User Manual

Mastering Modules
OZONE 7 | MASTERING MODULES
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Threshold Controls
Threshold
This slider determines the point that the maximizer will begin limiting. Turning down the threshold
limits more of the signal, which in turn will create an overall louder mix.
In other words, by turning down the threshold, you limit the dynamic range of the mix, and the
maximizer automatically adds gain proportionally to maximize the output level.
Ceiling
Formerly called “Margin,” the ceiling sets the maximum level output by the Maximizer.
It is generally recommended to use a setting of -0.3 dB when dithering, or a more dramatic setting
(-0.6 to -0.8) when mastering audio to be converted to .mp3 or .aac later, in order to prevent clipping in
the future.
Other Controls
True Peak Limiting
Enables true peak limiting by examining not just the levels of each digital sample, but the levels of the
analog signal that will eventually be produced by D/A conversion. This is sometimes necessary, since
an analog signal’s peak level can exceed its corresponding digital signal’s peak level by more than 3
dB! This option will increase CPU usage slightly, but if your mixes are running very hot you may want
to enable it to ensure that no distortion is introduced when your audio is finally run through a D/A
converter. Many modern broadcast loudness standards impose a limit on true peak levels, so use this
option to ensure compliance of your peak levels.
Character
Adjust the character slider to customize the overall response time, and thus the sound, of the
maximizer process. The slider allows a continuous range through the following four characters:
• Slow
• Transparent
• Smooth
• Fast
Stereo Unlink
The Ozone Limiter defaults to 0% stereo unlinking, which imposes one limiter across the stereo image.
With the Stereo Unlink fader, you can control the amount that the left and right channels are limited
independently.
At values from 1 to 100%, a level envelope generated by a ratio of the individual channel and the entire
stereo image triggers two independent channel limiters.
Values less than 50% favor the stereo image’s channels’ gain and values higher than 50% favor the
individual channel’s gain.