Overview

To get your mixes to come out of the computer “loud & proud” but punchy and without unwanted distortion, it is necessary to cut off peaks and transients on all channels and stems (i.e., grouped or summed audio channels).

Any pro will tell you: ”Don´t just limit on the master buss!”

Brainworx designed bx_limiter to be used on multiple busses to smoothen things out and glue them together prior to running through a full blown mastering limiter, like the Brainworx bx_XL V2 or bx_masterdesk. These plugins work best - and most importantly sound best - when they don't have TOO MUCH limiting to do.

bx_limiter offers a great sounding limiter algorithm, then adds some great sounding saturation (to further glue signals in your mixes), and some useful features not found in your average limiter plugin.

The “Channel Link” knob, for example, is a unique and powerful feature that allows you to blend between “Linked” mode where both channels are limited when the threshold is exceeded on either channel, and “Off” where only the channel on which the threshold was exceeded is limited.

If, for example, you set the blend control at 50% and a signal exceeds the threshold only on the right channel, the gain on the left channel will be reduced by half as much as the right. This creates some powerful options to maximize loudness while maintaining an even sounding mix.

Here are some recommended uses of the bx_limiter:

Traditional defeating of peaks
Simply lower the Threshold to stop peaks at a defined level.

Maximizing the Output level
Just boost Gain until the output level hits 0dB.

Loudness Maximizing
Add that extra dB of perceived loudness using the XL saturation.

Manage Stereo Material
Got cymbal crashes in one channel that are too hot? Dial the Channel Link knob all the way to “Off” to allow the limiter to grab just the peak on that channel and then dial it back towards “Link” until you achieve the desired balance between limiting the cymbal crash and relative channel levels

Sound Shaping / Extreme Effects
Drive signals or stems (i.e., grouped audio signals) into the limiter and saturate heavily without affecting your stem levels.

Parallel Dynamics & Saturation
Overdo the settings of the limiter and saturation effect and blend the original signal with the effected sound to create vintage drum & vocal sounds or special effects.

Features

  • CPU-friendly, highly accurate limiter for Mono, Stereo & Multi-Channel signals
  • Low Latency (2ms or less depending on sample rate & system)
  • Mix control (Dry/Wet) lets you blend processed & unprocessed audio
  • Channel Link knob lets you seamlessly blend between unlinked and linked peak detection
  • Output Dim adjusts your output level conveniently in any mix session
  • 1-Click Fader Link to drive signals into limiter while compensating for level
  • XL = Saturation on board! Add that extra dB of perceived loudness
  • Adjustable Release Times
  • Stereo, mono and multi-channel operation (5.1 / 7.1 and more)

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Richard Devine

    Richard Devine

    Sound Designer and Artist (Hollywood Edge, Sound Delux, Sony Creative Software)

    Simply awesome and simple easy operation. I use this on my master channel sometimes and on my drum channels. I can get things nice and loud without any distortion and is very CPU friendly.

  • Greg Wurth

    Greg Wurth

    Producer, Engineer (Greg Wurth Audio, Steve Vai)

    The bx_limiter is an extremely powerful tool. I love that it's transparent even at the extremes.

  • Benjamin Rice

    Benjamin Rice

    Engineer/Vocal Producer (Selena Gomez, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga)

    I love this limiter because it does so much more than just standard peak limiting. The channel link, parallel and saturation features make this one of my most effective and favorable tools for… Read More

  • Steve Mac

    Steve Mac

    Songwriter/Producer (Rhythm Masters/Bunker Recording Studios)

    The best feature on the bx_limiter for me is the XL -- you can just get that little bit more out of it.

Customer Reviews

  • Klein - leicht - SPITZE

    ★★★★★
    by D_Jey_Age
    Macht was es soll und das schnell - CPU-schonend und einfach = geiler Sound - und zuverlässig .... mehr braucht man nicht bei vielen Anwendungen - vor allem um CPU-Last bei mobilen Geräten zu… Read More

  • Superb Plugin

    ★★★★★
    by BluelagoonStudios
    This limiter is my go to, to get aggressive sounds under control, or in a live situation. Where you set up a live stream, only a EQ and the limiter and not more than 1db limiting the full range… Read More

  • Good sounding but...

    ★★★★☆
    by M.A.
    A good sounding limiter, fast to operate and set. I really use a lot the XL function to beef things up on tracks and buses. The only thing that really annoy me is the threshold and gain sliders: when… Read More

  • Seriously impressed

    ★★★★★
    by JohnnyB
    The bx_Limiter is vanilla in the best ways. In my little home studio, it just won a shootout for the role of louderizing a mix with a lot of high end trouble and disturbance. The competitors were the… Read More

  • Limiter

    ★★★★☆
    by element4audio
    Clean and transparent, really really really good, but... I miss the dither, without the dither can´t win to other options. But if you don´t need the dither, will be your go to limiter
View All Customer Reviews

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX DSP, AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 15 down to macOS 12
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

bx_limiter Installers

Installation Manager

Manuals

ChangeLog

bx_limiter

Brainworx bx_limiter - Changelog

Version 1.15.2 (Oct 9, 2023)
- General: fixed CPU spikes on Mac OS

Version 1.15.1 (Aug 30, 2023)
- Fixed missing buttons in top toolbar
- Fixed opening mono instance crashing DAW

Version 1.15.0 (Aug 15, 2023)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX
- General: added macOS Ventura support
- General: improved plugin loading time in the DAW
- General: fixed issue causing Logic to crash when closing the plugin UI
- General: improved font drawing behavior

Version 1.14 (Mar 15, 2022)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for VST3, VST2 and AU
- General: added macOS Monterey support
- General: added Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H1 support
- General: discontinued Windows 7 support
- General: discontinued macOS 10.9 and 10.11 support
- General: fixed metering behavior in block sizes of 2048 samples and higher

Version 1.13 (Mar 22, 2021)
- General: Compatibility with Logic on Apple Silicon devices via the Rosetta-2 layer
- General: Fixed possible artefacts when freezing or bouncing tracks in Pro Tools
- General: Fixed automation highlighting disappearing in Studio One
- General: Improved license dialog visibility in dark mode

Version 1.12 (May 27, 2020)
- General: Qualified for use with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
- General: VST3: Fixed potential hangs in a DAW upon loading
- General: Fixed logical issues in undo / redo behavior
- General: Fixed UI resizing issues in Ableton Live on Windows
- General: Fixed audio processing initialization issues on amp and delay products

Version 1.11 (Nov 06, 2019)
- General: Qualified for use with macOS 10.15 Catalina
- General: Qualified for use with Windows 10 November 2019 Update
- General: Fixed plugin validation in Logic under macOS Catalina
- General: Fixed preset name restore in Logic when reopening a session
- General: Fixed opening authorization dialog triggering automation
- General: Improved instantiation times for plugins
- General: Improved license functionality and branding for subscription
- General: Removed 32-bit support on macOS and Windows

Version 1.10 (Jul 10, 2019)
- General: macOS 10.14.5 Update compatibility
- General: Windows 10 1903 Update compatibility
- General: Fixed activation issue in Windows hosts set to non-English language (e.g. Cakewalk)
- General: AU: Fixed issue with increased CPU and memory on reopening UI
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with adapting to host knob mode, and now prioritizing linear
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with VST3 preset permissions
- General: VST3: Improved synchronization between parameter states and some UI functions, e.g. toolbar reset

Version 1.9 (Nov 16, 2018)
- General: macOS Mojave compatibility
- General: Windows October 2018 update compatibility
- General: adding Windows High DPI support for VST2/3 plugins
- General: Fixed potential crashes in Cubase and other VST2 / VST3 DAWs
- General: Fixed potential CPU spikes and audio dropouts
- General: Fixed rendering in Pro Tools on the start of a session
- General: Fixed missing presets in Wavelab and other VST3 DAWs
- General: Improving keyboard control, fixing issues with catched keys preventing it from passing through to DAW
- General: Fixed parallel use of host sessions (e.g. with Live)

Version 1.8 (May 24, 2018)
- General: Microsoft Windows Redstone 4 compatibility
- General: Added computer keyboard control for plugin parameters
- General: Fixed Mouse scroll wheel not working in Windows 8
- General: Fixed an issue where plugins will not validate or load after a certain amount of plugins have been loaded (Windows)
- General: Fixed visual GUI freezes when adjusting DAW parameters, meters, analyzers (Mac)
- General: Fixed possible issue with Pick Pack licenses
- General: Small licenser stability fix

Version 1.7 (Oct 23, 2017)
- General: Mac OS High Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed possible crash on online activation (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed Logic Pro X not validating AU plugins (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed CPU spikes and crashes with Cubase (Windows)
- General: Fixed bug that could lead to "AAE -6 error" in ProTools (Windows)
- General: Fixed crash with FL Studio
- General: Fixed crash when cross-opening plugins in various hosts
- General: Fixed crash when using mixdown in Audition
- General: Fixed crash in Final Cut Pro
- General: Fixed delayed parameter handling and crackling issues in Cubase with VST3
- General: Fixed bug where plugin settings were not saved in Harrison Mixbus
- General: Fixed bug that led to AAE error -9317 in ProTools when instantiating plugin
- General: Fixed bug where plugins did not render properly when "x ray" option is enabled in Sonar
- General: Modifications to factory presets were lost when reopening session
- General: Fixed mouse wheel behaviour with second monitor setup (Windows)
- Some plugins: Value labels do not appear every time when clicking on parameter in UI
- General: Faster instantiation time for plugins (Windows)
- General: Adding support for automation highlighting in Presonus StudioOne

Version 1.6.1 (Dec 20, 2016)
- General: Mac OS Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed automation issues in AU and AAX
- General: Fixed license dialog use of special characters
- General: Improved AU preset support
- General: Performance improvements

Version 1.6 (Apr 1, 2016)
- General: Major UI codebase update
- General: Fixed possible crash when authorizing plugin
- General: Added gain reduction meter support for StudioOne 3
- General: Installers show version info in Windows "Programs And Features"

Version 1.5 (Jan 18, 2016)
- General codebase update
- Fixed AAX DSP load issue (BUGS-1113)
- Removing RTAS format support

Version 1.4.3 (Jul 18, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.4.2 (Jun 22, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.4.1 (May 27, 2015)
- Fixed wrong installation path for 32-bit Win VST plugin version

Version 1.4 (Apr 14, 2015)
- Fixed view when changing channel configuration
- Fixed GR meter showing full scale when opening the GUI
- Fixed meter fallback

Version 1.3 (Nov 18, 2013)
- Licenser update (V3): Fixes and new features
- Prevent wrong mouse wheel behavior in 32-bit hosts on 64-bit Windows (Windows bug) (87, 95, 156)
- Fixed keyboard events after text input in Pro Tools Windows (325)
- Fixed parameter value display in VST3 (330)
- Fixed toolbar triggering automation (335)
- Fixed window size issues (279, 327)
- Fixed possible preset issues in Pro Tools 11 (312)
- Fixed latency reporting

Version 1.2.1 (Jun 28, 2013)
- fixed installer for 32-bit Windows

Version 1.2 (Jun 21, 2013)
- added support for Pro Tools 11
- licenser update: fixes and new features
- fixed automation with VST3 offline processing

Version 1.1 (Apr 05, 2013)
- otimized performance
- fixed issues with possible high CPU load
- fixed Avid related issue in Pro Tools 10 that could lead to sporadic crashes
- fixed issue that could lead to values jumping in Ableton Live

Version 1.0.4 (Feb 27, 2013)
- enabled Multi-Channel for Pro Tools

Version 1.0.3 (Jan 16, 2013)
- fixed metering for control surfaces (#230)
- added support for high resolution displays (e.g. Apple Retina)
- licenser: improved Pro Tools activation

Version 1.0.2 (Nov 08, 2012)
- fixed AU issue (fixes AU validation)

Version 1.0.1 (Oct 31, 2012)
- licenser: minor fixes
- licenser: fixed activation issue under Mac OS 10.5 / Pro Tools 8
- licenser: fixed potential crash in online activation under Mac OS
- licenser: fixed issues with USB stick activation
- licenser: fixed file handling with offline activation

Version 1.0 (Oct 16, 2012)
- Release version