Learn · All Quick-Starts · 6 min
CREST
quick-start.
Hit a streaming loudness target with true-peak-safe limiting and no guesswork.
6 steps · every control name is the real one · Dynamics
Set CEILING and go TRUE PEAK
Set CEILING to −1 dB and switch TRUE PEAK on — that's inter-sample-peak-safe for lossy encoding and streaming delivery. Nothing will exceed it.
Pick a STYLE
STYLE picks the limiter's ballistics: PURE and SHIELD stay pristine; BITE, PUSH and CRUSH are the loud, forward voicings; SWELL, LEVEL and BIND sit in between for program and bus work. Every style lands exactly on the ceiling — the difference is release feel and delivered loudness — so audition two with CMP (style compare) at matched loudness.
Push GAIN
Raise GAIN into the limiter and watch the GR readout and history — more gain means more limiting, louder and denser. On a dense mix, 3–6 dB of limiting is usually clean; past that, listen for pumping on the low end. DRIVE adds ceiling-referenced colour before the limiter if you want density without more GR.
Shape the response
Raise PUNCH to let transients cut through before the limiter fully clamps — this keeps drums alive at high limiting depths. WINDOW smooths the detector for a more natural, less distorted character on sustained material. ATTACK, RELEASE and LOOK (look-ahead) are there when you want to time it by hand.
Set gain to target
Pick a LOUDNESS TARGET (−14 for streaming, −9 / −7 for club-loud), then press AUTO GAIN — CREST measures the program and nudges GAIN so integrated LUFS hits the target. ANALYZE grades the delivery and fills SUGGESTIONS; verify on the LUFS INT / LRA / PSR / TP readouts at the top.
Render settings
Set DITHER to 16 or 24 for the export bit depth. Turn GAIN MATCH off before bouncing — it's a monitoring aid, not a render setting. DELTA solos what the limiter is removing.
Pro moves
Once it's working.
- Keep GAIN MATCH on while dialing in — it matches output loudness to input so you judge tone, not level. Louder always sounds better; don't let it lie to you.
- NATURAL prioritises sound quality over maximum loudness — try it on dynamic or acoustic material.
- QUALITY — oversampling up to 16× — catches inter-sample peaks the base rate misses — use at least 4× for final renders. RELEASE SYNC locks the release to the host tempo.
- AUTO LINK manages stereo linking from the signal to protect the image; manual LINK at 100% locks the channels for a stable centre.
