Clipping

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:04 am

Is there any way to fix clipping so that it doesn't sound so distorted. I made a
recording of my band's practice session with a single microphone and most of the drumming got clipped and sounds pretty distorted. I don't really have any equipment just recorded it with a computer. These recordings aren't super important, I just figured I would expiriment with the simplest setup possible before doing anything more elaborate.

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:09 am

First of all, there is nothing wrong with putting up a microphone and hitting the record button on whatever tools that you have.

We used to put our Radio Shack microphone connected to a ghetto blaster (is that politically correct?) into an oven mitt on the far side of the room in order to avoid clipping. Of course, we did not know that it was called clipping, and it took a special kevlar oven mitt and many, many varieties of greasy sweat stained sweaters and old socks to come up with something that worked.

So don't be ashamed of what you are doing.

As far as your question goes;

No. ... or most likely not.

I'm assuming you guys were playing, having a good time and nailed a song. And it's most of the track that is clipping. You nailed it once, you can nail it again. Now move that mic a bit. Listen back. Move it again if you need to. Try an oven mitt. Or maybe some dirty socks.

If you were recording multiple tracks, and it was an insignificant small part on one of the instruments, you would be able to edit the occasional clips out without the average person able to hear it. But if it's your one and only room mic, (or any room mic) that would be obvious.

I doo tend to talk a lot out of my ass, so maybe somebody has invented a declipulator plug in (the old school folks will call it a compressor, but it only works at input for clipping.)

Good honest question though. I look forward to hearing other replies.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1847 Location: NYC

Izotope RX software does a pretty good job of declipping and getting rid of a good portion of the grunge.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:06 am

You could always just record at "more normal" levels also...

For next time...

If you're clipping at the input chain, you're recording way (WAAAAYYYYY) too hot in the first place. If you record at a more "normal" (again, for lack of a better term) level, you can always "push it" later - much more cleanly than if you track too hot (overdriving the input stage *and* clipping - a recipe for aural disaster in any book).

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:30 am

Thanks guys. It is all just a single mic input. This was my first try and I used the built in microphone on my computer. I didn't have any software to adjust the volume of the mic, but now I do. Sometime soon I am going to get the right adapters to hook the sound board into my computer, if I can figure it out, so I can get some multitracking going on.

Just to clarify as well, the clipping was only caused by the drums, because of a poor choice in where the computer( with built in mic) was placed, and only clips on the downbeat, and in some songs only clips in certain spots. Again, I am not attatched to these recordings like my only child, I was just wondering if there was some sort of simple filter I could use for those sporadic louder than normal beats, just to sort of mess around with them and have some fun. Thanks

Earl

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:39 am

VonRocK wrote:

Or maybe some dirty socks.

definitely use dirty socks for now. once you have figured out proper mic placement and methods to eliminate clipping, maybe you can use something else.

i mean, all the pros use clean socks, so that's where you're looking to go...

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:45 am

I don't think a sock will fit around my computer, so maybe a sweater would work better. Probly a clean one though, cause I'm pretty sure I can muster one up.

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:16 pm

Eaorle wrote:

I don't think a sock will fit around my computer, so maybe a sweater would work better. Probly a clean one though, cause I'm pretty sure I can muster one up.

just don't get in over your head here, man...

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