MUEDlim
Free · macOS · VST3 · AU · AAX · Windows (VST3, beta)

MUEDlim

MUEDsp limiter

A free true-peak limiter

The peak-limiting stage, taken out of MUEDsp — the mastering suite I make. Free.

If you have 1.0.0 sessions: CEILING automation values change in 1.0.1. Read what changed and how to go back

Free. Just grab it and try it on your own music.

The MUEDlim 1.0.1 plugin interface with audio running and 1:1 off. At the top, the title with an ACTIVE toggle at the right. Below, a large amber INTEGRATED LUFS readout (−10.1) at the left, and SHORT-TERM −11.7, GR −2.65 dB, RANGE 3.4 LU and CEILING −1.00 dBTP stacked at the right. A loudness-history graph with a dashed TARGET −14 line fills the center, with the gain-reduction history (a vermilion line) hanging from its top edge; a vertical output meter at its −1.00 ceiling on the right; INPUT (+8.00 dB) and CEILING (−1.00 dBTP) knobs along the bottom, a 1:1 switch (off) to their right, and a mued.jp link at the bottom right.

What changed in 1.0.1

The CEILING range is now −18 to 0 dBTP (was −3 to 0), so you can use MUEDlim to catch peaks on track and stem buses. The default (−1 dBTP) and the processing itself are unchanged.

New: the 1:1 switch. When it is on, INPUT no longer makes the signal louder; it brings CEILING down by the same amount instead (INPUT +12 dB → CEILING −12 dB). Anything below the ceiling passes at its own level, and only the peaks that reach it are limited. The CEILING knob is not used while 1:1 is on. At INPUT 0 dB the ceiling is 0.0 dBTP (not the default −1.0). Turning INPUT below 0 dB does nothing while 1:1 is on. In your DAW's automation list this switch appears as "Unity".

The MUEDlim 1.0.1 plugin interface with audio running and 1:1 on. The large amber readout at the left is GAIN REDUCTION −2.7 dB. At the right, OUTPUT PEAK −9.0, SHORT-TERM −19.7 LUFS, INTEGRATED −18.1 LUFS and CEILING −9.00 dBTP. The graph in the center shows only the gain-reduction history (a vermilion line) hanging from its top edge, and the output meter on the right sits at its −9.00 ceiling. Along the bottom, the INPUT knob (+9.00 dB) and a dimmed CEILING knob (−9.00 dBTP), with the 1:1 switch (on, an amber dot) to their right.

Gain reduction is now drawn on the graph. It hangs from the top edge of the loudness graph and shows, over time, where and how much the limiter is reducing. The GR number shows the deepest recent value. While 1:1 is on, the large readout becomes GAIN REDUCTION and loudness moves to the small lines at the top right. The output meter now has a peak-hold line.

If you have sessions made with 1.0.0

  • Saved knob values and presets open with the same values, with 1:1 off.
  • If you wrote CEILING automation in VST3 or AAX, it now plays back lower — six times the written value (for example, a lane written at −1.0 dB plays at −6.0 dB, and −0.5 dB at −3.0 dB). Bounce those sessions before updating to 1.0.1, or rewrite the automation after updating.
  • In AU, it may play back lower in the same way, depending on your DAW.
  • The 1.0.0 installer stays available in your portal. Both versions are the same plugin, so they cannot be installed side by side. To go back: on Mac, remove 1.0.1 with "Uninstall MUEDlim" (in /Applications/MUEDlim/) first, then install 1.0.0. On Windows, replace MUEDlim.vst3 with the 1.0.0 file. A session saved in 1.0.1 with CEILING below −3 dB opens at −3 dB in 1.0.0. A session saved with 1:1 on opens without it in 1.0.0 and plays louder by the INPUT amount.

The 1.0.0 installer stays in your portal

What it is

Not a demo or a trial — it's the final peak-limiting stage (a true-peak limiter) of the chain I always master with, pulled out and made free (its finished form is MUEDsp masterchain). It catches inter-sample peaks and holds true peaks to a ceiling you set (−1 dBTP by default).

INPUT for loudness, CEILING for the ceiling. That's all.

INPUT
input drive, i.e. loudness (−6 to +18 dB).
CEILING
the true-peak ceiling (−18 to 0 dBTP, default −1).

Plus a BYPASS toggle (ACTIVE / BYPASS), for honest A/B. With the 1:1 switch on, INPUT brings CEILING down by the same amount instead of making the signal louder.

Free — and your email gives it a home

MUEDlim is completely free — no feature locks, no expiry, no paywall. The email you give me is your key: your plugins get a home in your portal, always the latest build, one click away, and no old email link to dig up next time.

The whole chain this limiter comes from is MUEDsp masterchain ($69). Try the demo.

Download it free ↑