maxim versus waves L1

[blumediaprojekt]

Any comments on digidesign's maxim versus waves' L1???? comparisons?

[max cooper]

I've been looking for a good RTAS limiter for a while. I used Maxim for a bit, but it didn't take long for me to realize that it's noisy.

try recording to one side of a stereo track and put Maxim on an insert in the track with a moderate amount of gain reduction; then listen to the other side. I don't know why it has to make those noises, but I certainly don't like having them on my mixbus.

I can't really get excited about Waves because of the WUP, but I know a lot of people like the L2, L3, etc.

I have the Sony Oxford Limiter, but I only used it for a couple of weeks before I didn't like it anymore.

Then I got the PSP Vintage Warmer, which is nice, but it's not for everything; although it's probably the best plugin 2-bus limiter I've found. I think the trick is to only use the input drive, and leave the knee at zero; anything above that is too crunchy for me.

It seems to me that plugin limiters chew up the audio too much, and I've been hard pressed to find one that keeps everything clean enough. I ran the demos of the URS comp/limiters too, and I was disappointed in that they were the crunchiest of all.

I also use the UAD Precision Limiter sometimes, and it's ok, but not too exciting. You might want to try the Elemental Finis, too. It's not real expensive.

I've come to the realization that I'm gonna have to get a Smart C2 or something.

[Squint Music]

Dont like Maxim at all.

Quite like the Sony Oxford Inflater. Nice and easy to get good results. Alot of the Drum and Bass boys are using it.

[PhiDelta308]

Maxim is cool...I used that for a long time before I got the waves stuff. Maxim tends to start distorting before some of the other limiters, but if you tweak it just right, you can push it a little farther. It can be helpful to put a compressor before maxim, just to tame the signal a little.

The L1/L2/L3 are all great. It blew me away how hard you can push the L2 before it starts to distort. They're all very powerful plugs, though they aren't cheap. In my experience, the L1 serves more as a limiter, where as the L2 and L3 are really maximizers.

Vintage warmer is also really nice. I tend to use it just about as much as i use the L2. It has a different flavor than the L2, and certainly the price is right.

Try inserting a compressor before your limiter...just bringing the peaks down a little will give your limiter a lot more room to work. Think of it like painting...lots of thin coats, not just one really thick coat.

-chris

[Dirk Reinking]

i like maxim a lot...but watch the levels..are there any overs then the result will be distortion..
i mean even if there are no overs in a single track the sum maybe will be to much...i control the levels without any plug in the master.just my 2 c..

[max cooper]

Dont like Maxim at all.

Quite like the Sony Oxford Inflater. Nice and easy to get good results. Alot of the Drum and Bass boys are using it.

Of all the plugins mentioned, this one really wants a compressor or limiter in front of it.

[pk_hat]

Of all the plugins mentioned, this one really wants a compressor or limiter in front of it.

Umm....could you elaborate on this?

[garret]

In comparision to others the maxim is very poor. It starts crackling and distorting very quickly. Waves L2 is excellent much improved from the L1. But the L1 ain't bad either. If you have a vst to rtas wrapper you can download a free L1 copy. Its not bad and a lot better than maxim. George Yung is the designers name.

[max cooper]

the Sony Oxford Inflator sounds much better with a compressor or limiter inline before it, and IIRC, that's how it was designed to work.