Vintage Limiter No. 6 is still the best limiter plugin money can't buy

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by Stevie Dude, Apr 8, 2023.

  1. Stevie Dude

    Stevie Dude Audiosexual

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    ...because it's free. You can't pay for it.

    I stopped being a normal human being and decided to hide Fabfilter Pro-L2 from my plugin list and started using this one. I'm totally aware that the TDR version has tons more features but IMO it doesn't sound as good, atleast not as clean as this one. This one has everything I need, just enough and I'm not sure when am I going to go back to Pro-L2 ever again. You see, I don't need a 100 knobs multiband limiter as final limiter, I'm not a psychopath, I did all the multi-band processing if needed early and volume maximizing is done in stages ahead of the final limiter. I just need a simple final limiter to do the fine slashing of the peaks, like how a ninja does it, it's like they never there. This is the simplest it could get while still giving you everything knowing what a control freak you are (still not a psychopath).

    You know when you work with the same limiter plugin all your life, add how transparent it is, it works 100% all the time, never causes you any problem, you just don't care, why fix something that isn't broken right ? That's why Pro-L2 has been there working hard everyday, not a single complaint (or timebomb).

    It's just few days ago I started to use this thing, the vintage version not the shiny new TDR Handsome edition. I started to feel I'm missing a lot at that final 0.1% stage back when i'm with the Pro-L2. Not that it matters that much but a little more controls, jusssst a little more, sometimes gives some kind of satisfaction, unexplainable, beyond words. Not sure if it actually makes things better, but it makes me feel better.

    Just look at this beauty.


    upload_2023-4-9_5-4-41.png

    thanks for reading, now go back to use that L2 or whatever limiter you like. I'm just being vain.

    Peak Limiter Type Guide:
    A - Aggressive mode, release time equal to attack time
    I to III - several modes with different limiting knee value.
    C - Release Lookahead mode, allows the reduction of added distortions. Cleanest.

    EDIT :
    1. added the download for the VST2 skinned version because the original GUI is ugly af. haha.
    2. added the User Guide (EN) file and Type in Peak Limiter module for quick reference.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2023
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  3. Trurl

    Trurl Audiosexual

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    It does look good. Which makes me feel like it sounds good.
     
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  4. PAskaperse

    PAskaperse Member

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    Better than Sonnox Limiter V2? I have never heard about this one, have to check it out
     
  5. BlackHaze1986

    BlackHaze1986 Rock Star

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    Thx @Stevie Dude for the hint to this beauty :bow:. Instant Download :wink:.
     
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  6. Baxter

    Baxter Audiosexual

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    It's great! TDR Limiter 6 GE (yeah, the shiny one) is magical though. I've used it for 2 years. Almost daily.
     
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  7. SineWave

    SineWave Audiosexual

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    It really is one of the best limiters out there and I've been using it on Windows since its release. The whole "holistic" concept feels just right. Go from left to right and make it sound good. :) VladG has my utter respect. Shame there's no Linux version... but u-he Presswerk does it perfectly well, too. When you make the mix sound just right, you don't have to worry about the limiter that much.

    I like what you said that you make the mix sound right before using the limiter. That's the way to do it properly IMHO. Not being too reliant on the limiter to kinda "do it for you". :wink: Cheers!
     
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  8. eXACT_Beats_

    eXACT_Beats_ Rock Star

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    It's not a pissing contest... but I may have to one-up you with the fact I don't have any FabFilter in my plugin lineup. I know, I know... you went the abnormal route, whereas I went full-tilt crazy. And yet, I survive nicely without them.
    I agree that this is a savagely underrated Limiter even with owning the TDR version which is nice, if a bit much; additionally, I also do the majority of my processing before the master stage. That said, I find that my go-to was easy once I found it, and that's Voxengo's Elephant. That thing is beautiful. I don't know what Alexsey has going on under there, but besides the ridiculous shaping options, it's impossible to make that thing break up your audio. (And, yes, if you crank pure, unadulterated *loud* into it, it's not gonna be able to handle it, but within reason, it's amazing what it can handle.) I do have to say that Brainworx' bx_True Peak is something special. I dislike all of the bells 'n whistles that almost beg to be dialed in even they're not/shouldn't-be necessary, and I've been able to easily reproduce the Limiter sound from bx_Limiter True Peak with Elephant's under-the-hood controls, but I haven't been able to match the Modern setting on it... yet. Also, they're both clean, I like the metering sections on them, and I'm a firm believer that every Limiter should have a fully adjustable—no notched points—channel link option.
     
  9. GokhanH33

    GokhanH33 Ultrasonic

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    If this was not free and you were the seller, I would buy it. Lol. Even I wasn't thinking, now I'll check it out. Thanks for the advice.:wink:
     
  10. Djord Emer

    Djord Emer Audiosexual

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    I always have fun reading your commentary here, unfortunately I can't go back to Pro-L 2 since I'm already hooking up with Limitless... :(
     
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  11. Stevie Dude

    Stevie Dude Audiosexual

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    hahahahah lol

    I like Elephant but it is too complicated, with the manual beside you, you can dial up almost any limiter setting possible in the world. The range of what it covers is just crazy. I never really use that one in a real project before, mostly because final limiter is the first plugin I add (turn on, it's template workflow) in any project ever and it's there just to protect the gears and ears from sudden volume jump because I mix at low volume in DAW but crank the monitor out loud. So a preset I made on Pro-L2 is my-go-to for it, set and forget. Most of the time it stays that way until I finally remove it before rendering. Maybe I need to spend a day and create some usable preset with Elephant.

    sure, enjoy. It's a good plugin. Might as well try the TDR version (if you haven't). Pay attention to the High Frequency Limiter on that one, it is super dope. I always use that module alone as the "mastering de-esser" before the new Ozone Spectral Shaper which is IMO did it better, transparently and can deal with any frequency range you want.

    yerp, no coming back from Limiteless. Good luck finding a new one that can top that, if you ever needing one of course. You got it covered for atleast 10 years.

    sorry, I'm drunk most of the time I did it. lol
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2023
  12. jynx

    jynx Platinum Record

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    I agree its absolitley excellent , however its incredibly cpu intensive too,
    im on a 10th gen dell i7 and it still drags insame cpu,
    i adore it but cant really run it unless im resampling thru it and then disabling it,
     
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  13. Xupito

    Xupito Audiosexual

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    :hahaha::hahaha::rofl::rofl:

    :lmao::lmao:
     
  14. tzzsmk

    tzzsmk Audiosexual

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    limiters are overrated, one day when loudness and lufs wars are over, we won't need them at all, few years from now all the music will have embedded loudness metadata so target player will know howto play it towards listener,

    that said, both Limiter No.6 and TDR Limiter 6 GE are my favourite plugins because they serve as kind of mastering channel strips that simply work (if such thing makes sense), but when you look closely, it's compressor, clipper and multi-band infinite-ratio compressor (=limiter) and oversampling (=brickwall) compressor (=limiter) in one package, can be replaced by handful of generic plugins, there is no real mojo apart from usability convenience
    :chilling:
     
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  15. Zhopenski Zhopenovich

    Zhopenski Zhopenovich Member

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  16. mk_96

    mk_96 Audiosexual

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    Commie :bleh:
     
  17. Stevie Dude

    Stevie Dude Audiosexual

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    upload_2023-4-9_23-25-2.png
     
  18. Jomexe

    Jomexe Ultrasonic

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    I use LoudMax. Not to Maximise Loudness but as a final brickwall limiter. I usually set it for around 2-3 dB gain reduction. Only two knobs but it does the trick, including catching inter-sample peaks ("true peaks"). And it's free!

    https://loudmax.blogspot.com/
     
  19. ayana

    ayana Noisemaker

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    Thanks for the tip @Stevie Dude but I can't find the download link to the VST 2 skinned version you were talking about.
     
  20. AgafonovTimur

    AgafonovTimur Noisemaker

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  21. ayana

    ayana Noisemaker

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    Thanks Stevie I have downloaded it now. It's my adblocker that was the culprit. Once again thanks.
     
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