Izotope Loudness Maximizer Questions

[Maraxvx]

I pretty much understand how this plug in works, but for the most part the one thing that I still do not understand is the "intelligent" character setting.

From reading around I have come to understand that the character of the intelligent setting is set according to the genre of music that you are working with, but... what I do not understand is how to determine how it's set.

What if you play a style of heavy metal, but at a mid tempo or slow pace... would you set it a slower character setting? Maybe somewhere in the smooth setting?

I'm pretty much looking for the most neutral setting possible... without too much clipping and distortion, but without the pumping/clamping down effect that a slower setting may give the music.

[Maraxvx]

I understand.

I'm not really looking for a perfect setting per se, just trying to fully understand the function of the limiter so that I can set it properly.

And that has a lot to do with the "character."

I notice that the further left you move it the louder it gets, but it is prone to clip.... The further right adds a pumping effect that I do not like. Is this correct?

Sometimes it is very subtle and hard to hear the effects of the limiter unless it is pushed to each of the far end extremes (clipping and very slow).... with, of course, a high threshold.

[MTStudios]

Since, in other modes of the limiter, that slider controls release times, It seems logical to me that the MAIN parameter being controlled relates to the average/general length of the release times. And from the sounds of it I'm not too far wrong. It might not be all it changes, and it certainly isn't a static value. i.e., 3.2 "smooth" isn't going to be a 3.2ms release, but it'll be closer to that value than a 10.

I suggest listen, don't read the character and try to guess what's going to be right for the music, just listen. From the sounds of it you already know what to listen for.

[bmanic]

Originally Posted by SafeandSound

I am finding personally that Ozone 4 Intelligent II has to be listened to carefully (well actually it's blatently obvious) without a shadow of a doubt it adds top end brightness.

I'm pretty sure that "top end brightness" is actually distortion. That is why it can be so "fast" and transparent to transients. It's most likely more like a clipper when a transient arrives, thus preserving it's impact but instead creating distortion which is inharmonic in nature, meaning it will sound bright and in excessive amounts quite nasty.

When it comes to mastering limiters, it's all about compromises. You cannot preserve transients perfectly without introducing distortion. If you want low distortion, like the Kjaerhus MPL-1, your transients will suffer instead.

Cheers!
bManic

[Alexey Lukin]

Antman and bmanic, you are right: Character slider controls the average release time of the limiter. The actual release time varies depending on the audio material. It becomes shorter near transients and longer on steady parts of the signal. Low Character results in soft saturation or even clipping, but keeps transients loud. High Character is more like compression, it is slower and creates no distortion, but can create pumping (i.e. drop level of transients).

[Maraxvx]

Okay, alright, I think that I am starting to finally get this...

It was difficult for me to hear the effects of the limiter until I REALLY started to listen more carefully. I am still having a hard time hearing the clipping/distortion effect. The only time I really hear clipping is when the character is set to clipping or very fast.

However, what I am hearing is that the signal gets softer as you move through the transparent to very slow settings. Am I hearing the right thing?

It seems like the compressor is clamping down on the signal more and the drums sound like they are being more "compressed." Heh, I guess that's pretty obvious, but I am so new to mastering and audio production that it's a bit of an epiphany for me to be able to actually hear all of these subtle details.

The way I understand it is that you want to set it somewhere between being loud and pumping the material. Somewhere neutral.

Am I right on all of this?

Btw, this may sound kind of ignorant, but transients means the peaks which are being compressed (everything that falls below the threshold).

Thanks again.

[psykostx]

Originally Posted by Mara***

What if you play a style of heavy metal, but at a mid tempo or slow pace... would you set it a slower character setting? Maybe somewhere in the smooth setting?

I'm pretty much looking for the most neutral setting possible... without too much clipping and distortion, but without the pumping/clamping down effect that a slower setting may give the music.

You are very much on the right track. The problem you are having, and the point you are at is : "I NEED A BETTER MONITORING SETUP!"

You can obviously hear all of the things that are important to how much of the characteristics of a limiter to apply, you just can't hear them clearly enough to make the best decisions. If its not coming out right, its because you're DA converters prob suck and/or your speaks.

I am not a Mastering Engineer, but I do know that you are doing something where half a decibel is a very big deal. You need to be able to hear more clearly at higher volumes to percieve the detail you are missing in order to make the best decision. Ozone is definitely a good plugin, and I have a feeling most in-the-box ME's use it extensively (yes, I have heard people master with software well enough to put an ME on his toes and really work to deliver a final product that is superior to the prototype!). If you want the sound of somethin a bit more clear, I would consider the Sonnox limiter or WaveArts Limiter a slight upgrade, and not just because of the price.

Its really not the tools that work on the audio that are the problem these days, its inexpensive monitors. Real stuff is big, heavy and expensive, the big and heavy is really what makes analog sound good, and DEFINITELY what makes speakers sound clear. Software is better than cheap hardware though, no doubt, but I think you need a few new pairs of monitors.

[Maraxvx]

Thanks.

I definitely feel like I am on the right track and yes... you are right. I don't have the best monitors in the world or the very best equipment, but I have to work with what I do have.

With that said, I am really starting to hear the effects that compression has on audio and I realize, like many people have already stated, that if you want it to be as loud as the "big boys" you have to prepare yourself to sacrifice and for a downgrade in overall audio quality.

I have worked with the L2 before, but not with a proper monitoring set up. I will make sure to check out some of the other limiters that you suggested, and maybe in the future I can invest in better monitors.