ClipStar: Soft Limiting and Juicy Saturation for Your Tracks
In the world of digital audio, the battle against loudness peaks is a constant challenge. Hard clipping can quickly solve the problem, but often leads to unpleasant distortion and loss of dynamics. This is where ClipStar from de la Mancha comes in – a plugin designed as an elegant solution to prevent peaks in a softer and more musical way.
ClipStar is not just a limiter or clipper. It is a tool that combines the functions of soft limiting, increasing overall loudness, and adding pleasant analog saturation. It is ideal for “catching” accidental peaks, final polishing of a mix or individual tracks, and for giving sound extra warmth and character.
Unique Feature: Low Frequency Bypass
One of the key advantages of ClipStar, which distinguishes it from many other clippers, is the ability to bypass low frequencies. As you know, distortion is most noticeable in the lower range. Thanks to the Low Frequency Bypass function, ClipStar allows you to preserve the clarity and density of the bass, applying the effect of soft limiting and saturation mainly to the mid and high frequencies. This makes it possible to significantly increase the overall loudness without noticeable destruction of the signal in the bass range, which is critically important for many genres.
You can adjust the cutoff frequency of the bypass from 0 to 1000 Hz, finely adjusting which part of the signal will be processed. Additional control over the low-frequency gain (+/- 30 dB) allows you to integrate the processed signal even more precisely.
Applications and Features
ClipStar is extremely flexible in use. Depending on your needs and creative tasks, you can use it as:
- Peak protection tool: Set a soft limit to guarantee the absence of overloads at the output, while preserving the natural dynamics.
- Means of increasing the volume: Gradually increase the input gain, allowing ClipStar to gently limit the peaks and increase the overall volume (RMS), while adding pleasant saturation.
- Saturation and soft distortion effect: Use it to add vintage warmth, harmonic saturation, and light “coloring” of the sound to the tracks.
The plugin adds a barely noticeable “coloring” to the signal thanks to its own combination of harmonics, saturation, and noise, which gives the sound a character similar to analog equipment. For absolute control, there is an optional hard limiting mode at the final output, which can serve as the last line of defense.
Detailed Control and Visualization
ClipStar is equipped with a comprehensive set of parameters and visual indicators for precise adjustment and monitoring:
- Input and output gain: Adjusting the signal level before and after processing in the range of +/- 30 dB.
- Soft clip limit: Setting the threshold for the soft limit trigger from 0 to -30 dB.
- Low-frequency bypass cutoff frequency: Adjusting the processing distribution point from 0 to 1000 Hz.
- Low-frequency gain: Separate adjustment of the low frequencies in the range of +/- 30 dB.
- Optional hard limiting: Enabling an additional limiter at the output.
- Comprehensive indication (metering): Stereo indicators of input and output signal levels, as well as a gain reduction indicator. All indicators display current and peak values.
- Setting the hold time of peak values on the indicators.
- Double-click function to reset the parameters by the handle.
Thanks to its intuitive interface and visual feedback, ClipStar becomes a powerful and convenient tool in the arsenal of any musician or sound engineer who strives to achieve maximum loudness and saturation, while maintaining the clarity and musicality of the sound.
