clipping?

F

funkdaddyT

New member
what is clipping and what causes it? I think i might have this problem. the music sounds like the power is being sucked out of it!
 
Clipping means that the sound level exceeds the highest value that can be represented by the digital information that represents the waveform. Each sample (of which there are 48,000 per second at 48 kHz resolution, or 96,000 per second at 96 kHz resolution, etc.) can have a value ranging from 0 to 65,535 for a 16-bit sample, or 0-16,777,215 for a 24-bit sample. Say you adjust the levels such that the loudest sound you get will cause the analog-to-digital converter to spit out the highest number. Then you crank up the source even higher. Now the sound that triggers a max value will still be at the same loudness level as before, but there are louder sounds. Since there are no more values to assign, everything louder than this threshold gets the same max value. The result is a straight-line-topped, plateau-like waveform, which does not sound at all natural.

If your music "sounds like the power is being sucked out of it," that sounds more like some other problem... maybe phase cancellation? Are you using multiple mics, or mics and direct inputs at the same time?

-AlChuck
 
i am recording onto a zip disk through the roland 8 track, i'll try to raise the input levels. i'll just play around with it and see, i'm new at all of this and am becoming more and more aware at how much there really is to it. but i love it

thanks for your help, i'm sure i'll seek it again!
 
I recorded one instrument at a time with a digital Roland 880-EX. It sounds good on that machine, until I record it onto wav studio. It sounds alright at low levels, but the low levels barely show up when recorded onto a cassette tape. I have to turn it up so high and then you get hiss and a heart attack if you accidently hit the radio button because it's so loud. (i speak from experience). How do I get what I hear through cool edit at low levels to sound the same at a higher volume level. If it sounds good digital, will it sound the same if I burn it on a cd?
Do i need compression, effects, normalization?

Thanks for the info,
 
Sounds like you just have to increase your levels somewhere along the way. Are you recording digitally to the computer (out an S/PDIF cable or something like that)? Or from the analog outputs to the soundcard's analog inputs? Either the analog out level needs to be raised up, or the recording input level on the soundcard raised, or maybe both.
 
Hello!!! Hope we´re not too late here!!!
We have exactly the same problem...
We own a VS880EX as well, and we have the same trouble when recording to a Sound Forge or whatever...
The real power is sucked out from the music,(hey funkdaddyT, that was a perfect definition!) and when burning the CD is almost worst... DAMN! We raise and raise the volume of the .waves and they seem to be normal, but when comparing to any track (not recorded by us) we notice the sound is
really shitty...

Anyway, we don´t seem to be alone anymore... :D (hehehe) any suggestions feel free to mail us to zix_records@hotmail.com (if you want to)

Thank you all

PC
 
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