When to Use Limiters in Mixing and Mastering (And When Not To)

When to use limiters on tracks, buses, and masters. Avoid squashing transients early; save peak control for mastering.

Limiters cap peak level. In mixing, heavy limiting on individual tracks or the mix bus can remove punch before mastering. In mastering, a transparent limiter raises perceived loudness while protecting true peak for streaming encode.

Key takeaways
  • Avoid brick-wall limiting on every track
  • Mix bus limiting: gentle or none before mastering
  • Mastering limiter: last in chain for LUFS and dBTP targets
  • See True Peak Limiting

Rule of thumb

Control dynamics with compression in mixing; use limiting primarily at mastering for loudness and peak safety.

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