FabFilter User Forum
True Peak limiting not working (or I'm doing something wrorn)
Hi
I'm having great fun with the mastering bundle (in Logic / DSP Quattro), but for some reason, in one track out of the 16 true peak isn't working; I have my output set to -3.5 (for vinyl), but it's peaking at -3.08. I have true peak turned on and metered... any ideas? The source file is quite loud so I'm reducing gain as the first stage in the chain, if this has any bearing (it's a compilation album with tracks from many sources, in all shapes and sizes) ;-)
Thanks
Jez
Jez Butler — Mar 15, 2021
Hi Jez,
Which meter are you using to measure the -3.08 level? Is this is the internal meter in Pro-L 2, another plug-in, or your DAW?
Cheers,
Ahh - good question, that will raise eyebrows ;-) For comparison with my ancient system, I'm importing my final mixes into Waveburner, as it has a facility for checking regions for clipping. Every track comes out peaking at 3.50 as expected, except one which reads 3.08. It's hardly big, but It's baffling me.
The other thing I notice, using Logic's EQ analyzer on the newly-rendered tracks is that where I've used a high-pass filter, the increase in volume when limiting has reintroduced some low-end 'twitching' on stuff I rolled off. This is something I've always struggled with.
Btw, I adore the Fabfilter plugins - I'm just not quite sure what I'm doing wrong.
Hi Jez,
True peak metering is not an exact science. The meter attempts to reconstruct the underlying analog wave form, by using internal oversampling. Depending on the oversampling factor and the reconstruction filters used internally, you will get slightly different readings.
In this case, for this particular track, Waveburner clearly reads a little different, but this isn't to be taken as "the truth" and neither is Pro-L 2's reading. That's why it's generally recommended to use a minimum headroom of 1 dB.
Cheers,
Thanks Frederik!
J