Clipper plugins are essential tools in the audio production process, particularly in mastering, mixing, and sound design. They are designed to manage and shape the dynamic range of audio signals, allowing producers and engineers to achieve louder, more impactful mixes without compromising on sound quality. Clippers work by “clipping” the peaks of audio waveforms, which can add harmonic distortion that is often perceived as warmth or fullness.
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Boz Digital Labs Big Clipper 2
Boz Digital Labs’ Big Clipper 2 is a versatile clipper plugin that combines the functions of a clipper and a limiter. It is designed to handle everything from subtle clipping process to heavy overdrive with ease. The plugin offers two stages of distortion, each with distinct flavors, allowing users to mix and match to achieve the desired sound. It also features a Frequency Selective Threshold, which includes an innovative Heft control for achieving a more natural and warm distortion.
Big Clipper 2 is praised for its tone shaping and distortion options. The clipping modes also includes a feature called Frequency Sensitivity, which, while resembling an EQ, offers more nuanced control over the clipping effect. The audio processing plugin is also equipped with a resizable interface, native Apple Silicon support, asymmetrical distortion, oversampling, and bias control. It also includes a simpler, more powerful interface and the Little Clipper 2 at no extra cost for high quality clipping.
However, some users have expressed concerns about the lack of a demo, video, or manual available for Big Clipper 2, which can make it difficult for potential users to understand its features and capabilities. There have also been complaints about slow updates from the developers.
Big Clipper 2 is a robust and flexible clipper plugin that offers a wide range of features for shaping and controlling the sound of your audio. Its dual-stage distortion and Frequency Selective Threshold make it a powerful tool for achieving a variety of clipping effects, from subtle to aggressive. However, the lack of readily available resources for understanding its features may be a drawback for some users.
This is the Best Clipper VST Plugin in 2024.
TDR Limiter 6 GE
TDR Limiter 6 GE, developed by Tokyo Dawn Labs, is a comprehensive dynamics processing plugin that offers more than just limiting. It is composed of five modules: a Dynamics Compressor, a Clipper, a High Frequency Limiter, a Peak Limiter, and an Output Protection Limiter. These modules can be rearranged according to the user’s needs, providing a high degree of flexibility.
The plugin is praised for its versatility, precision, and affordability. It is capable of handling a wide range of applications, from subtle transient control and peak leveling to aggressive loudness maximization and creative mix bus processing. This makes it a valuable tool for both mixing and mastering. One of the standout features of TDR Limiter 6 GE is its Dynamics Compressor, which is more of a smooth leveler than an aggressive transient squasher. This allows for more even and natural-sounding dynamics control. The Clipper and High Frequency Limiter modules are also highly regarded for their performance, offering superior peak control and high-frequency limiting.
The plugin also includes a True Peak and EBU Loudness Meter, providing accurate and precise dynamics management. This allows users to keep a close eye on their levels and avoid over-processing their audio. Despite its extensive features, TDR Limiter 6 GE is known for its user-friendly interface. However, due to the sheer number of options available, it may take some time for users to fully understand how each module works and how to get the most out of the plugin.
One potential drawback of TDR Limiter 6 GE is its CPU usage. Some users have reported that the plugin can be quite demanding on the CPU, which may be a concern for those with less powerful systems.
TDR Limiter 6 GE is a robust and flexible dynamics processing plugin that offers a wide range of features for shaping and controlling the dynamics of your audio. Its versatility, precision, and affordability make it a must-have tool for any producer or audio engineer. However, its extensive features and high CPU usage may require a learning curve and a powerful system to get the most out of it.
Newfangled Audio Saturate
Newfangled Audio Saturate is a powerful and versatile plugin that offers a unique approach to saturation and clipping. It is designed to add harmonic content to your audio without shifting the tonal balance, even when adding up to 24dB of gain. This makes it an excellent tool for adding punch and detail to individual tracks or an entire mix without making the sound muddy or indistinct.
One of the standout features of Saturate is its sophisticated signal processing engine. Despite its simple control set, the plugin is capable of a wide range of effects, from subtle warmth to aggressive overdrive. The Shape control allows you to smoothly morph between hard clipping and a softer, more musical saturation effect. Saturate also includes a unique feature called Detail Preservation. This allows the plugin to overdrive a signal without losing the finer details, no matter how hard you push it. This is achieved by treating sine waves at different frequencies independently, ensuring that the larger low frequencies don’t crowd out the finer detail frequencies.
The plugin also includes a mastering quality metering system, making it easy to hit your ideal peak and RMS levels. This, combined with its efficient anti-aliasing method, ensures that your audio remains clean and free of unwanted artifacts, even under heavy processing. Despite its advanced features, Saturate is praised for its ease of use and low CPU usage. Its simple control set allows you to work quickly and efficiently, without getting bogged down in complex parameters.
However, some users have compared Saturate to other plugins like StandardCLIP and Logic’s Clip Distortion, suggesting that it may not offer a significantly different sound or feature set. Despite this, many users still consider Saturate to be their go-to plugin for saturation and clipping.
Newfangled Audio Saturate is a robust and flexible plugin that offers a unique approach to saturation and clipping. Its ability to add harmonic content without shifting the tonal balance, combined with its detail preservation feature and user-friendly interface, make it a valuable tool for any producer or audio engineer.
sonible smart:limit
Sonible smart:limit is a powerful limiter plugin that is highly regarded for its versatility and user-friendly interface. It is designed to manage the loudness and dynamics of your audio, making it a valuable tool for both beginners and professionals.
The plugin offers a clean and flexible GUI, providing superb visual feedback and learning aids. It combines the tools of several Sonible plugins, providing transparent limiting, automatic parameterization, sound shaping, and extensive loudness and dynamics monitoring in one package. It is praised for its open top end and good transient definition.
One of the standout features of smart:limit is its AI-powered parameterization. This feature helps to safeguard the nuance and detail of your mix, even when applying heavy limiting. However, the AI parameters may require some tweaking to achieve the best and most accurate results. The plugin also includes a genre-based profile system, allowing you to quickly set up the plugin based on the genre of your music. You can also upload a reference track to help guide the plugin’s processing.
Despite its extensive features, smart:limit is known for its ease of use. Its interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced users. However, some users have reported that the plugin can be quite demanding on the CPU, which may be a concern for those with less powerful systems.
Sonible smart:limit is a robust and flexible limiter plugin that offers a wide range of features for managing the loudness and dynamics of your audio. Its AI-powered parameterization, combined with its user-friendly interface and extensive monitoring capabilities, make it a must-have tool for any producer or audio engineer. However, its extensive features and high CPU usage may require a learning curve and a powerful system to get the most out of it.
KNOCK Clipper
KNOCK Clipper, developed by platinum music producer DECAP, is a versatile and user-friendly plugin designed to enhance the impact and presence of your drums. It is part of the acclaimed KNOCK plugin, which is known for its signature sound that has helped shape the sonics of modern music.
The digital clipping is designed to push your drums hard without ever going above 0db, giving your drums a warm, aggressive tone reminiscent of pushing vintage analogue gear into “the red”. It allows you to select a harder clip curve for a more aggressive tone, or a softer clip curve for a rounder tone. The music production plugin also has an optional high-quality mode to enable oversampling for precise control.
One of the standout features of KNOCK Clipper is its lightweight design, which is not heavy on the CPU. This makes it an efficient tool for producers and engineers who need to manage their system resources carefully. The plugin is also easy to use, making it accessible to both beginners and seasoned professionals.
However, some users have noted that the plugin lacks scalability, which can be an issue for those with larger monitors. There have also been comments about the lack of noise options, such as white or pink noise.
KNOCK Clipper is a robust and flexible plugin that offers a unique approach to enhancing the impact and presence of your drums. Its ability to push your drums hard without ever going above 0db, combined with its lightweight design and user-friendly interface, make it a valuable tool for any producer or audio engineer. However, its lack of scalability and noise options may be a drawback for some users.
Eventide Saturate
The Spectral Clipper algorithm used in the Elevate Mastering Limiter is known as Saturate. The two controls on Saturate hide a complex signal processing engine that can overload a signal without compromising the tonal balance, no matter how hard you push it. Up to 24 dB of overdrive can be added without sounding “tubby” or muffled. You may also use the SHAPE slider to seamlessly transition between harsh clipping algorithms and the mathematically smoothest curve imaginable. Overdrive individual tracks or your entire mix with Saturate.
Many people want their best clipping plugin to have a lot of features, while an equal proportion prefer a simple utility that does the job. If you’re one of the latter types, the lack of a cockpit-style UI will be a pleasant difference from the majority of the items on our list. With a single slider dubbed Clipper Shape, Saturate claims to be able to give you anything from a harsh clip to the smoothest curve possible, and its outstanding sound backs up this claim.
While Saturate’s default sound is pleasant and smooth, you won’t have any options like saturation parameters or clipping threshold control if you want to experiment with asymmetric distortion or even a different symmetrical shape. So, for a similar price, you get a lot more functionality. However, we recommend downloading a trial, listening to how it sounds, and then purchasing at this affordable price tag it if you enjoy it. This is the Best Clipper Plugin in 2024.
Soundspot Nevo
NEVO is SoundSpot’s new monster clipper, created by our in-house audio experts to give you the ultimate peak control while mastering audio or boosting virtual or hardware instruments. NEVO isn’t your average clipper; it’s packed with features and controls that will leave you speechless with its sonic prowess while remaining simple to use and absolutely inspiring.
NEVO includes a 16-band soft clipper for soft clipping, a single-band hard clipper, several coloration settings, a transient shaper, and a final clip wall limiter, as well as multiple coloration settings, a transient shaper, and a final clip wall limiter. All of these elements have been rigorously created and tested into a precise signal flow so you can get the finest sound from your instruments, groups, mixes, and masters. NEVO is the audio production plugin you’ve always needed in your arsenal, with an infectious approach and instant results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Clipper plugin?
A Clipper plugin is a type of audio plugin used in digital audio production. It controls the peaks of an audio signal, increases its perceived loudness, and can add harmonic distortion.
How does a Clipper plugin work?
Clipper plugins work by chopping off, or “clipping,” the peaks of an audio signal that exceed a certain threshold. This process can increase the audio’s loudness and add harmonic distortion.
Why should I use a Clipper plugin?
Using a Clipper plugin can help control the dynamic range of your audio, increase its perceived loudness, and add unique tonal characteristics through harmonic distortion.
How does a Clipper differ from a compressor or limiter?
While compressors and limiters control the dynamic range and volume of audio signals, a Clipper intentionally introduces distortion and saturation. Clipper plugins are primarily used for creative sound manipulation and adding coloration, whereas compressors and limiters are more focused on dynamic control and leveling.
What types of audio sources benefit from Clipper VST plugins?
Clipper plugins are versatile and can be used on a wide range of audio sources, including individual tracks, drum samples, vocals, and entire mixes. They are especially useful for adding character and warmth to electronic music, rock, and various other genres.
Can Clipper VST plugins be used for mastering?
Yes, Clipper VST plugins can be used in the mastering process to add a final touch of coloration and saturation to the mix. However, it’s crucial to use them with care to avoid overprocessing and ensure the final master retains its dynamic range.