FabFilter is known internationally for their incredibly high quality professional audio plugins. We’ve used their ‘Total Bundle’ extensively in our productions, so when we heard about a new installment of their unparalleled limiter, Pro-L 2, we knew we had to get our hands on it for a review. Each FabFilter product is easy to use and boasts a striking interface aimed at providing unsurpassed workflow. Their plugins are also the industry standard amongst producers, mixing and mastering engineers. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a professional studio without at least one FabFilter product in their arsenal. For those looking to upgrade their mastering or plugin collection, Pro-L 2 is the perfect tool to pick up. Having a high quality limiter plugin is an absolute must for any aspiring or professional engineer who regularly uses a DAW.
While Pro-L 2 looks similar at first to it’s earlier iteration, there are some astonishingly useful features in the new version.
Pro-L 2 actively shows how much you’re limiting the audio you feed into the plugin. Instead of a constantly updating average or peak gain reduction, you can actually see the gain reduction per peak! If you’re a mastering engineer or just wanting to master your own music, this is an invaluable feature that is offered by practically no other limiters on the market. The audio visualizer is also highly adjustable, allowing you to track the average loudness of audio over time. One could play a whole track through the analyzer and easily ascertain valuable information about the audio, all within one simple to use plugin!
Pro-L 2 has extremely precise true peak level meters and loudness metering with support for the EBU R128, ITU-R BS.1770-4 and ATSC A/85 standards. This makes it perfect for all audio applications, whether it’s streaming, broadcast, mastering for the club or CD- whatever!
Some other new features in Pro-L include:
- Eight different limiting algorithms, all with their own character and purpose
- Up to 32x linear-phase oversampling
- Surround support including Dolby Atmos 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 formats with flexible surround channel linking
- Optional DC offset filter
- External side chain triggering for stem mastering
- A new ‘Unity Gain’ option to easily listen to the effect of the current limiting at unity gain level
- Audition Limiting option to listen to the difference between the input and output signal – actually hear what you’re taking out of your audio!
FabFilter Pro-L 2 is the closest thing to a perfect plugin. We experienced no crashes in our testing, no audio drop-outs, or glitches. Half of the features offered we wouldn’t have thought we needed until we had them at our disposal!
Get Pro-L 2 for $199, or buy FabFilter’s ‘Total Bundle’ here
What’s your favorite limiter plugin for audio production? Let us know in the comments below!
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