Logic Pro 8 I Feel Dumb: How to use Limiter Logic Pro?

[Nityananda_SCSMath]

Hi everyone, please forgive this dumb question, and help me get back to work!

I am pretty uneducated about recording. But my understanding of a limiter is that any signal that goes above the threshold you set is super-compressed or "squashed" so that it basically is decreased in volume to the threshold you set.

The rest of the signal that is BELOW the threshold is un-touched. Only the peaks that go above the threshold level are affected.

So why is it that when I set the threshold (called "output level") using the limiter in LogicPro/SoundtrackPro to something like -5db, the whole file is brought down about 5db? Yes, the peaks that went above -5db were brought down, but so is everything else! I don't want the audio below -5db to be affected. What am I doing wrong?

Please help, I'm on a deadline!
Thanks
-Chris

 

[Peter Ostry]

May I invite you to this other thread in Studio Techniques:
https://logic-users-group.com/forums/threads/making-my-beat-louder-limiter.1768/

Please help, I'm on a deadline!

Strange, everybody who asks basic questions has a deadline. Are you guys getting the jobs before you buy a sequencer? I think we should charge for rescue and buy new furniture for the forum.

 

[Nityananda_SCSMath]

Thanks for your reply Peter. And that is a rather funny and true observation about noobs with deadlines that I have also noticed. For myself this is a (important) non-paid project for a religious charitable organization that I am doing just to help out. But I have made some promises to deliver and the deadline for the whole thing is fast approaching, so it's good that there people online who will help for free. I'll start saving up for some virtual La-Z-Boy sofas though..



Here is a reply I got that answered my question:

"Apart from your otherwise correct description, Output Level is Output Level, not Threshold.

The Limiter in Logic has a fixed Threshold of 0dBFs. So the more "above 0dBFs" your signal gets (either by itself or by you pushing up the Gain slider), the more Gain Reduction takes place so the result does not exceed 0dBFs.

Gain and Output can be used together to have the actual signal gain unchanged except for the peaks. For this you add Gain until you see the desired Gain Reduction and hear the desired sound, then turn down Output Level by the same amount."