That opens the converter configuration, where you can select an encoder and add DSPs to the conversion chain. Load the track into the playlist, right click on it, select Convert, then click on the three dots at the bottom of the conversion presets list. It includes compression and limiter presets.

If you can handle a GUI, you could try the portable version of foobar2000 I uploaded a while back. LoudMax is a compressor though, not just a limiter as such. You could of course verify this at least with ffmpeg's source code (I don't have the time). What you are seeing here COULD be the exemplar result of such underlying processes and one of the differences between the tools. Good tools might not apply dither in every bit reduction (shame, they will incur little bits of distortion or harshness along the way), but they still have the increased interim bit depth to accommodate the math's potentially higher temp sample values (which still get readjusted at the end of the operation).įair or poor tools do not incorporate a higher bit depth in their mix calculations, nor do they dither. It will also introduce dither prior to the stage where it returns to its normal bit value upon completion of the operation, as that prevents quantization distortion being introduced to the process during the bit reduction. 48bits int or 32/64bit float instead of the usual 24bits int) to provide headroom for intermediate/temporary sample values which could get higher than 0dBFS. If the tool is VERY GOOD, it will operate at a higher bit level (e.g. Whenever (audio, but applies to video, photo too) signals are modified, particularly when they are mixed or a dsp effect is applied (as is your case), it has to do adding/multiplying of samples in the interim math of the algorithm.

Hard limiter audacity