L2 Ultramaximizer

Classic look-ahead brickwall peak limiter and level maximizer

Maximize Levels with Immaculate Impact

With its legendary combination of look-ahead brickwall peak limiting, level maximization, and ultra-high resolution, the L2 has become a mainstay in mastering and mixing chains in studios everywhere. And for delivering mastered audio, the advanced output dithering algorithms and noise shaping make it easier than ever to convert audio to lower bit depths.

Engineered for mastering, with a stereo-only format, the L2’s ease of use, sonic clarity, optimized release times, effective peak limiting, and streamlined user interface are in a class by themselves.

Stereo-only format optimized for bus applications
Look-ahead gives overshoot-free response and fast attack
48-bit, double-precision math for superior noise-shaping accuracy
Fast workflow, with simplified control set and dithering options
ARC (Auto-Release Control) responds sensitively to dynamics
Choose between Manual and ARC™ Automatic Release Control
Low latency for live sound and for tracking
IDR™ Increased Digital Resolution with double precision bit re-quantization and dithering

Watch It in Action

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What Top Pros Are Saying

[{"itemID":2398,"itemGUID":"3c3eb15d-62d6-4a98-b967-6ffdaf46ae66","artistName":"Noah \u002240\u0022 Shebib","artistTitle":"Label President, Executive Producer, Producer, Mixing/Recording Engineer, Musician","credits":"Drake, Beyonc\u00E9, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/noah-shabib.png","quote":"L2 will always be my staple go-to limiter.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":1},{"itemID":102,"itemGUID":"c0c38df9-513f-4986-99a5-14ae55f9262b","artistName":"Mark Ronson","artistTitle":"Producer, DJ, Recording Artist","credits":"Amy Winehouse, Jay-Z, Adele, Bruno Mars","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/mark-ronson.png","quote":"Waves plugins are crucial to me, especially the L2 and the Renaissance plugins. I do my recordings on tape, but once I move to the DAW, these plugins are a must.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":2},{"itemID":216,"itemGUID":"143b42f5-b1b9-4c21-b3fd-8365ebec74d2","artistName":"Andrew Scheps","artistTitle":"Producer, Engineer","credits":"Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/andrew-scheps.png","quote":"L2 is a classic limiter. Works great on individual tracks as well as mixes. A little goes a long way.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":3},{"itemID":2024,"itemGUID":"6bf68a87-ba50-4b47-8803-ad2d2511ea32","artistName":"The Glitch Mob","artistTitle":"","credits":"","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/the-glitch-mob.png","quote":"L2 defined the sound of an entire generation of music. We love the L2 so much that at one point we even owned the hardware unit.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":4},{"itemID":2234,"itemGUID":"d1f8e725-dde6-43f2-b3bf-700fb6d7de48","artistName":"Hardwell","artistTitle":"DJ, Producer, Remixer","credits":"","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/hardwell.png","quote":"The L2 is undoubtedly my favorite transparent limiter.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":5},{"itemID":3233,"itemGUID":"a9651539-12fb-40bf-a711-2e232941006b","artistName":"Virgin Miri","artistTitle":"Artist, Producer, Songwriter, Engineer","credits":"T Minus","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/virgin-miri.png","quote":"I always use an L2 preset on my master bus to give my track extra punch and clarity before sending out a demo. I usually use the Hi Res CD master which does the job perfectly.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":6},{"itemID":1825,"itemGUID":"41de2861-d3f0-4756-bf07-622254de5fb3","artistName":"Andy Sneap","artistTitle":"Producer, Mixing \u0026 Mastering Engineer, Guitarist","credits":"Megadeth, Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy, Judas Priest","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/andy-sneap.png","quote":"I use L2 to help cymbals where the snare is too dominant. Often the L2 will be enough, but if it\u2019s too boxy I pair it wtih the F6 EQ to limit the 400 Hz range before going to L2.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":7},{"itemID":2340,"itemGUID":"bba40529-88ea-467d-baff-c7595fa2d38e","artistName":"Like Mike","artistTitle":"Artist, Performer, Producer, Musician","credits":"Dmitri Vegas \u0026 Like Mike","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/avatar-male.png","quote":"I love the L2 Ultramaximizer, it\u2019s a classic that I\u2019ve been using for many years, ever since I started producing. For mixing, mastering and limiting it\u2019s still the way the go.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":8},{"itemID":217,"itemGUID":"33cc2627-d7f2-434c-b76a-ef88badca174","artistName":"Ken \u0022Pooch\u0022 Van Druten","artistTitle":"Mixer, FOH Engineer","credits":"Linkin Park, Kiss, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/ken-van-druten.png","quote":"The L2 Ultramaximizer is the sound of what records sound like these days. Why shouldn\u2019t I use it live, too?","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":9},{"itemID":2078,"itemGUID":"bd6c2d9b-c9e8-4836-b049-54f41911369d","artistName":"Chris Craker","artistTitle":"Musician, Producer, Composer","credits":"Hans Zimmer, Lang Lang, Leona Lewis, London Symphony Orchestra","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/chris-craker.png","quote":"I have been using Ultramaximizers since day one and still do today! The L2 is a truly useful tool to enhance the sound of pretty much anything that I am preparing. It\u2019s an absolute go-to.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":10},{"itemID":218,"itemGUID":"b18d445f-3a68-4241-bef5-c44ef9c211d8","artistName":"Thom Russo","artistTitle":"Producer / Engineer","credits":"Michael Jackson, Man\u00E1, Tom Morello","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/thom-russo.png","quote":"The L2 Ultramaximizer has quickly become my choice for stereo bus compression; it seems to have just the right amount of \u2018glue\u2019 to make the overall track sound punchy, but not too \u2018mashed\u2019 as to be oversaturated and sucked of life.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":11},{"itemID":2065,"itemGUID":"de73e9e9-ba82-4971-b1a2-40c501f7e251","artistName":"Maor Appelbaum","artistTitle":"Mastering Engineer","credits":"Faith No More, Yes, Meatloaf, Sepultura","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/maor-appelbaum.png","quote":"Whether it\u2019s hardware or software, the L2 holds up after all these years. I have used it on so many records and still enjoy the results.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":12},{"itemID":1847,"itemGUID":"4ec11373-a591-4ed7-8fc8-5db46b56fb2b","artistName":"Mojam","artistTitle":"Producers, Songwriters, Recording \u0026 Mixing Engineers","credits":"Sam Smith, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sand\u00E9, Plan B","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/mojam.png","quote":"We love several L2s chained on the master bus, with a little gain reduction on each. We also use them to make backing vocal groups jump through the mix with a lot of sheen.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":13},{"itemID":1735,"itemGUID":"04dfbbae-b2dc-49e1-a473-5cd498d1792f","artistName":"TMS","artistTitle":"Songwriters \u0026 Producers","credits":"G-Eazy, Jess Glynne, Little Mix, Sigma","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/tms.png","quote":"L2 is one of our long-term faves. It finds its way into our vocal recordings all the time. The combination of incredible sound and usability has been and will always be a winner.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":14},{"itemID":2327,"itemGUID":"89b89cef-1422-4b65-9408-6719b8d2044e","artistName":"Stevic MacKay","artistTitle":"Producer, Writer, Guitarist","credits":"Twelve Foot Ninja","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/stevic-mackay.png","quote":"The L2 is a no-nonsense tool that I use to normalise and/or limit samples to use in a live performance. It\u2019s the most transparent and intuitive plugin for that kind of task!","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":15},{"itemID":2159,"itemGUID":"fed174f0-25e1-48f7-8732-d06c37eab43d","artistName":"Ott","artistTitle":"Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Remixer, Sound Designer, DJ, Live Performer","credits":"","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/ott-langrell.png","quote":"Waves L2 is my digital insurance policy. Don\u2019t want transient peaks to exceed a particular level? Set the L2 and forget it.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":16},{"itemID":2088,"itemGUID":"9b525cc7-3fd3-4169-8051-4d7293e704b2","artistName":"Carlos de la Garza","artistTitle":"Producer, Mixing \u0026 Recording Engineer","credits":"Paramore, Young the Giant, Wolf Alice, Ziggy Marley","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/avatar-male.png","quote":"The L2 is a party on the mix buss!","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":17},{"itemID":219,"itemGUID":"fb2f2cde-3b76-46e5-bf87-755027cc735b","artistName":"Gil Norton","artistTitle":"Producer","credits":"Foo Fighters, Pixies, Stornoway","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/gil-norton.png","quote":"The L2 Ultramaximizer is great for making listening reference mixes.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":18},{"itemID":373,"itemGUID":"613d71d8-8826-4e47-8929-517667aba995","artistName":"Scott Martin Gershin","artistTitle":"Sound Supervisor, Sound Designer, Re-recording Mixer","credits":"American Beauty, Nightcrawler, Maya \u0026 the Three, Pacific Rim","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/scott-martin-gershin.png","quote":"Fantastic at containing dynamics without adding any color to the sound. A little goes a long way.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":19},{"itemID":374,"itemGUID":"490ca06a-55bf-4f62-bfef-c5083e7205ce","artistName":"Charles Deenen","artistTitle":"Sound Designer","credits":"The Fast and the Furious, Need for Speed","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/charles-deenen.png","quote":"Similar to the L1, but safer to use on variable sounds due to the automatic release setting. It also will introduce less \u2018crunch,\u2019 so if you\u2019re just after smashing the loudness of a sound without additional crunch, this is your go-to plugin.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":20},{"itemID":2376,"itemGUID":"aa928d3f-f444-4110-b6f6-157b4f63dba6","artistName":"Aiden Hogarth","artistTitle":"Record Producer / DJ / Composer","credits":"BBC, Dizzee Rascal, Skepta, Timbaland","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/avatar-male.png","quote":"When mastering, nothing beats the L2 on the out for me.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":22},{"itemID":2832,"itemGUID":"07a1cafb-a6f5-4e87-82e4-dc31b4fb6f3d","artistName":"Nick Brophy","artistTitle":"Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Songwriter","credits":"The Rolling Stones, Hootie \u0026 the Blowfish, Big \u0026 Rich, Jimmy Fallon","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/nick-brophy.png","quote":"I like using L2 on a lot of transient elements like drums and percussion. I\u0027ll use it on the individual drum mics, like a clipper, to eliminate runaway transients and increase headroom.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":23},{"itemID":3196,"itemGUID":"6f47fee3-7992-45d5-82d9-5604cefb4a29","artistName":"Preston \u201CPrizzle\u201D Reid","artistTitle":"Mixer, Producer, Engineer","credits":"Kanye West, Muni Long, Jacquees, Latto","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/preston-prizzle-reid.png","quote":"L2 can be fantastic as a final safety net on a vocal bus.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":23},{"itemID":3565,"itemGUID":"45038217-1aca-4a32-bfe4-c5f87a306582","artistName":"DJ Darmon","artistTitle":"Music Producer, Sound Designer","credits":"Madonna, Afrojack, Blondish","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/dj-darmon.jpg","quote":"L2 has become a classic staple in my productions, helping me achieve competitive loudness.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":9999}]

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Achieve Maximum Mastering Levels
With Clarity, Accuracy, and Transparency

Effortless Workflow
Optimization for bus applications simplifies the control set to Threshold, Output Ceiling, Release, and dither settings. Control the peaks with Ceiling, and raise the output level with Threshold. Simple—and it gets the job done.
The Secret of Shaping
The L2’s superior noise shaping comes from 48-bit, double-precision, ninth-order noise-shaping algorithms. Choose Moderate, Normal, or Ultra to suit program material from delicate acoustic sounds to hard rock.
High-Resolution Ready
With more studios using 32-bit and higher file resolutions, conversion to standard 24-bit files is now as important as 16-bit conversion was to CDs. For older digital formats, the L2 also converts to 20- and 22-bit files.