Waves L2 Ultramaximizer
The Waves L2 Ultramaximizer is a classic look-ahead brickwall peak limiter and level maximizer designed for mastering, mix buses, and final-stage dynamics control. It combines transparent peak limiting with high-resolution processing and integrated dithering and noise shaping for professional digital delivery.
The L2 uses look-ahead processing for fast, overshoot-free peak control while its ARC (Auto-Release Control) automatically adjusts release behavior according to the dynamics of the material. A streamlined control set—Threshold, Output Ceiling, Release, and IDR dithering—makes it quick to configure while providing the precision required for mastering applications.
Its integrated IDR (Increased Digital Resolution) section provides dithering, bit-depth reduction, and ninth-order noise shaping, allowing the L2 to serve as both a level maximizer and a final-stage resolution conversion tool.
Key Features
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Look-ahead brickwall peak limiting
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Level maximization for mastering and mix buses
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Overshoot-free peak control
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ARC™ Auto-Release Control
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Manual or automatic release modes
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Adjustable Threshold and Output Ceiling
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Attenuation/gain-reduction metering
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Integrated IDR™ dithering and re-quantization
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Multiple noise-shaping options
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48-bit double-precision processing
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Stereo-only design optimized for bus and mastering applications
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Low-latency operation
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Streamlined workflow for fast mastering and mixing
Technical Specifications
Plugin Type: Brickwall Peak Limiter / Level Maximizer
Processing: 48-bit double precision
Limiter: Look-ahead peak limiting
Release: Manual / ARC™ Auto-Release Control
Dithering: IDR™ Increased Digital Resolution
Noise Shaping: Ninth-order noise shaping
Channel Format: Stereo
Primary Controls: Threshold / Output Ceiling / Release
Latency: Low latency
Formats: VST3 / Audio Units / AAX / AudioSuite
Platforms: macOS / Windows
Professional Applications
The L2 is suited for mastering, mix-bus processing, stereo bus limiting, digital delivery, CD mastering, and final peak control. Its combination of peak limiting and IDR processing also makes it useful when reducing higher-resolution mixes to lower bit-depth delivery formats.
