Output Protection and Latency
Resonant phasers on 8 bands can stack into peaks well above the input level, so the last stage of CHAKRABOOST protects the output. The protection is chosen by Safety Mode, which is set through host automation.Safety Mode
Limit
The limiter looks 1.5 ms ahead, reacts to a peak before it arrives and holds the output at a ceiling of -0.92 dBFS, with an instant attack and a 30 ms release. It is linked across all output channels, including the SUB outputs of a bass-managed layout, so a peak on one channel turns every channel down together and the spatial image does not shift. With SOFT CLIP on (the default), a soft clipper behind the limiter catches anything the limiter leaves; signal the limiter has already held at its ceiling passes through it unchanged. The GR meter on the MIX tab shows the limiter’s gain reduction, with a readout once it passes 0.3 dB. It turns red above 6 dB of reduction; at that point, lower OUT GAIN or the Resonance on the loudest bands.Soft Clip
In Soft Clip mode the limiter is bypassed, and with SOFT CLIP on the soft clipper shapes the peaks. It leaves everything up to -0.92 dBFS untouched and rounds off anything louder on a smooth curve that approaches full scale and never reaches it, with no sudden jump in level where the curve begins. Peaks between -0.92 dBFS and full scale are slightly compressed. With the toggle off this mode leaves the output unprotected.Off
Off removes all output protection, for measurement or for when a limiter later in the chain handles peaks. Watch the output meters in this mode.Gain staging
The per-band compressors apply no makeup gain, so heavy compression lowers a band. Feedback, Resonance and positive band gains raise it. Set the per-band levels first, then use OUT GAIN to match the processed level to the dry signal, so the GR meter only moves on genuine peaks.
Latency
CHAKRABOOST reports its latency to the host, made of three parts:- 127 samples for the crossover, in both Phase Modes (see Crossover and Phase Mode),
- the limiter’s 1.5 ms lookahead, applied in every Safety Mode,
- in Surround mode, any delay added by distance compensation for the current speaker layout.
When a layout edit, a change of Spatial Mode or a change of bus width alters the distance compensation, CHAKRABOOST reports the new latency. Hosts with plugin delay compensation align CHAKRABOOST with the rest of the session automatically. The dry signal blended in by MIX is delayed by the same amount as the processed signal, so the two stay aligned at every MIX setting. To compare the processed and dry sound at matched timing, move MIX between 0% and the working setting.