Fairlight FX · Dynamics · Resolve 21
Limiter Fairlight FX
A dedicated guide to the Limiter shown as a Fairlight mixer insert in Resolve 21: Input Level, Ceiling in dBTP, Release, gain-reduction monitoring and the difference between peak control and ordinary loudness balancing.
Let normal audio pass; control peaks near the ceiling
This is a conceptual illustration. The supplied Resolve 21 screenshot confirms the actual insert FX exposes Input Level, Ceiling in dBTP, Release, input/reduction/output meters and a sidechain control strip.
1. What each visible control does
Limiter is a peak-control processor, not a replacement for mixing
Input Level
Sets how hard the signal is driven into the limiter stage. More input can create more gain reduction; use the reduction meter to see how much work the processor is actually doing.
Ceiling · dBTP
The live Resolve 21 interface labels the ceiling in dBTP, making it explicitly a true-peak-oriented ceiling. Lowering it gives peaks less room before limiting acts.
Release
Controls how quickly gain reduction relaxes after a peak. Too-fast recovery can sound nervous or distorted; too-slow recovery can keep the following audio unnecessarily pushed down.
Reduction meter
This is the most important reality check. If reduction is constantly heavy, the limiter may be doing a balancing job that should have been solved earlier with clip gain, compression or automation.
2. Insert FX vs channel Dynamics
Do not confuse the screenshot plug-in with the built-in Dynamics block
Blackmagic's current Fairlight documentation says every track has a built-in Dynamics window containing expander/gate, compressor and limiter. The screenshot on this page, however, is a separate Limiter inserted into a mixer effect slot — the title bar says Slot 6 and the plug-in exposes its own interface.
That distinction matters for routing and chain order. An insert limiter participates in the top-to-bottom plug-in chain, while the channel Dynamics block belongs to the channel's built-in processing architecture.
Insert Limiter
A Fairlight FX slot with its own UI, meters and sidechain strip — exactly what the live screenshot shows.
Built-in Dynamics limiter
Part of each track's real-time Dynamics window together with expander/gate and compressor.
Chain order
Insert position matters because Fairlight processes plug-ins from top to bottom. A limiter earlier in the chain receives a different signal than one after creative or corrective FX.
Use only if needed
Do not add an insert limiter just because the built-in Dynamics page also has one. Each processor should have a clear job.
3. Practical workflow
Use the limiter at the end of a level decision, not at the beginning
Balance first
Fix extreme clip differences, track levels and obvious dynamic problems before the limiter.
Set the ceiling deliberately
Choose a ceiling for the actual delivery/peak-control task rather than copying a number from a random preset.
Watch reduction
Let the meter show when limiting occurs and how deeply. Constant reduction is a warning sign.
A/B the result
Check transients, consonants, music attacks and overall loudness so peak control does not flatten the mix.
4. Sidechain strip
The current plug-in exposes S/C, Listen and Source
The supplied Resolve 21 screenshot visibly exposes sidechain controls in the header. Treat them as routing-dependent controls: the exact source you can choose depends on the project's signal routing. This guide does not invent a universal sidechain setup from the screenshot alone.
S/C On
Enables the plug-in's sidechain path when you intentionally build one.
Listen
A monitoring control for checking the sidechain signal path while configuring it.
Source
Selects the routed sidechain source available in the current project configuration.
Not required for normal limiting
Straight peak limiting does not require a complex external sidechain. Keep the routing simple unless the task actually needs it.
Current Blackmagic Fairlight documentation confirms the built-in Dynamics architecture (expander/gate, compressor and limiter), six mixer insert slots and top-to-bottom plug-in processing. The parameter names, dBTP ceiling, meters and sidechain strip described for this separate Limiter insert are taken from the supplied live Resolve 21 interface screenshot rather than older version screenshots.