Sounding like clipping in the recording? (Not Clipping, questioning Room)

Makararla

New member
Hi guys,
Quick question, Im having some issues with new setup, Im recording in my bedroom with no acoustic treatment at all.

What im finding is when Im am starting to sing higher which results in me singing louder considerably it starts to sound like the track is clipping, only thing is it's no were near.

I'm starting to think its the room since it's acoustically very bad, im thinking when I start to get louder it starts reflecting off the walls making it sound like it is clipping slightly.

Any other reasons this could be happening, I am using medium quality recording gear, not entry level nor high end. So I'm 99% sure the gear is not the issue.
 
Doesn't sound like a room issue. You might be clipping something on the way in. Just because your DAW tells you you're not clipping, it doesn't mean you're not over-loading something on the way in. What is your recording chain?
 
"Clipping" is complete failure of the circuit. It can go through a whole lot of "that's not exactly right..." along the way...
 
Could be mistaken for flutter echo. A 30-40 ms delay can have a crackle' sound to it.
Look at the tops, are they evened off?
 
Hi thanks for your help, I'm not at home so I can't post a audio file but what I use is:
Akg 220, scarlett 2i2 interface, I use pro tools 10 to do my new recording.
Any other information you need?
I understand the 2i2 is very basic, could that be my issue?
 
Some microphones will distort if you sing loud with your mouth too close to the mic. The recorded .wav file will look unclipped but the vocal will sound a little buzzy or slightly distorted.
 
Some microphones will distort if you sing loud with your mouth too close to the mic. The recorded .wav file will look unclipped but the vocal will sound a little buzzy or slightly distorted.
This has been my experience as well. If you're singing loudly, which usually happens when we sing higher, pull back from the mic.
Originally Posted by Massive Master
This might be one of those situations where something like THIS might come in handy...

Duh! Basically, turn down the input gain control .... I know it happens to me - I look over at the wave form, see its pretty small, and I turn it up and do another take.
Along with these folks, I've realized that the input gain can often be the biggest source of this kind of problem. You can always add some volume to the recoding in your DAW after it's recorded, but you can't get rid of clipping distorted audio.
 
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