I thought you could simply look at a waveform and tell if your input gain was too loud, causing distortion. Up until recently, this has seemed to work well, but for the past few recordings, I've noticed that I get distortion even when the waveform looks like it easily falls within the limits.

Hi guys. Sorry I didn't post any replies in a while, or help anyone out with stuff. I've been mega busy trying to build my new studio and get some stuff in there (stuck for cash as always).

I do however return with a question about distorted guitars.

Now then..

I have having distortion problems with the playback of audio with my Saffire 6 USB interface and Ableton 8.2.1 software that came with it. I can monitor through the interface with headphones while recording the track from an instrument and the sound is clear, but when the track is played back the sound is horribly distorted. The recorded levels never clip past the distortion limit.

When recording a track and then continuing to play it back to listen to it, the sound of the output becomes terribly distorted and full of feedback although the levels are well below the overload threshold. Is there a setting that controls this?

The sound of the instrument will sound fine while actually recording the track, but when it is played back it is terribly messed up.

Hi Guys, very nice forum!

i read a lot of threads about recording the electric guitar (distorted).
most ppl say, Micing the amp is the way to go.
i have some questions for this, this is my gear... can you tell me if i can get a good result with it please!

Hi, newbie in many ways here.

I am using Garageband to pitch bend an imported audio file. However, on some of them, even when I am only going down a half step, there is distortion in the sound. Basically, it sounds like intense vibrato in the piano or guitar.

I currently have a Yamaha YPT-400 Keyboard and I wanted to upgrade my midi capabilities. I want to do more with it, and sometimes when I press 5 keys at once, my VST gets distorted. (left hand stops even though Im holding the note. Not sure if that's keyboard related)

Anywho

A term that has taken on a specific meaning, but which is in fact much broader in its definition. Technically, distortion is any change in the shape of an audio waveform compared between two points in a signal chain. Therefore adding EQ and compression also adds distortion to the original signal.

The result of passing audio through some electronic device. Since it is impossible to make a perfectly linear device (audio out exactly matches audio in) harmonic distortion is always a byproduct of signal processing.

Okay, I know it's not the greatest example of a good recording out there so don't flog me for this, but, My Chemical Romance has an album called "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge." The vocals, in many of the doubled parts, have this "distorted," break-up, sort of...thing that happens to them. I have had many bands ask how that effect is accomplished. I'm kinda tired of wandering in the dark.