Premiere CC 2017 - Audio Limiter Options

[Sam Parnell]

Now that the "dynamics" audio filter is obsolete, what's the best option for an audio limiter? MultiBand Compressor can only go to -5 dD, and I can't seem to figure out how to do limiting with the suggested new tool, "Dynamics Processing." Really liked the simplicity and red light notifications of the original "dynamics," but don't want to keep using it if it will be gone in a future release. Thanks!

[excited_Genie16B8]

Those are your choices, new or old.  Neither is perfect.

[garretthes1]

I was deeply disappointed with the changes in the audio effects. I'm an audio engineer 1st and I can't even figure the compressor out.

[Alex Elkins]

Completely agree. It's also very irritating being greeted by the 'obsolete filter' dialogue  every time I open an old project with a limiter in it.

[davidpayne1981]

agreed. I really don't know who was complaining about these effects. Surely if in doubt, leave them in.

[cculp2016 · Accepted solution]

After doing some more work in the new CC2017 version, I have figured out how to add a proper limiter using the 'MultiBandCompressor' track effect. This involves more steps than the now obsolete 'Dynamics' filter, but works.

In MultiBandCompressor, on the right hand side, there are limiter threshold, margin, attack and release options which work, so long as you enable the 'Brickwall Limiter' check box and the 'B' icon as well. Additionally you'll need to reset each of the compressor ratios and thresholds back to 0 / 1:1 so that there isn't any added compression if you're using this plugin only as a limiter.

It's still annoying how these track-based filters don't allow presets to be saved, copied or shared between tracks, sequences or projects. Often, there is a need to manually change settings on many multiple filters over and over again. It would be great to set up this MultiBandCompressor with all of the limiter settings and simply save the preset. Oh well.

I hope this helps!

[Prizm4]

Ok, I'm trying to use the Multiband Compressor as a limiter using those instructions, but my audio still clips. It's like it didn't change anything. These are the settings I've used:

Can anyone see what I'm doing wrong?

EDIT: Ok I found it. You said to enable the B checkbox, so I clicked it. I've now realized it must be bypass (there's no tooltip to actually explain what it is). Now that I disable the B, the limiter has kicked in.

[cvid01]

You may want to try Audition. It has more options for limiting sound.

[davidpayne1981]

thanks cculp2016. I've played arround with MultiBandCompressor but still cant get it to do what I used to do with dynamics in a couple of clicks! I just want to be able to amplify a clip by whatever dB I like and know that the limiter wont let the output volume of that file go past what i set it to (usually -3dB for dialogue) just to prevent me seeing the little red clipping in the audio meters when editing. I've played around with the settings but cant seem to achieve this.. any tips?

[Alex Elkins]

You can of course still use the Dynamics filter (this is what I'm doing for anything I don't need/want to take into Audition for a proper mix). It's just really annoying that I'm presented with the stupid 'obsolete effects' pop up every time I open a project where I've used the Dynamics filter!

[cculp2016]

Yep, sorry, I wrote my original instructions incorrectly. I had a multiband compressor open and thought that the 'B' bypass was default to bypass enabled. So yes, bypass for the limiter needs to be OFF and it will work just as you posted here.

I'm glad you were able to get it working! Now, if only we could save this as a preset...

[davidpayne1981]

thanks guys the multiband compressor is now doing for me what the old dynamics effect did.

Has anyone worked out how to stop the strange bending of the keyframe lines when using the parametric equaliser? Say if I wanted to get to 2k and then reduce the level by -20db for everything after that point. The line should surely be straight curve down to -20db and then straight all the way to the end. When I try to use this I just get something resembling speed humps..

[Novel_MP]

Agree with the others on this. I'm VERY disappointed with the limited (pun intended) audio dynamics processing capabilities.

I want a peak-stop limiter that I can throw on the main output to keep it from clipping, and the old dynamics processor used to be able to do that real simply. Just set the output at "-0.5" and as long as you weren't doing anything crazy on the other tracks, you were set.

The new dynamics processor seems to be pulled from some other app with presets that clearly don't fit a video editing application: "cardboard snare, cardboard kickdrum, snare shell ring, nasty guitar" What? Some of those don't even make sense?! How does a dynamics processor have any meaningful effect on getting a "nasty guitar" sound? Those presets clearly indicate that this effect module was initially intended for music. But who out there is mixing music with Premiere? We need dynamics processing that fits video editing.

The multiband compressor fix that cculp2016 has found seems to work reasonably well, so I'll go with that. But what was wrong with the old dynamics processor? If you're going to slap it with a label that says "obsolete" you better at the very least retain the capabilities of the old.

[saklayeenn]

Actually it's easy.

1. Place the MultiBand Compressor in your destined slot.

2. Select the Brickwall Limiter in the right bottom corner.

3. Just over it, in the Limiter section, set your required Margin level (that's the Limiter level. I usually keep it at -1 db).

4. On its left, Bypass all the Compressors (That is to Enable the 'B' in all four Cyan, Yellow, Green & Magenta section).

Note: this step is just to limit the audio. If you want to use the compressor, you are most welcome. I prefer to use just this limiter function for my Master Audio channel. And to use the compressor, i set it in my other audio channels.

I was also pretty hopeless after seeing the previous Dynamics to be obsolete. But finally made it work

Now easy as before...

[TaranVH]

This is what I do.

However, I keep the threshold at -10, and the margin at -3.

-1 is too high, because if you have music or other audio tracks of any kind, it's very easy to accidentally peak/clip when both tracks get loud. At -3, you've got a lot more room. Clipping almost never happens, and when it does, you should probably pen tool that track down anyway.

[matjik01]

A combination of answers in this thread led me to this simple master peak limiter solution and only uses two steps. (So thank you to everyone).

1.  In the audio track mixer, select the multiband compressor for the master output channel (last fader on the right).  The multiband defaults to the Broadcast preset so no need to change anything.  You'll notice master audio levels will be much louder and peaks at 0db without going over.

2.  Set master fader to -10db.

Your done.

If you want to avoid accidental loud surprises, do the steps in reverse.

[Averdahl]

Good news, the Hard Limiter from Audition is added to the latest update of Premiere Pro.

New features summary for the 2017 release of Adobe Premiere Pro CC