Sound & signal
Limiter
A limiter is a compressor with an absolute ceiling: it lets everything through until a set level, then refuses to exceed it. Mastering engineers use one on every record you own.
In practice
A limiter on a club system is a safety net, not a mixing tool — if it is working hard, fix the gain instead.
Relying on it flattens everything you were trying to build. The dynamics that make a drop land are exactly what a limiter removes, so a set mixed into a limiter arrives loud and lifeless. Set channel gains so the master sits comfortably below the ceiling, and let the limiter catch only the moments you did not predict. On the production side the same logic explains loudness war masters: push into a limiter hard enough and you buy volume by spending dynamic range.
0 dBFS
Typical ceiling
27,674
Catalog masters hotter than −8 dB
-10.68 dB
Catalog median loudness
Where these come from: The catalog figures are live, measured on 11 August 2026, and show how hard mastering already pushes; the limiter settings on a rig are the engineer's. For what we can measure, see the full loudness distribution.
Why it matters
A limiter is why modern records are as loud as they are. It catches the peaks so the average level can be pushed up without clipping, which is the entire mechanism behind the loudness of contemporary masters — and behind the fact that most of them have very little dynamic range left.
For a DJ, the limiter that matters is usually the one built into the booth or the amplifier. It is a safety net, not a mixing tool: if it is working hard, the sound is already being squashed and the fix is upstream, at the gain.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a limiter and a compressor?+
Degree. A compressor reduces level gradually above a threshold; a limiter refuses to pass anything above its ceiling at all. A limiter is a compressor with an extreme ratio.
Should DJs use a limiter?+
Not as part of mixing. The one in the booth or the amp exists to protect the system, and if your mix is driving it constantly the levels are wrong further up the chain.
Why are modern tracks so loud?+
Limiting during mastering. Catching the peaks allows the average level to be raised, which is why 27,674 tracks in our catalog are mastered hotter than −8 dB.
Related terms
Compressor
A compressor reduces the level of anything above a threshold, narrowing the gap between the loud and quiet parts. The result can then be turned up as a whole, which is how records get their density.
Clipping
Clipping is what happens when a signal exceeds the maximum a system can carry: the peaks are cut flat, adding harsh harmonics. In digital audio the ceiling is 0 dBFS and there is nothing above it.
Headroom
Headroom is the gap between where your signal is sitting and the point where it distorts. It is the room left for the loud parts, and for whatever you do to the channel next.
Loudness
Loudness is a track’s average level in decibels below full scale, so every value is negative and closer to zero is louder. It decides how far you move the gain, not how hard the record hits.
Explore: Loudness · Compressor · Clipping · All DJ terms