Specifications

Chapter 9: Maxim 77
How Maxim Differs From
Conventional Limiters
Maxim is superior to conventional limiters in
several ways. Unlike traditional limiters, Maxim
has the ability to anticipate signal peaks and re-
spond instantaneously with a true zero attack
time.
Maxim does this by buffering audio with a 1024-
sample delay while looking ahead and analyz-
ing audio material on disk before applying lim-
iting. Maxim can then instantly apply limiting
before a peak builds up. The result is extremely
transparent limiting that faithfully preserves the
attack transients and retains the overall charac-
ter of the original unprocessed signal.
In addition, Maxim provides a histogram, that
displays the distribution of waveform peaks in
the audio signal. This provides a convenient vi-
sual reference for comparing the density of
waveform peaks at different decibel levels and
choosing how much limiting to apply to the
material.
Maxim Parameters
Maxim features the following parameters and
indicators:
Input Level
This meter displays the amplitude of input sig-
nals prior to limiting. Unlike conventional
meters, Maxim’s input meter displays the top
24 dB of dynamic range of audio signals, which
is where limiting is typically performed. This
provides you with much greater metering reso-
lution within this range so that you can work
with greater precision.
Histogram
The histogram displays the distribution of wave-
form peaks in the audio signal. This graph is
based on audio playback. If you select and play a
short loop, the histogram is based on that data.
If you select and play a longer section, the histo-
gram is based on that. Maxim holds peak data
until you click the histogram to clear it.
The histogram provides a visual reference for
comparing the density of waveform peaks at dif-
ferent decibel levels. You can then base limiting
decisions on this data.
The X axis of the histogram shows the number
of waveform peaks occurring at specific dB lev-
els. The Y axis shows the specific dB level at
which these peaks occur. The more waveform
peaks that occur at a specific dB level, the longer
the X-axis line. If there appears to be a pro-
nounced spike at a certain dB level (4 dB for ex-
ample), it means that there are a relatively large
number of waveform peaks occurring at that
level. You can then use this information to de-
cide how much limiting to apply to the signal.
The TDM version of Maxim introduces
1028 samples of delay at 48 kHz into any
processed signal. The RTAS version of
Maxim introduces 1024 samples of delay.
These delays will increase proportionally at
higher sample rates. To preserve phase syn-
chronicity between multiple audio sources
when Maxim is only applied to one of these
sources, use the DigiRack Time Adjuster
plug-in to compensate.