Module Reference · EQ & Dynamics

Limiter

The Limiter is the last word in the chain: lookahead, true-peak detection, adjustable stereo link and three styles - Transparent, Loud, Punch. Its dual-release engine treats transients and sustained material with separate recovery speeds, so drums stay fast while the body stays smooth.

Punch Preserve lets hits through harder before the clamp, a built-in pre-clipper shaves transients before they cost limiter headroom, sidechain filters keep bass and harsh highs from steering the gain, and the LUFS Target auto-drives input gain toward your chosen streaming loudness number. Set the ceiling and forget it.

Limiter module editor in GhostInTheMachine
LIMITER MODULE SCREENSHOT INCOMING
ACTUAL UI · LIMITER MODULE CLICK TO ENLARGE

Why it hits different

The GhostWare take.

  • Separate transient and sustain releases - loud without pumping.
  • Integrated pre-clipper stage with its own drive and softness.
  • LUFS auto-target drives toward your loudness spec for you.

In the shot

Reading the panel.

  • 1
    WAVEFORM + CEILING

    Program material against the ceiling line.

  • 2
    GR STRIP

    Limiting activity over time.

  • 3
    LIMIT DECK

    Threshold, ceiling, style, true peak and LUFS target.

Control Showcase

Every control, explained.

19 controls, named exactly as they appear in the plugin.

Threshold -24 to 0 dB (default -3 dB)

Level where limiting starts - lower it for more loudness.

Ceiling -2 to 0 dB (default -0.1 dB)

The absolute output ceiling.

Lookahead 0.1 to 10 ms (default 1.5 ms)

Lets the detector see a few milliseconds ahead so it can react before a peak arrives (adds that much latency).

Release 5 to 1000 ms (default 100 ms)

How fast gain recovers. Faster is louder but riskier for distortion.

Style

The limiting character: Transparent, Loud or Punch.

TransparentLoudPunch
Stereo Link 0 to 100 % (default 100 %)

How much both channels share gain reduction. 100% keeps the image stable.

Oversampling

Runs the distortion math at 2x or 4x internal resolution to reduce harsh digital artifacts (aliasing). Off is cheapest on CPU, 4x is cleanest.

Off2x4x
True Peak on / off

Measures the peaks that only appear after conversion to speakers and streaming formats (true peaks), so the ceiling really holds.

Clip Before on / off

Puts a clipper in front of the limiter to shave transients before limiting.

Punch Preserve 0 to 100 % (default 0 %)

Lets transients through harder before the limiter clamps.

Output Trim -24 to 24 dB (default 0 dB)

Final trim after limiting.

Hold 0 to 50 ms (default 0 ms)

Holds gain reduction briefly before release.

Transient Rel 0 to 200 ms (default 0 ms)

Separate, faster release just for transient hits. 0 uses the main release.

Sustain Rel 0 to 1000 ms (default 0 ms)

Separate, slower release for sustained material. 0 uses the main release.

SC HighPass 20 to 500 Hz (default 20 Hz)

High-passes the detector so bass does not pump the limiter.

SC LowPass 2000 to 20000 Hz (default 20000 Hz)

Low-passes the detector so harsh highs do not dominate it.

LUFS Target -30 to 0 LUFS (default 0 LUFS)

Auto-drives the input toward this overall loudness number (LUFS - the scale streaming services measure by). 0 disables.

PreClip Drive 0 to 12 dB (default 0 dB)

Drive into the pre-limiter clipper.

PreClip Soft 0 to 100 % (default 0 %)

Softness of the pre-limiter clipper.