VENOMODE MAXIMAL 2 CM

The analogue maxmising limiter – free with this issue!

Maximal 2 is a powerful maximising limiter (PC/Mac, VST/AU) that delivers characterful compression, limiting and saturation in Clean, Loud, Tape and Tube modes for a variety of flavours. Developed exclusively for by DSP rising stars Venomode, Maximal 2 CM brings you the full functionality of its big brother’s Tape mode, enabling you to squeeze every last drop of loudness from your tracks or just tame errant peaks, in convincingly analogue style.

Featuring just three controls, Maximal 2 CM is very easy to use. Push the limiter with the Drive knob, set the output volume with the Ceiling knob, and tailor the limiter’s adaptive release with the Response knob, leading to more or less signal transparency. Comprehensive peak and RMS metering keep your eyes up to speed with your ears, and a four-strong library of presets give you some task-orientated starting points, should you need them. Read through the walkthrough and watch the accompanying video to learn all you need to know to put this fabulous plugin to work on your tracks.

If you like Maximal 2 CM’s easy-as-pie combination of limiting and analogue distortion, you’ll definitely want to take a look at the full Maximal 2, which expands on the tape saturation with its tube option and two unsaturated modes – Clean and Loud, the first aiming for maximum transparency, the second throwing in the pre-limter compression but no saturation. It also adds x1, x4 and x8 oversampling options to the fixed x2 setting of Maximal 2 CM, for less aliasing at extreme settings and more accurate detection of intersample peaks. Maximal 2 is nothing short of a bargain at just £29; and while you’re at it, why not check out Venomode’s Pivot tilt EQ and Complexer dual compressor plugins at the same time? www.venomode.com