Waves: L-2 Stereo Limiter

This is the Holy Grail of limiters - the most transparent limiter I have ever used. This is not a plug- in, but a dedicated piece of hardware that does all its own number crunching at 48 bit. It's very flexible, offering AES/EBU and S/PDIFdigital ins/outs, as well as a word clock in. To my surprise the analog to digital converters included with the unit sound very, very good, and include a variable gain, making them very flexible. Using the L-2 is simple and the manual does a good job explaining the features and appropriate uses of them. The L-2 is the answer for anyone looking to master mixes loud without being forced to make them distorted and harsh. A mastering engineer's wet dream in a time when commercial music is demanding volume over quality. ($2395 list, www.waves.com or www.audiomidi.com)