I’m happy to announce the release of one new limiter plugin based on the Audio Toolkit. It is available on Windows and OS X (min. 10.8) in different formats. I also updated the compressor and the expander with improved UI controls. The compressor also has now a dry/wet knob, allowing to use it for parallel compression.
The supported formats are:
- VST2 (32bits/64bits on Windows, 64bits on OS X)
- VST3 (32bits/64bits on Windows, 64bits on OS X)
- Audio Unit (64bits, OS X)
The files can be downloaded on SourceForge, as well as the source code.
Direct link for ATKLimiter
Direct link for ATKCompressor
Direct link for ATKExpander
Hi – I narrate audiobooks and would like to know the settings on the expander required to satisfy the following parameters: 1) All audio peaks at or below -3 db; 2)Average RMS bteween – 18 and – 23; and 3) Noise floor at or below -60db. Please let me know and I will buy you a double latte!
Hi,
I think you need to use the three plugins: expander to set the noise floor, compressor to raise the RMS average, and the limiter to limit the peak.
For the expander, set the threshold to -60dB (it’s the minimum on my plugin), fast attack (1-2 ms), mid-fast release (50-100ms), high ratio IMHO (5-10). If it cuts part of the voice, you need to add a plugin before to raise the global volume of the track.
Then for the compressor, you can use a threashold around -20dB (you will have to test different values here as well), slighlty slower attack (around 5ms perhaps?), mid-fast release, and a small ratio (2-4).
For the limiter, just use a -3dB threshold with a slow release.
Then fiddle with the makeup gain on each plugin to find the proper sound, and adapt the threashold accordingly.
Thanks for the instructions. Coffee is on the way as promised!
Thanks, much appreciated! And if there is an issue, please tell me so I can fix it.
Hey Matthieu! I LOVE the expander – it’s the best tool for drums apart from the (hardware) Dyna-Mite. Is there a chance to implement a range/ratio parameter and a sidechain? Thanks, cappuccino on the way soon 🙂
Thanks!
Glad to be of help 😉 Sidechain is definitely possible (I’m almost releasing the side chain version of the stereo compressor, and the expander is just one different filter).
What do you mean by range/ratio parameter?
Cool!!! Now the attenuation is 100%, or the ratio is -inf:1 – but often it may be desirable to let a little bit of the untreated signal pass through. Controlling the amount of attenuation/ratio would be great. If you like, take a look at the expansion controls of the Dyna-Mite – it works a charm! Wet/dry would sound different I guess, or am I wrong?
Oh, OK, so you actually want a different expansion curve, with a maximum attenuation of xdB, on top of the ratio?
Yes, wet/dry would be a little bit different, although you would get quite similar results. I’ll have to think about this (because I also want to add some GUI to show the attenuation/expansion/… one day).
Yes, that would be super helpful. Is it hard to realize? Thanks for asking, Matt!
To be honest: I like the fact that there’s no visual GR meter, you are forced to set everything by ear, which yields better and faster results IMO.
It’s another way of computing the gain, I may do this and release it as another plugin.
BTW, the new dynamic plugins will also be better, less glitchy when changing slope/softness, as the curves will be processed offline instead (haven’t released an update on these 3 plugins with ATK 0.7.0 yet, but it is somewhere in the pipeline of things I want to do).
Great! FYI: I haven’t had any glitches while adjusting the slope (Reaper/Win). Will I get a notification email as soon as there’s news?
Thanks a lot, Matthieu! Coffee on the way! 🙂
I’ll try to remember, perhaps I should setup a request page somewhere :p If I do the two plugins (sidechain expander, and the custom expander), it may be somewhere in August that they will be released. If they are available before (testing, or because I have other announcements before), I’ll let you know.
Thanks!
Wanted to add that these plugins are really great. They seem to offer more than the usual lot of performance. Thanks for making these available for such a reason fee. Coffee sent a few months ago. Lol