Four Limiters, One Plugin: Brainworx bx_XL V3 Redefines Loudness

Brainworx, a part of Native Instruments, has rolled out a new plugin, the bx_XL V3 mid/side mastering limiter. The unit delivers ultra-loud masters with XL saturation and was developed with insights from top mastering engineers.

Features

Drawing from the mid/side technology that made waves in Brainworx’s groundbreaking bx_digital EQ, the bx_XL V3 aims to empower mastering engineers. It promises the holy grail: achieving loud masters without sacrificing clarity. The secret? A three-channel approach – mid-low, mid-high, and side – made possible by splitting the mid-channel into two bands.

The Crossover Frequency slider allows you to separate the kick drum and applying different limiting from the rest of the mid signal. The result? Increased loudness, greater punch, and enhanced clarity with fewer artifacts. After the mid-low, mid-high, and side channels reunite into a stereo signal, the full mix is run through another true peak limiter. That’s a total of four stages of limiting.

Brainworx wanted to add more than just loudness to its limiter. The XL knobs are designed to add warmth, introducing third and fifth-order harmonics to your mixes. There’s also a special filtering process to avoid aliasing. This extra harmonic content boosts perceived loudness without significantly raising your music’s output level.

Key Features:

• Multiband processing
• Adjustable crossover frequency
• Mid/side processing
• XL saturation
• Four limiting stages
• True peak limiter
• Mono Maker
• Sidechain circuit
• True peak, RMS, gain reduction, LUFS, and correlation meters
• Resizable UI
• 8 different color schemes

Price

The bx_XL V3 is available for immediate download. The bx_XL V3 is available with an MSRP of $299, and limited-time introductory pricing of $89.99 through July 8.

Also, don’t forget to check out Native Instruments Summer of Sound Sale offering heavy discounts on plugins and gear.

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