The regular meters in our DAW won’t show us these, but a true peak limiter/meter can. What happens during this process is that the analog reconstruction can actually peak beyond the digital sample values in the DAW-these are the true peaks.
True peak limiters account for the D/A process, when the recordings in our DAW get converted back to analog for playback. When the signal surpasses the ceiling, it runs into a brick wall, and is unable to go beyond that value. You balance the input signal against the ceiling, possibly increasing overall level, while trying not to push the limiter too hard. This is normally somewhere between -1 and -0.1 dBFS. Essentially, you set the ceiling value which the absolute highest you want your signal to peak.
The most common type of limiter is what we call the brickwall limiter. Pushing a limiter too hard at the end can sometimes sound crappy. If it sounds good it is good, but more experienced engineers prefer to boost loudness and perceived loudness as much as possible before the mix bus, on individual elements and groups. One way engineers like to use a limiter is to increase the overall loudness of a mix at the very end, but whether that’s the best use of them is debatable. Usually, though, we talk about limiting the mix bus, and limiter plugins universally round out a mastering chain.
Limiters tend to be used on buses, such as a vocal bus where performances can sometimes peak wildly.
They also do this transparently, whereas compressors can be colorful. But instead of processing the entire signal like a regular compressor, a limiter’s primary job is to prevent signals from going past a chosen ceiling. The general consensus defines a limiter as a compressor with a ratio of at least 10:1, going all the way to infinity. Here is a modest sample of 10 of the best limiter plugins out there, both free and paid. Limiters are awesome plugins for catching a signal’s highest peaks in a way that doesn’t ruin the overall tonality and balance of an instrument, group, or mix.
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