Ok Reaper is lets say special with its stock plugins that is true. But any other major daw has a decent enough limiter to work as a safety limiter. Do not underestimate stock plugins.

 

Going to try out that 1sample latency safety limiter/clipper @SineWave suggested. For me the criteria for the safety limiter are like this: rock solid stability in the DAW, lowest possible CPU use, as simple as possible with little to no latency, and brickwall limiting. I usually just use the stock limiter for the purpose because it's right there, but a nice CPU efficient clipper made just for the purpose would be great.

 

You'll become a better engineer leaning to mix without a limiter on the MB. In ten years time you'll thank me.

 

First of all, thanks a lot everyone - it's great to learn from actual people and not tutorials for a change. It's much more satisfying learning in conversations and I like this forum a lot. But I still don't quite get the following:

@junh1024 and @Clayton123 if the interface does something to the afterall-dB that might cause clipping and destroying my speakers - then I have the problem that my interface has no way of monitoring that (there is no "going red"). Is there another way to check that?

@GoldenEar you say that I should set up my speakers properly with pink noise and check for clipping - again how do I monitor that if my interface doesn't show me?

I'm using ableton btw and I already used groups, but I did not know it was the same as bussing.

I imagine a limiter/clipper on a track with a possible feedback loop might be a good idea, too - as I almost blew my ears once...

 

Hard Clipping is mainly a digital thing. Your sound card would probably break before your speakers do (from "clipping"). TUrning up the volume too high is another matter.

 

thx 4 the read, i had the same problems with my 305 too, but i managed to minimize it through other tweaks, its so much better to know the facts, instead of hoping all the time!
ive been using ableton & the a.o.m. limiter on factory setting..gotta overthink that choice now..much thanks to all the folks contributing to this thread!

 

I only answer to the Ableton specific question. Yes groups are essentially the same thing. but to do classic bussing like on a console, is to create an empty audio track and change the output of your selected instrument tracks from Master to that audio track you created. though it makes no difference sound wise, grouping is much easier.

Right! it would be wise to use a limiter on a track when you're doing sound design whether it is a synthesizer or a guitar amp or experimenting with feedback loops\infinite reverbs\digital distortion. then you can shut down the limiter after you gain staged your signal path.