Using Limiter or Compressor during recording?

Question

Level 1

14 points

Using Limiter or Compressor during recording?

Can the Logic 8 Limiter or Compressor effects be used to limit gain during recording? If not, is there a way to do it other than manual monitoring or a hardware limiter/compressor?

24" iMac, 2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Sep 27, 2007 4:39 PM

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Answer 1

Foxboy71

Level 4

2,378 points

Sep 27, 2007 9:57 PM in response to cedarflute

Hi,

haven't tried it yet, but maybe you could use an Aux Channelstrip with Comp/Limiter Plugin to send the appropriate Input to a Bus. Then use the Bus for feeding the record channel. Should work fine, but if you have a clipped signal at or after your audio interface (before entering the computer), every compressor-limiter after the clipping has happened is futile. So monitoring the correct input level is critical also.

Fox

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Answer 2

cedarflute Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 25, 2007 4:53 PM in response to cedarflute

Much debate on this in another professional forum. Most believe you can't use plug-ins to limit input....only hardware.....since by its nature by the time a peaking signal gets into the sequencing software, it's already recorded at that level.

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Answer 3

Nov 25, 2007 7:19 PM in response to cedarflute

I think that's right, and as far as I can tell there is simply no substitute for the standard procedure: play the instrument at normal peak volume and adjust the input level to come near but not reach peak. This isn't a hard problem in the studio, but in a one-person setup (player and engineer are YOU), it's pretty dicey unless you're going full-out through a guitar amp without much variation.

It'd be nice if someone could find a general solution for this. As far as I know no one has. (I'd love to hear something different from somebody.) Playing/singing through a (hardware) limiter doesn't work well, and playing/singing through a compressor leads to tracks with no dynamic range. We all may be seriously stuck on this one.

Maybe post a pointer to that "other professional forum"? I'm always interested in how people handle this.

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Answer 4

cedarflute Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 26, 2007 5:41 AM in response to Charles Hartman

Charles Hartman wrote:

Maybe post a pointer to that "other professional forum"? I'm always interested in how people handle this.

The primary recommended alternative to a hardware limiter was to record at higher sample and bit rates, and lower gain (more head room). Having recorded at the higher rates permits more flexibility in increasing volume overall, in the editting process, since the quality of the recording is so much higher.

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Answer 5

cedarflute Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 30, 2007 3:23 PM in response to Charles Hartman

Charles Hartman wrote:

Maybe post a pointer to that "other professional forum"? I'm always interested in how people handle this.

Sorry....I failed to point you to the forum. It is the Recording Forum at Harmony Central -- http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14

I wasn't able to re-locate the thread I was referring to, however.

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