I can remember back when mixers didn’t have enough compressors to put one on the mix bus. That’s when they relied on the mastering engineer to get them the “competitive level” they needed. Flash forward a few decades and it’s a given that you’re going to put a limiter on your DAW mix bus, but usually that means that the level will be hot but the sonics may suffer. Enter Waves new L4 Ultramaximizer, a limiter designed not only for competitive level, but musicality as well.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Waves invented the loudness game with their legacy L1 and L2 limiters, which allowed mastering engineers and mixers to attain volumes on CDs that were never before possible. But with that also came the inevitable squashy sound, especially if those products were used incorrectly.
The L4 was designed to give you all the level you want, but it also makes great strides in preserving the signal’s sonic integrity, offering greater low-end impact, enhanced dynamics and transient punch, and a more vibrant overall sound.
This is accomplished thanks to four major additions. The first two are Adaptive Clipper and Adaptive Release, where Clipping and Release settings are automatically tailored to the content by the plugin. Once applied, you can fine-tune their relative levels in real time, shaping the transient impact and overall feel to suit the track.
Next comes Upward Compression. Inspired by Waves classic Waves MV2 plugin, this module is designed to enhance low-level details and add density by making sure the signal never drops below a certain level.
Finally the L4 includes 5 unique limiting algorithms; Modern, Aggressive, Smooth, Safe, and L2, in order to dial in just the right amount of aggression or transparency in the sound.
The plugin now also includes LUFS metering, featuring both short-term and long-term LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) meters, ensuring your songs are optimized for the intended delivery platform. It also features ultra-low latency so you won’t have to worry about running out of computer horsepower.
The Waves L4 now carries an introductory price of $49.99 (regularly $99) and is available for Mac and PC and on all plugin formats. Go here to find out more, or watch the video below.
