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controlfreak
Silver Member
Ireland
337 Posts |
 Posted - 06/25/2008 : 16:29:59
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Hi guys,
picked up an immaculate LM-2 there a few months ago. basically i understand what limiting does and all that but i'm tryin to understand the pedal a bit more. i've done all the usual knob twiddling stuff but limiters make it a little harder to hear what's happening than say a flanger or delay.
so basically what tips do people have for settin up a limiter and what do the threshold knob and release knob do at max and min settings?
sorry for the noobness of the question but maybe it's somethin that a few people are unclear about! 
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visserman
Platinum Member
1072 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2008 : 16:56:57
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Don't be sorry man, limiters [and compressors] are often misunderstood as there function is not that obvious that let us say a phaser or flanger.
The LM2 is a limiter, but can also be used as a compressor.
When will you need a limiter? When your signal is too hot for your amp to handle, so you would run into some kind of distortion. The limiter could avoid this by simple cutting down the signal.
Now cutting down signal is a signalchain can be done in many ways and using a limiter is only just one of them.
When you use the LM2 as a compressor it can add overal brightness and spark to your signal. What does a compressor do? It brings up weak signals and cuts stronger ones. Compressors tend to just improve [or decrease] your soundquality, depending on your understanding of the usage of them.
I think there are some basic settings for the different functions of the LM2 on the homepage, but not sure,as I have not visited for some time.
I will give you some settings at a later stage, but just experiment for now.
It may be best to use the LM-2 in combination with other pedals, just a LM-2 on its own may not be very noticeable, but then I only use a compressor and a eq-pedal and I do hear the difference in my signal, so just experiment.
Enjoy experimenting!! |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2008 : 17:07:11
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Limiters are for bassplayers  According to the Boss book.
Visserman is right, compression/limiting can be used in a number of ways if set up correctly.
I mainly use it to dip in some of the loudest peaks a little, I'm basically mimic'ing what a tube amp does when driven hard, only without the distortion, just the natural compression sound which is great on bass.
Whereas on guitar I haven't really found the use for one, some country players use it to make their chickenpickin' style stand out a little more, to give it more of a pumping edge.
Slash uses one in the loop of his clean amp to control playing dynamics.
It's all a matter of needing it, if you find that you don't, then don't. Obviously the less stuff you have in your signal path, the better, both tone wise and foolproof wise. |
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Big Boss Man
Gold Member
USA
564 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2008 : 01:53:40
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| LM-2 is great for recording. It helps prevent those peaks that cause clipping. Settings are going to depend on the guitar, amp, and how you play. Threshold is the level that causes the limiting effect. Higher threshold setting = lesser limiting effect. I like to start with a threshold setting where it is hard to discern the effect. If you then want a little compression, roll back the threshold. |
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controlfreak
Silver Member
Ireland
337 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2008 : 09:22:33
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ok thanks for all the replies guys, startin to understand a bit more bout how to use the effect!!
something else i don't understand is the level and release knobs. i know the level does what it says on the tin but apparently the key to getting a good sound out of this pedal is setting the threshold first then balancing your sound with the level knob. how does this work exactly?
and what effect is the release knob having on the sound? |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2008 : 18:32:04
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You're right about the level control, it just controls the overall output level.
On my Boss RDD-10 I also have an attack control as well as a release control. I set both controls to minimum.
This means that the compression starts at the very first microt of any note above the threshold level, but since the release time is also set to minimum, the compression just dips in the notes.
So basically, setting the release control to minimum will release the compression right away, turning it up will get the compression to hold longer.
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Edited by - Dirk on 06/26/2008 18:32:51 |
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Any tips on using limiters?
