> Step by step
Getting started with Maximal 2 CM
1 To install Maximal 2 CM on your Mac or PC, download the relevant installer from vault.computermusic.co.uk (register issue 242), or get it from the cover DVD that comes with the print edition of this issue. Double-click the installer and follow the instructions to make it do its thing. Insert it over a drums and bass groove, full mix, or other dynamically varied source.
2 Maximal 2 CM is a maximising limiter, which means its primary purpose is to make your tracks sound louder. It does this through a combination of compression, brickwall limiting, soft clipping and analogue-modelled tape saturation, all running behind the scenes at 2x oversampling, with the numerous parameters involved boiled down to just three intuitive controls.
3 The Drive control simultaneously adjusts the threshold and make-up gain of the limiter, with the numbers around the knob representing decibels. So, with the knob set to 3, the limiter kicks in when the signal hits -3dB and applies 3dB of make-up gain to bring the level back up.
4 As the Drive is increased, you can hear the volume difference between the loudest and quietest parts of the signal becoming narrower, and the crunch of Maximal 2 CM’s tape saturation coming into play. The pre-limiting compressor is also affected by the Drive knob, so you can think of it in general terms as setting the overall amount of maximising.
5 The three meters show the input level (I), output level (O) and gain reduction (R). The dark green bars are the peak level, light green is RMS, and the white line is the peak hold. As you increase the Drive, the orange gain reduction meter starts to respond, indicating the effect of the limiter, and both the peak and RMS output levels go up.
6 The Response knob adjusts the release time of the limiter, from Fast to Slow. The faster the Response, the less transparent the limiting and the louder the output, as – at the fastest setting – the volume returns to its unlimited level the instant the signal drops below the threshold. The Response time is clearly visualised by the gain reduction meter.
7 The Ceiling knob simply sets the maximum output level from Maximal 2 CM. When using the plugin on a full mix for mastering purposes, you’ll want to keep this at or just below zero. For use on individual tracks and busses, lower it as far as necessary to give yourself the headroom required in the context of the mix.
8 The rest of Maximal 2 CM’s interface is straightforward enough. A small library of presets is accessed via the topleft menu, and added to with the Save button next to it. On the right, the question mark button opens the PDF manual, and the power button bypasses the plugin.
9 Upgrading to the full Maximal 2 adds three extra processing modes to the tape-style saturation of Maximal 2 CM: Clean, Loud and Tube, for a limiting-only option, extra loudness and valve-style distortion respectively. You also get the benefit of up to 8x oversampling, for catching intersample peaks.