Today I will show you that it is very easy to build your own alternative limiter using the Pulveriser.

Limiting the peaks

A limiter limits the peaks. So when a signal passes a threshold the signal will be decreased in volume.

So to create a limiter we need:

• a threshold device
• a device which can push a volume down

Guess what? The Pulveriser can do that. It contains a Follower for the threshold gate and it contains a volume parameter on the back of the device which can control the volume via CV. But exactly like yesterday’s tutorial on Dynamic Compression we also need a standard Spider CV device in our rack because we need to Follower to decrease the volume instead of increasing it (which can be cool too, but not for a limiter).

Setting up the Pulveriser

Simply follow these steps to create your own alternative limiter using the Pulveriser:

• Add the Pulveriser to your rack
• Add the Spider CV to your rack
• Hit the Tab-key for connecting the back of the device and connect the Modulation Output of the Follower to the Split A input on the Spider CV
• Now take the inverted signal of the CV Split A (look for the Split output with the grey square and the ‘Inv’ text next to it) and connect it to the Volume input of the CV Modulation Input section on the Pulveriser

Now when you send a signal through the Pulveriser you can play with the Threshold, Attack and Release parameters to adjust the limiter effect. Take note: on the back of the Pulveriser the Volume input of the CV Modulation Input section has a parameter to control the amount of volume modulation it will perform.

Now listen to the demo I have created for the alternative limiter. It is using a 3/4 rhythm and I’m switching back and forth between 2 unaffected bars (bypassing the effect) and 2 bars playing though the effect. I am switching between different settings during the track. Volume differences can be heard between signals with and without the effect. I didn’t fix or compensate for these. But please listen to the way the dynamic transients are limited and you’ll get a feeling of what the Pulveriser is capable of.

Remember: I’m sending some examples and files in the Newsletter coming weekend.