ToneBooster Barricade v4 question

[H-evolve]

Since I'm not really a pro audio engineer and that it isn't my job, until recently I've been working mainly with free plugins to try my hand at mixing. Either the stuff that comes with Reaper or other free, known plugins (W1 Limiter, for example).

That being said, I stumbled on the ToneBooster stuff, with everybody saying they are very underrated and very inexpensive. So I've bought the "Essential" package and also the Barricade V4, which is a Compressor/Limiter/Saturation plugin.

I was wondering if there are other people using Barricade v4 around here? I have issues with it, since when activating the Limiter function of the plugin, it creates very disturbing pumping effect. There are different modes to the limiter (intenstify, auto-clean, etc.), Intensify mode being the worst of them all for the pumping effect. But I found that all of the modes still have, to different degrees, some pumping going on.

I thought I had a shitty mix, maybe with my low end being all over the place, but then when I replace Barricade with W1 Limiter (a free version of the L1 by Waves), the pumping effect stops. There must be something I don't understand... every feedback I read about the Barricade was highly positive.

Anybody has experience with this plugin?

 

[allanqa]

I remember i tested it like a mastering leveler and limiter and sounds fine, but opted for the joey sturgis In that moment.

Just check you are not crushing the hell out with the limiter

 

[KillFrenzy]

W1 is probably more of a clipping style limiter hence the loudness and less pumping while Barricade may be more on the softer/safer side of limiting. Although on a first look at its interface, Barricade seems to be versatile enough to pull any style of limiting. Try faster settings and get familiar with its limiting algorithms. Knowing the algorithms was key for me to choose FabFilter Pro-L over others including Barricade that was on V3 by that time. I know it's an unfair comparison price-wise but I was surprised by Barricade, specially at its price point.

 

[newamerikangospel]

Without using it directly, I would look at your release settings and your out Celling settings. If it's not your mix directly, gain staging, or the limiter trying to work extra hard to bring the levels too low, your release setting may just be at a weird point where it's unclamping right when the next attack is clamping down.

 

[H-evolve]

Well the pumping occurs at some drum hits. My drum is already compressed enough and I ran some tests with Barricade V4. I have set the Limiter ceiling at -0.1, the attack at 0.1 ms and the release relatively slow (200 ms I think). When the Limiter is set in mode "Intensify", this is where the worst pumping occurs, as I said at some drum hits (floortoms + kick for instance). At intensify, the limiter seems to try to drop the volume ridiculously low, making the overall sound look like pumping. Say my average mix is at -0.1 dB, for that hit it drops to -0.6dB or something in that range... On other modes than Intensify, pumping is a lot less present.

 

[nezvers]

Have you compared mix against reference track? Maybe give use some preview before/ after.