{"id":6787,"date":"2021-02-18T19:49:23","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T19:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonarworks.com\/soundid-reference\/blog\/?p=6787"},"modified":"2021-02-18T19:57:37","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T19:57:37","slug":"what-is-a-maximizer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonarworks.com\/blog\/learn\/what-is-a-maximizer","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Maximizer?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

These powerful signal processors are the last processor in a mastering chain. They finalize the loudness of your master while avoiding clipping. Properly used, maximizers help your tracks sound loud, punchy, and exciting. Maximizers require a delicate touch and their array of controls can seem intimidating, so in this blog, we\u2019ll cover what maximizers do and explore some of the most popular models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is An Audio Maximizer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An audio maximizer is like a limiter on steroids, specifically designed to bring a full mix to an optimum loudness level and control its peak digital level. Maximizers also impart some tonal coloration that can add a certain polish to a full mix. To help get you started, many models feature presets optimized for different musical styles, broadcast standards, and even surround sound formats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional models offer look-ahead processing and true-peak (inter-sample peak) limiting. These algorithms retain the punch of your master while minimizing distortion and overloads when the digital signal converts to analog or to a lossy digital codec, like mp3. Many maximizer plugins also provide oversampling options to avoid digital aliasing distortion. See the notes at the end of this article for information about the more technical functions of a maximizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s the Difference Between a Limiter and a Maximizer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While you might choose not to use limiters very often, you will probably want to use a maximizer on every mix and master that you send out. Many manufacturers use the terms limiter and maximizers interchangeably, but we will make a distinction between a simple limiter and a full-featured maximizer. Every maximizer uses a limiting algorithm as part of its process, but many limiters do not have the full features of a maximizer. Don\u2019t be surprised, however, if a particular brand refers to their maximizer as a \u201cmastering limiter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A limiter\u2019s <\/strong>job is to prevent audio signals from exceeding a user-defined threshold. They’re typically used to prevent tracks from clipping during recording or to increase the RMS levels of a track by lowering the limiter\u2019s ceiling and raising its output level. For instance, limiting a snare drum allows the average level of the drum to be increased by several dB without its peak levels clipping the mix bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a limiter simply knocks down or chops off the loudest peaks, a maximizer<\/strong> increases the loudness of a track and at the same time sets a ceiling for its peak level to prevent clipping. A limiter\u2019s job is to set a ceiling while the maximizer pushes the music up to the ceiling. Maximizers also provide parameters that vary the tonal color and texture of a full mix and they’re typically used as the “cherry on top” of the mastering chain to apply the final coat of polish to a mix. Maximizers also furnish controls not found on typical limiters, like transient enhancement, true-peak protection, oversampling, and dither. These last functions are necessary to create musical masters that are also technically acceptable for streaming and manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Brainworx bx_limiter (top) provides basic limiter parameters plus saturation. Izotope\u2019s Ozone 9 Maximizer (bottom) provides advanced maximizer parameters to musically and technically polish a final master.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Maximizer Benefits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In order for limiters and maximizers to work effectively, they must have very fast attack and release times, which will most certainly cause distortion, and since maximizers are intended to process full mixes, they minimize distortion by intelligently adjusting their attack and release characteristics. A user can select preset styles that produce different types of tonal coloration often described in terms like transparent, pumping, modern, bright, warm, aggressive, etc. Many maximizers allow a bit of stereo image manipulation and even transient shaping, both of which can improve the sonic effects of limiting a mix\u2019s dynamic range. Maximizers provide flexible and accurate loudness metering and always provide dither options.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maximizing is a powerful process that can sometimes have adverse effects on a mix or master so you need to listen for unwanted artifacts like distortion or a loss of punch. Each brand and model of maximizer will yield musically different results, so demo a few to see which one(s) fit your production style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loudness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many distribution platforms and other destinations for your music have strict specifications for audio levels, and a maximizer allows you to accurately meet those specifications. Further, we often need to provide masters at various bit depths and maximizers facilitate bit-depth reduction through the application of their built-in dither. More information about dither can be found at the end of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know the basic controls of a maximizer, let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular maximizers on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stock Maximizers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Included with Pro Tools, Avid\u2019s Maxim maximizer is an easy-to-use tool for maximizing your mixes and masters. With simple controls for threshold and ceiling and a one-knob controller for release time, Maxim lets you quickly find the best loudness for your track. Maxim is super easy to use by keeping a lean feature set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not a full-featured maximizer, Logic Pro includes its Adaptive Limiter. The Adaptive Limiter, as opposed to the standard Logic Limiter, offers variable and optimized look-ahead times, true-peak detection, and automatic attack and release times. Studio One and Ableton offer limiter plugins with some of the features of maximizers but their stock plugs do not compete directly with the features or sonics of professional third-party maximizers. Steinberg includes an effective Maximizer with most versions of Cubase and Nuendo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Overdo It<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with anything, too much maximizing can hurt your mix, so remember that the maximizer is not there to make up for an unfinished mix. If you find that you are tending to overuse your maximizer with too much gain reduction, revisit your mix or any preceding mastering processors to make sure the maximizer isn’t trying to do too much work on its own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommended Maximizers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ozone 9 Maximizer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most popular maximizers on the market is the Ozone 9 Maximizer, which comes as part of the Ozone suites of mastering plug-ins. The Ozone 9 Maximizer uses patented Intelligent Release Control Limiter technology to deliver ultra-transparent limiting in five different styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ozone 9 offers smart features like automatic loudness adjustment based on a user-defined LUFS target. Best of all, Ozone 9 can enhance the transients and stereo imaging of a mix for powerful, dynamic feeling mixes. This maximizer provides sophisticated dither settings, as well as versatile metering options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FabFilter Pro-L 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FabFilter Pro-L 2 is another popular and versatile maximizer. The Pro-L 2 features a variety of limiting styles including Modern, Safe, Dynamic, Aggressive, and more. Pro-L2 provides fully variable controls for attack and release times, as well as controls to engage look-ahead, true-peak limiting, oversampling, and dither. The Pro-L 2 includes excellent loudness metering with selectable scales and target levels to help you stay in line with the current broadcast and loudness standards\u2014including surround sound and even Dolby Atmos mixes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Excellent Maximizers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most plug-ins also offer free trials, so try a few maximizers and choose your favorite! Here are some of the popular maximizer plugins available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n