Why does everyone still use this mastering plugin?

------=_Part_25424213_990725751.1663423597196 Content-Type: text/html;charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Special time-limited offer inside [Waves Audio]( Hey {NAME}, I’ve been a Waves user for 18 years now, having bought my first Gold bundle in 2004. Along the way I’ve seen the popularity of various plugins come and go. TrueVerb fans became Renaissance Reverb fans who became IR-1 fans who are now H-Reverb and Abbey Road fans. That’s what happens when technology advances. Progress is exciting. People want to move with the times. So why do so many producers and engineers in the industry still use a mastering plugin that’s been around since the days of my first Gold bundle? Because nothing that came after it has the combination of simplicity and effectiveness at getting the job done – getting your mix as loud as can be. Volume vs. Loudness One thing that took me a long time to understand properly was the difference between volume and loudness. Two tracks can be set to the same volume level yet sound drastically different in loudness. That’s because loudness isn’t only measured with a meter – it’s also measured with your ears. If you want to raise the volume of a track, then simply raise the fader. Just make sure you don’t go into the red or you’ll encounter digital clipping (more on that in a minute). If you want a track to sound louder, then raising the volume isn’t enough because that track is one of many in a mix. Within that track there’s a certain dynamic range from the softest note to the loudest. When you raise the volume on a fader – you’re raising the level of the entire track – meaning the loudest parts will get louder and the softest parts will get equally louder. When you increase the loudness using a limiter you’re actually lowering (sometimes referred to as “squashing”) the gain of the loudest parts while simultaneously raising the gain overall. This not only raises the volume level of the entire track – it removes the dynamic range within the track, giving the listener a higher perceived sense of loudness. So how do you do achieve this in the real world? Use the most idiot-proof mastering limiter ever made. [L2 Ultramaximizer]( The L2 Legacy There was a period of time in the early 2000s when almost everything you heard on the radio had been mastered with the [L2 Ultramaximizer]( limiter. It was the first digital plugin that managed to squeeze an incredible amount of level out of a track while still maintaining a great sound and imparting an analog flavor. People still love it because the L2 is what’s called a brickwall limiter – used for when you want to define a set level that your track can’t go past in any way – exactly what you want in mastering to prevent unwanted digital clipping and distortion. The L2 is also a single-band limiter meaning it applies limiting to the entire track as one frequency range. There have been newer versions of the Ultramaximizer such as the L3, L3 Multimaximizer and L3-16 Multimaximizer – but these are for more complex multiband limiting that’s best left to the more experienced mastering engineers. If you’re anything like me, that’s probably not you. 2-Step Mastering You can set the L2 in seconds with 2 moves: 1. First use the link button to bring down both the Threshold and Out Ceiling controls until the sound of the limiting is where you want it. This gives you an accurate picture of how much limiting you’re adding and how much you’re changing the sound. If you hear a lot of crunching and what sounds like the start of distortion – you’ve gone too far. You want to add excitement to your track, not set it on fire (unless that’s what you’re going for!). Pay attention to the Attenuation meter to see how much gain reduction you’re adding. For mastering you usually don’t need more than 2-3 dB. 2. Once you’ve got the gain reduction sounding where you want it, leave the threshold where it is and raise the Out Ceiling back up to anything below zero. This sets the actual final volume level. Since you don’t want to clip it, the highest you should set it is -0.1 (although the OCD in me feels safer at -0.2). If the L2 is the last plugin on your master buss before you output the final track, then make sure to check your settings on the right side for Quantize if you need to bring it down to 16 bits for CD pressing. Dither you can leave at Type 1 or try the other options and set to taste. You also usually want some noise shaping if this is your last plugin, but again, try the options and choose what works best for you. Watch this video for a great quickstart about how to use L2 for mastering: [How to Improve Live Streaming Audio without Overcompressing](. And as always, if you’re smart enough to know a good thing when you see it and are ready to start mastering like a pro in seconds – let us reward you for your wisdom with this coupon to take an extra $10 off the already slashed sale price. 48HRS Only: Limited quantity $10 OFF L2 Ultramaximizer Use this code during checkout: L229 Offer valid through September 19, 2022, 5:00 AM EDT. Apply both coupons at checkout: L229 and ZONE40. [Check out L2 Ultramaximizer]( » Plus, alongside our current sale you can get a few more FREE PLUGINS when you spend over a certain amount: Spend $50 get 1 FREE plugin Spend $90 get 2 FREE plugins Spend $120 get 3 FREE plugins You’ve got 48 hours to get [L2 Ultramaximizer]( with the extra coupon discount. Happy mixing, Yoni at Waves Audio [See free plugin terms & conditions](. 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