

[janjaal]

i do agree with u about the lowend of the file2
and i did push both limiters to maximum to see which one can handle the stereo image better when it's pushed..

[norman_nomad]

Originally Posted by MikeyMike

File 1 sounds more musical, glued together....Brighter but finished.

File 2 sounds more smoother but lacks that finished sound.

I know that File 1 is using the Stillwell plug. That's one amazing plugin. Don't forget to try Majortom as well. I love the sound of these plugins.

File 1 is the winner just shave off some of those higher frequencies.

Yes; they're both nice, but I feel like the highs in File 1, although clearer, might be fatiguing over time; I don't know if it's an EQ thing as much as a distortion thing... could be wrong. File 1 reminds me of the Timeworks Limiter which is a dead simple peak limiter which no compression curve... almost the same as clipping the output of the converters....

[MikeyMike]

Originally Posted by norman_nomad

Yes; they're both nice, but I feel like the highs in File 1, although clearer, might be fatiguing over time; I don't know if it's an EQ thing as much as a distortion thing... could be wrong. File 1 reminds me of the Timeworks Limiter which is a dead simple peak limiter which no compression curve... almost the same as clipping the output of the converters....

Really apples to oranges if you ask me though. I would have picked File 2 if the vocals sat in the mix better.

[janjaal]

file 1 is Precision Limiter
file 2 is Stillwell Eventhorizon

after listening to different environments, i decided to go for file 2, and do not waste my money on Precision Limiter,

and i do love majortom comp as well.

[norman_nomad]

Originally Posted by janjaal

file 1 is Precision Limiter
file 2 is Stillwell Eventhorizon

after listening to different environments, i decided to go for file 2, and do not waste my money on Precision Limiter,

and i do love majortom comp as well.

cool...the Stillwell sounds nice! It certainly was my fav on this mix. Did you test the two limiters on different mixes? How much gain reduction was going on?

[xgabrielx]

whats about the Sonnox limiter and the inflator.
I heard very good things about them in combi!!!

[janjaal]

ya i did use the limiters on the same mix, however this is not a mix of mine, was just a useless track we can call it a mix for me to just test the limiters to see which one is more harmfull , i believe i pushed them for around 8-9 db
i just tested the limiters on good mixes as well, and the better limiter is stillwell to me...
and the funny thing is that i like behringer ultramizer pro, better than Precision Limiter after eventhorizon
-----------------
i love sonnox inflator, however i'm not a fan of sonnox limiter..

[janjaal]

oh, don't remember the gain reduction on these ones

[soundgeezer]

Which attack and release and which mode (a or b) did you use on the PL ?
I found, that the PL often sounds better in mode b and just limiting down 1 db. If you want to limit more you can use 3-5 instances of the PL in a row ...
could you check that and upload to hear the difference ?

[janjaal]

hold on, let me do a quik re mix and re master, and i will upload the new files

[janjaal]

there we go..
the gain reduction was 13.4 and it's on mode b, i know it's too much, but again, i wanted to C which limiter can handle the dynamix better at the same loudness when it's pushed..
and i still go for Eventhorizon, PL makes it dull, i hear better lowend on EH
what do u guyz think now?

[space2012]

Originally Posted by janjaal

there we go..
the gain reduction was 13.4 and it's on mode b, i know it's too much, but again, i wanted to C which limiter can handle the dynamix better at the same loudness when it's pushed..
and i still go for Eventhorizon, PL makes it dull, i hear better lowend on EH
what do u guyz think now?

Dry file?

when testing Limiters, use SSL X-ISM, or Izotope Ozone 4 with Intersample peak detector activated.
here...
1 Precision Limiter sounds cleaner/transparent in the highs, it seems thats not desired for that music style, sounds a bit thin.
2 sounds bold but has some kind of rattle or Intersample Peak distortion in the highs.

in the mids the Stillwell EH sounds more transparent and dynamic but limited.

Stillwell EH sounds a bit darker, and seems to have more phase distortions in the highs.
but verry close.
the Precision limiter sounds more compressed mids, like... Waves L2, not my favorite.

in the second test files, i like more Stillwell

[norman_nomad]

Originally Posted by janjaal

there we go..
the gain reduction was 13.4 and it's on mode b, i know it's too much, but again, i wanted to C which limiter can handle the dynamix better at the same loudness when it's pushed..
and i still go for Eventhorizon, PL makes it dull, i hear better lowend on EH
what do u guyz think now?

Again... for this song/genre I prefer the EH. It holds together the low-end "thump" better ...the claps on the PL go "splat"... they don't do this on the EH. I also think the high end is more pleasurable to listen to on the EH (maybe the extended low masks some highs).

It's interesting b/c for my purposes I usually like the way the PL holds together the low end on rock mixes... but I'm never doing 13db of compression and I usually use it on mode A. When pushed I don't like how the PL handles transients...snares get washed out and kicks start sounding choked.

I'm curious to know how the EH stacks up against the Timeworks... can you post the original non-limited file? I'll run it through the Timeworks at the studio, level match and post it up if you don't mind.

Nice mix btw!

[janjaal]

re-edited my msg becuz gs didn't let me to upload anymore...
here are the files:
Index of /music

ok but see what happens on pl when drumz come in...

and i did a combination with eh, and pl which gave 3.2 db of gain reduction... and i still think EH sounds better alone..

Originally Posted by norman_nomad

I'm curious to know how the EH stacks up against the Timeworks... can you post the original non-limited file? I'll run it through the Timeworks at the studio, level match and post it up if you don't mind.

ya man i would love to hear that, and thanx for taking your time for this comparison experiment

[chrisma]

Originally Posted by janjaal

there we go..
the gain reduction was 13.4 and it's on mode b, i know it's too much, but again, i wanted to C which limiter can handle the dynamix better at the same loudness when it's pushed..
and i still go for Eventhorizon, PL makes it dull, i hear better lowend on EH
what do u guyz think now?

Thanks for doing this. I've been wanting here the PL in action. Your example pointed out something that attracted me EH when it first came out. IT DOESN'T MOVE THE SNARE!!! In this case the claps. It's not some much that PL is making things dull its that it's killing the attack on the clap. Listen closely and you notice the clap sounds a little pushed back with the PL vs more front with the EH.

The first thing I listen to when demoing limiters is what does to the snare. From there you have to be far and see if it has any controls or modes that allow for a more open operation for the program material your processing at the time. Some limiter suck at one but excel at another. EH does real good on dance/hiphop and drums and bass heavy material. Especially when the mix is well balanced and not too loud or over-compressed going into it.

Stillwell makes some good stuff. - BTW

[polybonk]

I spent ages on testing all the limiters out there and short of buying a weiss the next best results are from using the sonox inflator followed by the sonox limiter for 1 /3rd increase with safe mode off and then the tc brickwall to bring up the other 2/3 rds. This is the only combo that I found that keeps the inherent 3d in the spatial field of the music wich to my ears is very important. Very transparent and loud if you need it.

NB you will only appreciate this when using high end conversion, ie prismsound etc.

[Bob Yordan]

My co-producer is a big fan of the Stillwell plugs.

I think the UAD PL is suppose to be as transparent as possible and not
add to much color to mixes.