URGENT cool edit/adobe help!!

B

breakerboy2000

New member
Hello, I am doing some recording tomorrow for some friends,

I use cool edit pro, but havnt used it in awhile, and i might of changed some settings not sure,

but when recording vocals, i notice that they are cutting out/ reaching the threshold about 1/2 way from the outer edge to centre

It never normally did that, and the sound quality is just a little bit off because of it, i am looking for a naturally raw look with the waves more spread out and then I can adjust my mic gain to fine tune it - that is what I used to do.

need to some how increase the threshhold back to the outside edges where the white lines are in the pic.

any help would be greatly appreciated! thank you.

bad raw vocal.jpg
 
Looks clipped. If that's a raw recording (not messed with later causing that) you need to reduce the input gain into the converter. Use the record meters and keep your peaks well below 0dbfs.
 
It does look clipped.
The visual representation being restricted to half of the available space is probably just the result of changing the zoom settings.

The important thing to note is that you're clipping - Not that you aren't filling the screen.
 
thanks for the replies,

yes, that is a raw recording, zoomed completely out, i can adjust my mic gain lower so i dont clip but then it is really quiet and i dont like to amplify too much after, i used to have it so i couldnt see clipping, so the vocal waves can just shoot out of the frame, ( but obviously having my physical mic gain on my audiobox adjusted correct so they don't) is there a way of getting these settings again within CE? cheers!
 
Don't know CE but I have AA 1.5 and the meters are really good (along the bottom in CE?) .

I seem to remember there is a "factory gate state" default reset in AA? Might be the same in CE.

But, as others have said, keep levels down to -18dBFS on average. You should be able to crank the replay without any problems. (when this crisis is over, Google "calibrating monitors to 83dBC") 24 bits assumed.

Dave.
 
breakerboy2000 said:
i can adjust my mic gain lower so i dont clip but then it is really quiet and i dont like to amplify too much after, i used to have it so i couldnt see clipping, so the vocal waves can just shoot out of the frame (snip)
Click to expand...
It's not "really quiet" -- It's "more normal" -- Your input levels should MAX at around -12dBFS for a vocal (I'd personally go lower, but I'm a bit of a whore for lots of headroom). That is, unless your AD's are calibrated to something goofy (at which point, you're going to have to back everything way off anyway during the mix).

All that stuff about normal recording levels aside (although I can't ever stress it enough), it looks like something is stopping you cold at about -6dBFS.

That said, you shouldn't ever even be close to that zip code during tracking.

THAT said, you should find out what's stopping you cold at that point just for the fact that something's wrong in the chain.
 
I must agree with Master

Shoot for -12 or -16 dbfs. It may "look" small and trick you. I do a bit of mixing these days and I Hate clipped tracks. I come from an analog tracking background where hot levels where the norm I want to push levels out of habit. However, in todays 24 bit world one has the delight of HUGE headroom. Use that to your advantage. Better mixes, greater clarity and more fun in the mix. My.o2 Pre-coffee.
 
Thanks for the info, Im not with the terminology, what is headroom?

Massive Master, I understand that, but my settings were never like that, I think I need to find a way to raise the level so clipping doesnt happen so soon, from what I remember I never used to be able to clip, or it would be right at the edge where the white line is and id have my gain just a little bit lower so it doesnt go over, but now it is clipping way to soon.
 
Thanks for the info, Im not with the terminology, what is headroom?
Click to expand...
Headroom is the space between where the circuit is running as it's designed and the point of failure. In this case, the space between 0dBVU (usually around -18 to -15dBFS depending on how your converters are calibrated) and -0dBFS (where the digital "circuit" fails - but usually short of where a quality analog circuit will fail - not to say the signal would necessarily be in prime shape at that point).

Think of a motor... Probably runs really well around 2,000 RPM -- Might explode at 6,000 RPM (3x where it was spec'd -- Wow, that's just like -18dBFS vs -0dBFS! -- 3x the spec'd voltage). Just because it might not explode at 5900 RPM, you probably wouldn't expect it to be running very well or very efficiently...

Now then -- YOUR problem at the moment is that your "motor" isn't allowing you to go above 4,000 RPM no matter how much gas you give it. You're going to have to go through your chain and figure it out. I'm sure it's something simple - There are so few points of conflict in this case.
 
thanks for that explanation,

here is another s/shot i took, so you can see the clipped track is playing and the rec meter shows that its limit is -6 and thats where clipping occurs ,

now, are there ways to change this setting, say from -6 to 0 ? because I am almost certain I used to rec like that, thanks again guys.

cool edit problem.jpg


please note: i dont mean that I want to record at '0' i just want the threshold to be there.
 
breakerboy2000 said:
...yes, that is a raw recording, zoomed completely out, i can adjust my mic gain lower so i dont clip but ...then it is really quiet and i dont like to amplify too much after...
Click to expand...
Ok let's do this so you can at least sort out what's going on.
Record some with the gain down where there's no sign of clipping (at the analog front end or the waves/meters in the DAW). Maybe make a note as to how much below 0dBFS peak that is for a ref'.
Now do a few more working your analog gian up and see where clipping begins- maybe compare that in the DAW vs 'clip light of meter on the interface?

It is also posible to clip a condensor mic w/o clipping anywhere else down stream.. (That would be like up close to a drum for example.
 
I have had no luck, I recorded a bunch of stuff, mixed it but it doesnt sound up to scratch, i think its because I am now amplifying it 6-7 DB to make it audible enough,

I have tried using a different mic and same thing happens, I have taken a screen shot again, of the problem, and the desired result i am looking for, for the raw recording, I would like it to start clipping alot later than it is. Thanks again

any input is appreciated.
thanks!

COOL EDIT PROB.jpg
 
i think its because I am now amplifying it 6-7 DB to make it audible enough,
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what the problem is, but I can guarantee it isn't amplifying it 6-7dB.

40, 50, 60dB, maybe (although I've added 50+dB without issue on more than one occasion). 6 or 7 is nothing. Just about everything that comes through here goes through at least 10 or 12 dB of gain at some point.

You have a problem at the input stage. And I'm not sure if you were paying attention to the earlier posts, but you shouldn't even be approaching the same area code as "clipping" while you're tracking...
 
breakerboy2000 said:
I have had no luck, I recorded a bunch of stuff, mixed it but it doesnt sound up to scratch, i think its because I am now amplifying it 6-7 DB to make it audible enough,

I have tried using a different mic and same thing happens, I have taken a screen shot again, of the problem, and the desired result i am looking for, for the raw recording, I would like it to start clipping alot later than it is. Thanks again

any input is appreciated.
thanks!

View attachment 80881
Click to expand...

The first looks like a clipped input signal. The second looks like it has, or is about to clip. Only a larger zoom level. Unless you are using a limiter, the waveform should not look like that ever.

I have to ask, why do you wish it to look like this?


This is not something we try to accomplish-ever.
 
mixsit said:
Ok let's do this so you can at least sort out what's going on.
Record some with the gain down where there's no sign of clipping (at the analog front end or the waves/meters in the DAW). Maybe make a note as to how much below 0dBFS peak that is for a ref'.
Now do a few more working your analog gian up and see where clipping begins- maybe compare that in the DAW vs 'clip light of meter on the interface?

It is also posible to clip a condensor mic w/o clipping anywhere else down stream.. (That would be like up close to a drum for example.
Click to expand...
The new screen shot-- They're both clipped!

Did you do this? What was the answer?
 
Yes I know, I was showing this as an example, one part is normal and one part is clipped, but I want clipping to start to occur like it is in the bottom pic, so the sound will be much louder, I am not going to record with it clipped though.

Im not sure, at the moment clipping happens at -6 on the playback meter, and i want to to start at much louder than that, around -1 0

thanks.
 
The problem is happening long before Cool Edit.

Basically, you need to go through your whole recording chain and work out where the clipping is occurring. What's happening is that, somewhere early on in the chain, you're clipping the signal. Then after the clipping but before Cool Edit, the level of your clipped signal is being turned down again. This means the clipping is still there but the "flat top" is 6 or 7dB down.

Without knowing your whole recording system it's impossible to say what' happening but, just as an example, a line level source plugged into a microphone input then turned down AFTER the mic pre amp could do that. However, there's lots of other ways as well.
 
Im not sure, at the moment clipping happens at -6 on the playback meter, and i want to to start at much louder than that, around -1 0
Click to expand...
Look --- Digital clipping should happen at -0.0dBFS, period. If it's anywhere else, there is a flaw in the system that needs to be addressed and nothing is going to get better until that happens. Analog clipping will be considerably higher (although analog distortion and spectral skewing can be considerably lower). We've been over this repeatedly and until we know the specs of the input chain, no one is going to be able to help you.

That said, there is also a flaw in your approach which has been addressed and nothing is going to get better until that is addressed also. You're worried about apparent volume at the absolute worst possible place to be concerned with apparent volume.

Have you even attempted to calibrate your input chain step by step? Until that chain is running line level at line level, trying to guess what's going on by remote control is wasting everyone's time.
 
my interface has 5 knobs; Mic gain, 2nd mic/inst gain, headphones volume, and a mixer for my mic/playback in my headphones, also phantom power for my condensor, so i dont use a separate preamp,


and i have made sure my gain is set so the clipping light doesnt pop on,

I really dont know what else I can do..

massive master, what else do you need to know about my setup? are you able to point me in the right direction to calibrate this setup?

Thanks alot.
 
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