Audio Limiter in FCPX 10.0.6

[Michael W. towe]

Not seeing this on my end. Used both the Final Cut and Logic limiter and they worked as advertised. Do you by chance have a Compressor on the track that is limiting as well?

Michael W. Towe
President M2 Digital Post
http://www.m2digitalpost.com

[Morten Carlsen]

Go to Audio Effects > Levels…. and insert the “Compressor” from the logic category.

Set Compressor threshold to 0 db and engage the Limiter on the right side of the user interface.
Set it to -0.2 NOT 0… This will “protect” your signal at the threshold set.

Make sure you use the “Platinum” form the circuit type (Should be default)

[Florian Gintenreiter]

I have a compressor, but it’s limiter is turned off.

________________________________________
Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria

[Florian Gintenreiter]

I tried with the Logic Limiter, the FCP Limiter and the Limiter built into the Logic Compressor plugin. Whatever I do I get peaks at -6db, respectively -6.2dB, when I limit to -0,2dB as suggested.

(See attached image)

I mjst be missing something, but I have looked everywhere and don’t find anything.

Haven’t had these Problems in 10.0.5., when I was editing the same podcast from the same material, recorded on the same day.

________________________________________
Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria

[Morten Carlsen]

You need to set the compressor ratio to ZERO and Compressor Threshold to 0 ZERO…

Also you NEED to make sure that your signal peaks are actually reaching ZERO db.

Put a GAIN plug before the limiter (compressor) and set to overshoot. Then Add the limiter – now it should NOT cap at -6 db…

[Florian Gintenreiter]

Thanks. Now it does cap at 0dB. I don’t unterstand exactely why, but I’ll remember those settings and use them next time. It’s obvious again: I’m not a soundperson.

________________________________________
Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria

[Morten Carlsen]

glad it worked. It is because you were compressing before limiting. The compressor most likely compressed the signal to a max -6db. The limiter never came to work 😉

[Ray Ortega]

This is definitely an issue. I’ve run into the same thing and it has nothing to do with a compressor. When I add any of the limiters, FCX 10.1 treats -6db as zero. There are no compressors involved.

It seems like it might be an issue with compound clips. This is where I’m experiencing the issue. Were you running the limiter on a compound clip? When I tested this on one of the clips inside the compound it was not an issue.

The trick I’m using is to increase the audio level of the compound clip directly from the audio adjustment bar on the clip itself. You can increase the audio past -6db for every db you set over zero.

So for example, the audio bar on the compound clip is set at zero as default. With a limiter on the clip (any limiter will do, they all have the same effect) the audio will be stopped at -6db. Adjust the audio bar on the clip to +2db and you level will increase to -4db with the limiter active.

Definitely strange. Unless there is something I’m missing it appears to be a bug with compound clips.