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In the dynamic world of audio engineering, achieving the perfect balance of loudness without compromising on clarity is the holy grail. With every passing year, technology takes a leap forward, offering us tools that promise better sound with more finesse. As we journey into 2024, a plethora of limiter plugins clamor for our attention, each promising to provide that punchy loudness while preserving the integrity of the track. But which ones truly stand out? Dive into this blog post as we unveil the top 5 best limiter plugins of 2024 that will ensure your mixes don't just sound louder, but genuinely better.
Included in this guide:
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  |
| 5 | Check Price |
Runner-up  |
| 4.8 | Check Price |
Top Pick  |
| 4.7 | Check Price |
Top Pick  |
| 4.5 | Check Price |
Lowest Price  |
| 4.5 | Check Price |
The Izotope Ozone 10 Maximizer is simply the best mastering limiter in the market. Its Intelligent Release Control (IRC) comes in many different flavors to support all kinds of styles and genres of music. Its Magnify Soft Clip feature allows users to achieve a few extra notches of loudness after the limiting process. Lastly, it has a great visual meter showing what transients are being affected. With the Ozone 10 Maximizer, you will get the loudest most transparent masters you've ever heard!
The Slate Digital FG-X 2 is a great mastering limiter that also includes a compressor within it. It is great at maintaining the original punch and transients of your mix while achieving outstanding loudness. One really unique feature of this plugin is its FG-Level, which analyzes the input signal and decides whether to add limiting or saturation. On top of that, you can choose between 4 different limiting modes: clear, tight, punchy, and loud. These presets will help you achieve a sound based upon their names. There are a host of other great perks within this plugin from drive to enhancements and from visual meters to monitoring. The Slate Digital FG-X 2 is the perfect all-in-one tool to get you loud and transparent masters.
The FabFilter Pro-L 2 is an advanced limiting plugin chalk full of features. It has linear-phase oversampling, noise shaping, and precise true peak level metering. It even has support for surround sound, making it the only one on our list containing that feature. It has a great help guide and interactive tips to help users navigate. On top of all this, it doesn't use much CPU power so you don't have to worry about audio dropout. If you want a limiter with great transparency and a host full of features, then the FabFilter Pro-L 2 is for you!
The Sonible Smart:Limit is one of the most notable AI mastering limiters in the market. You simply play your track and let Smart:Limit do its thing. For further customization, you can select a genre to match the style of your song or even upload a reference track. On top of that, you can edit all the AI parameters to taste so get the master you are looking for. If AI and solid masters are your thing, then you should definitely consider the Sonible Smart:Limit.
The Mastering The Mix Limiter is probably the best limiter on our list when it comes to guidance. This limiter analyses your track and then suggests the best settings for it. It also provides loudness profiles, including Spotify and Apple Music, so you will know if you are hitting your goals. Its NRG parameter injects warm analog tone into the track and its PCH control helps to maintain transients. Though this limiter does take more time to dial in than others on our list, the results are fantastic when you get it right.
A limiter plugin is a tool used in audio engineering to ensure that audio signals do not exceed a specified limit. They're primarily used to manage and boost the loudness of a track without introducing unwanted distortions.
While both limiters and compressors are dynamics processors, they serve slightly different functions. Compressors reduce the dynamic range of a signal by attenuating peaks that exceed a set threshold. Limiters, on the other hand, strictly prevent any part of the signal from going beyond a certain level.
While most DAWs come with built-in limiters that can do a decent job, specialized limiter plugins often offer advanced algorithms and features that provide better control, transparency, and results.
Consider your specific requirements ā the genre of music you work on, your workflow preferences, and your budget. The top 5 limiter plugins listed in this article are a great place to start your search.
Loudness plays a key role in ensuring tracks stand out, especially in the competitive environments of streaming platforms, radio, and clubs. A track with optimized loudness can deliver a more immediate impact on listeners.
Now that you know about the best limiter plugins of 2024, the question is, which one are you going to get? The Izotope Ozone 10 Maximizer is our favorite and the one we use for mastering. The Slate Digital FG-X 2 is a great upgrade from the original and will get you solid results. Lastly, if you are on a budget, then you should consider the Mastering The Mix Limiter.
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While I don't have their plug-ins yet, Sonible looks to be very useful. I might have used a plug-in of theirs in a trial.
Limiters I have used are stock PreSonus Studio One, LVC Limited-MAX, TDR Limiter 6 GE, Venomode Maximal 3, Nugen ISL-2, trial of TC Electronic Brickwall, and my new one, the SSL X-Limit. All did things well if a bit different sounding.
I typically clip then limit on my 2 bus, such as with Schwabe Gold Clip, LVC Clipped-MAX, and Softube Clipper.