Unlimited by Sonic Anomaly: Maximum Loudness Without Compromise
In the world of digital audio, where the struggle for loudness often leads to a loss of dynamics and the appearance of unpleasant distortions, finding a tool that allows you to achieve the desired level of loudness while maintaining the clarity and punch of your mix or master track is extremely important. The Unlimited plugin from Sonic Anomaly is just such a tool. It is a powerful loudness maximizer and limiter, designed to work with both stereo and multi-channel 5.1 surround sound, making it a versatile solution for a wide range of tasks – from mixing and mastering music to post-production audio for video and film.
Unlimited doesn’t just make your sound louder; it does it intelligently. The main philosophy of the developers is to achieve balanced characteristics, where maximum loudness coexists with the minimum possible audible distortions, typical of hard limiting and clipping. This means that you can increase the overall level of your track without fear that it will sound “over-pumped” or lose its natural dynamics and “breathing”. The plugin seeks to avoid the feeling of excessive compression, preserving the energy and improvisation of the performance.
Key Features and Functionality
- Loudness Maximizer and Limiter: The heart of the plugin is its ability to increase the subjective loudness of your audio material while limiting peak values to prevent clipping at the output. This allows you to fit into modern loudness standards while maintaining control over the dynamic range.
- Stereo and 5.1 Surround Support: Unlimited is flexible in use, working equally effectively with both standard stereo materials and more complex multi-channel projects in 5.1 format. An important advantage is that when working in stereo mode, the additional 5.1 channels do not consume processor resources, providing high efficiency.
- Accurate Loudness Measurement: In addition to traditional RMS meters (root mean square), the plugin is equipped with an integrated loudness meter that complies with the ITU-R BS.1770 standard. This standard is key for modern audio production, especially for broadcasting and streaming services, allowing you to accurately assess the perceived loudness and meet industry requirements.
Sonic Anomaly’s Sound Philosophy
Sonic Anomaly developers have focused on creating a limiter that doesn’t sound like a typical, aggressive peak limiter. Instead of just “cutting” the peaks of the signal, Unlimited uses sophisticated algorithms for smooth and musical limiting, minimizing the appearance of unwanted artifacts, such as pumping or distortion. This allows the plugin to be used even at higher gain levels, while maintaining naturalness and clarity of sound. This approach makes it an ideal choice not only for final mastering, but also for use on individual buses or even instruments during mixing, where you need to “tame” the dynamics without compromising the tonal balance.
Technical Aspects and Compatibility
Unlimited is available in VST format, ensuring broad compatibility with the vast majority of modern digital audio workstations (DAW) on the Windows operating system. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows are supported, making it accessible to users of various configurations. Easy installation and an intuitive interface allow you to quickly integrate the plugin into your workflow and immediately start experimenting with achieving optimal loudness and dynamics.
Why Try Unlimited?
If you are looking for a reliable, flexible and musical limiter/maximizer that will help you achieve a competitive level of loudness while preserving the quality and dynamics of your audio, Unlimited by Sonic Anomaly deserves your attention. Its support for multi-channel sound, compliance with loudness measurement standards, and the philosophy of balanced sound make it a valuable addition to the arsenal of any sound engineer, musician or podcaster. Try Unlimited and see for yourself that loudness can be quality!
