Limiters are essential tools in mixing, as they allow you to control the dynamics of a signal through high ratio compression.
Of course, there are many paid limiter plugins, but it is possible to find free ones of excellent quality.
That said, it’s not like for equalization plugins or for compressors: there are far fewer options, and it can be a bit difficult to find one that suits you.
Hence this list of the best free limiters currently available, to save you time testing plugins that ultimately turn out to be of poor quality.
Happy downloading! 🙂
1. Limiter N°6
Developer: vladg
Format: VST, AU (32 and 64 bits)
It’s hard to look for free plugins without coming across the excellent effects from Russian developer Vladg, who now primarily works for Tokyo Dawn Records.
Limiter N°6 is for me more than a reference, especially for mastering. It actually contains several modules, all excellent and useful:
- A compressor
- A peak limiter
- A limiter dedicated to high frequencies (> 11kHz)
- A clipper (do you know the difference between a clipper and a limiter?)
- A “true signal” limiter, which ensures there are no ISP (Inter-sample Peaks)
In terms of sound, Limiter N°6 is not really transparent and adds a certain analog vibe. It is by far my favorite free limiter, which is why it takes the top spot on this list.
However, given its many settings, it may be a bit complex for beginners looking for a basic tool, who will have to settle for the plugins presented just after…
► Click here to download LIMITER N°6
2. W1 Limiter
Developer: George Yohng
Format: VST, AU (32 and 64 bits)
Don’t be fooled by the somewhat questionable design of George Yohng’s W1 Limiter: it’s an old plugin but still performs well.
It was indeed designed as a perfect clone of Waves’ L1, a very well-known and quite effective limiter, although it has simplistic settings. Moreover, the “Adaptive Release” option allows for a fairly faithful reproduction of Waves’ L2.
Basically, you have two plugins in one — and it’s of course free.
► Click here to download W1 Limiter
3. Loudmax
Developer: Thomas Mundt
Format: VST, AU (32 and 64 bits)
Another simple option to set up: Loudmax. Here, the settings are reduced to the strict minimum: you can only adjust the threshold and output level.
It is a brick-wall limiter of the “look-ahead” type, meaning it analyzes the signal in advance to optimize the applied effect.
In terms of sound, it is quite transparent.
While it can be used in many different situations, I would tend to suggest using it to occasionally limit peaks, rather than as a true dynamic adjustment tool. For that, the other tools presented in this article will be more effective.
► Click here to download Loudmax
4. KHz Limiter
Developer: KiloHearts
Format: VST, AU, AAX (32 and 64 bits) + Reason Rack Extension
Limiter is a rather nice creation from the Kilohearts brand.
The resizable interface includes simple settings that allow you to adjust the plugin’s behavior in just a few seconds.
In terms of sound, it is effective and tends to respect transients enough not to completely squash them. Additionally, it only slightly burdens the CPU, which is very appreciated — for example, if you are mixing on a laptop.
Finally, an interesting point for Reason DAW users, Kilohearts’ Limiter is also available in Reason Rack format, with a slightly different interface.
Worth a try! 🙂
► Click here to download KHz Limiter
5. Limited-Z
Developer: LVC-Audio
Format: VST, VST3, AU, AAX (32 and 64 bits)
The interface is not very pretty, but Limited-Z is an excellent plugin.
It comes in two versions: one is paid and the other is free, but has a more limited number of options — which does not prevent it from being very useful.
The plugin is indeed capable of significantly increasing the perceived volume without falling into extreme distortion.
Using a “look-ahead” approach, it has different algorithms that truly allow you to customize the sound that comes out: Basic, Traditional, Deep, Aggressive…
Moreover, the release is “program-dependent”, meaning it automatically evolves based on the input signal. The plugin is therefore quite easy to control, even though it has a number of other interesting features (automatic gain, peak and RMS level indicators…).
► Click here to download Limited-Z
6. Frontier
Developer: D16 Group
Format: VST, VST3, AU, AAX (32 and 64 bits)
Now free, whereas access was previously restricted, Frontier is an interesting limiter to have on hand, but may be a bit more effective in a mixing context (individual tracks or bus).
Beyond the classic settings, Frontier integrates a soft-clipping system and three release options (fast/medium/slow), which I find sufficient to cover a wide range of situations.
Note also that via a menu option, you can adjust the quality (presumably the oversampling) of the processing, to limit the occurrence of unwanted distortions.
► Click here to download Frontier
For more free effects…
Do you love plugins? Feel free to check out my list of the best free VST/AU plugins! 🙂