Putting a limiter on every Mixer Insert, and soft clipper on Master?

[itzbaku]

A friend told me that it's much easier to finish the mastering process with a limiter on every track and then a soft clipper on the master channel. Why would you want both?

Sorry if the answer is obvious, I'm a beginner

[Frankie.T]

I don't think this is a good suggestion, but quite a bad one.

What's the point to limit every track? The only result is to have a bad sounding song with elements sounding detached each other for no reason.

While mixing you should make yourself a very simple question:
What's the problem i'm trying to address?

Once you know the problem, learn the different solutions available and with time also to understand which one to take.

Never do something regardles, cause it's like a blind man who try to drive a truck in a promenade, instead keep making questions, and search for the answer, then apply and listen is it better? is it worse? and proceed that way

I hope it helps

[kritikon]

A friend told me that it's much easier to finish the mastering process with a limiter on every track and then a soft clipper on the master channel. Why would you want both?

The main reason he'd want both is likely because he's a dipshit who believes everything he sees on Youtube, where other dipshits talk rubbish because they saw it elsewhere. You CAN have as many limiters as you want. You absolutely don't NEED them all though. Remember limiting is distortion. You're chopping the tops off, exactly like what distortion does. Yes, it makes everything louder (which is likely what your friend wants) but you also add distortion on every channel, and on sounds that maybe don't need to be made louder.

Putting limiters everywhere is making a sausage out of lots of little sausages. Not wrong, but IMO not right either.

[Benedict]

While there are people who do Mix into a Limiter and get good results, they are experienced people (or already have the feel). As advice for anyone who is not already a skilled Mix/Balance Engineer, it is very unwise, rather like telling your kids to point the gun at themselves after they put the bullets in. Things will happen, but probably not the desired outcome - unless, of course, they are hoping to be rid of you

Mixing is, as I alluded to before, about finding the Balance of the parts of This Scene, This Story, These Instruments in This Performance. Running with a Limiter that is already changing the Balance is unwise if you can't already feel/find Balance. It may have you think you are finding balance, but in reality, you probably only have mashed volume.

I DO have a Limiter active in my sessions but that is ONLY to catch any stray overs whilst I am working on things. If I ever see that Limiter limiting I know that I am waaaaaaaay over the right levels and therefore balance. IF that is really the right sound, I can pop a Limiter on a Bus. But again, mostly it is simply never a thing that happens as I never mix that LOUD. Seeing LOUD is not a target in mixing. Balance is.

I DO have a Saturation device in my masters in every session. That is running very light and is the core "sound of my studio". Once I have a good Balance (mix) I will add more Saturation devices, one per channel/bus, and the masters but that is never how the main mix is built. They are sparkle on top.

Work on your basics before diving into things that will see you lost.
https://youtu.be/cyS9CxI7v08?si=FJ2q5TeOrorKI25W

[_al_]

I don't think this is a good suggestion, but quite a bad one.

Indeed!
Everything is gonna converge on the master anyway, so you're using limiting on sounds that haven't had their output power established at the final stage.

IMO, it's more sensible to have clippers on tracks, and good limiter on master.
That way, you're not wasting a complex algorithm on something, that only needs inaudible peaks removed.

(says the guy who has a multiband comp on 4 or 5 different tracks, as well as on the master)

[legendCNCD]

I don't think this is a good suggestion, but quite a bad one.

IMO, it's more sensible to have clippers on tracks, and good limiter on master.

Yep. And only when its needed, even then sometimes limiter might do a better job on the peaks. Only when needed.

[jamcat]

A friend told me that it's much easier to finish the mastering process with a limiter on every track and then a soft clipper on the master channel.

You need better friends.

[itzbaku]

Once you know the problem, learn the different solutions available and with time also to understand which one to take.

Never do something regardles, cause it's like a blind man who try to drive a truck in a promenade, instead keep making questions, and search for the answer, then apply and listen is it better? is it worse? and proceed that way.

Sounds very wise. I will definitely start using my ears more before putting something on a track just because someone said "it need's to be there".

The main reason he'd want both is likely because he's a dipshit who believes everything he sees on Youtube, where other dipshits talk rubbish because they saw it elsewhere.

I've realized I'm missing out on alot of information blindly following youtube videos. I'll start digging deeper once I encounter a problem.

As advice for anyone who is not already a skilled Mix/Balance Engineer, it is very unwise, rather like telling your kids to point the gun at themselves after they put the bullets in. Things will happen, but probably not the desired outcome - unless, of course, they are hoping to be rid of you

I definitely see your point, and I learned some very useful information from your video.

I don't think this is a good suggestion, but quite a bad one.

IMO, it's more sensible to have clippers on tracks, and good limiter on master.

Yep. And only when its needed, even then sometimes limiter might do a better job on the peaks. Only when needed.

I see it can be useful to go back and forth between the two to try and find the difference.

[soundmodel]

The clipper is an extreme limiter, but it's chaotic, because it doesn't follow the dynamics at all, it just distorts.

It's therefore logical that for individual tracks one aims to still be "a bit dynamic", while for the master one just wants to destroy the peaks, which is what the soft clipper does.

Yes, it's a way to produce reasonable masters very fast.