DI-Signals sounds clipped

[EachHit]

Hi I recently discovered that most of my older recorded Guitar Tracks sounds kind of clipped.

I own a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB and record thru the Hi-Z Input with Pad pressed and gain all the way down.
When I record that and the red light doesn't blink, only the green is.
In the Pro Tools Mixer I can see that the signal is hitting the -3db on the Channel Meter when Monitored. It seems that the signal gets kinda limited and it sounds clipped sometimes.
I read in another thread something about not enough headroom with some interfaces and to use a DI-Box before the Interface.
But I haven't found how to set it up correctly.
Tried to put the Guitar into the Palmer Input and from there via LinkOut into the Saffire (still Hi-Z and Pad pressed). This signal doesn't sound clipped in my ears but it still hits the -3db on the Pro Tools Meter.

Does any of you guy have any Suggestiones how to setup my stuff properly so I don't have to worry about clipping?

And forgive me my kinda weird writing style. I am German and it's not so easy writing technical questions when I barely know the Words in my Home Language ;-)

Heavy Greetz

 

[JeffTD]

What pickups? If they're EMG's this is totally normal and part of the design of the pickups in the first place.

 

[EachHit]

What pickups? If they're EMG's this is totally normal and part of the design of the pickups in the first place.

It is a Seymour Duncan Full Shred (TB-10) I think. But my older DI Signals which where recorded with the same Guitar (Ibanez GIO) had the Ibanez standard Pickups on.

So the Pickups kinda limit the Signal and distort or clip it?

What is a good recommendation to record Guitars perfectly at home for later Reamping?

I tried to put a DI in front of the AudioInterface but the Sound out of my AmpSims sound much weaker then when I go direct with the Guitar in the Hi-Z Input from my Saffire.

Heavy Greetz

 

[Trevoire520]

Tried to put the Guitar into the Palmer Input and from there via LinkOut into the Saffire (still Hi-Z and Pad pressed).

You're supposed to come out of the XLR output of the DI box and into the XLR input of your interface.

 

[EachHit]

You're supposed to come out of the XLR output of the DI box and into the XLR input of your interface.

Then I will try that tomorrow.
Probably I don't have to use the Hi-Z Button then, right?

I am not sure but I think I tried this when I got my Di Box but the Signal and the AmpSim sounded kinda weak.

Will try that tomorrow and see if I get a decent tone.

Heavy Greetz

 

[EachHit]

So today I managed to try out the DI versus the Hi-Z Input.

I took my DI Box and connected the Link Out to my first Input on the Saffire (Inst. and Pad Button pressed, Gain all the Way down). And the Balanced Out goes into the Second Input (Pad Button pressed).
I had to be very careful adjusting the Gain on the Second Channel cause slighly changes made the signal a much louder.

Here are the files for comparison:
https://soundcloud.com/mixingpractice-1/sets/di-test

If someone with much better ears and Monitoring would tell me which signal is better I could choose how I record my Guitar the next Time.

One thing I hear is that when I put the signal through an Ampsim the Balanced Out has much more Noise when not playing.

Heavy Greetz

 

[shine]

I own a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB and record thru the Hi-Z Input with Pad pressed and gain all the way down.
When I record that and the red light doesn't blink, only the green is.
In the Pro Tools Mixer I can see that the signal is hitting the -3db on the Channel Meter when Monitored. It seems that the signal gets kinda limited and it sounds clipped sometimes.
I read in another thread something about not enough headroom with some interfaces and to use a DI-Box before the Interface.

Using Pad option on the interface is just like using a Pad option on a DI box!
So, if you're still clipping your signal even after using Pad, using a DI box will only lower the volume even more...watch for the impedance...

Also, No.2 is a bit louder!

 

[EachHit]

Using Pad option on the interface is just like using a Pad option on a DI box!
So, if you're still clipping your signal even after using Pad, using a DI box will only lower the volume even more...watch for the impedance...

Also, No.2 is a bit louder!

No.2 is about 3db lower then the Pure Hi-Z Signal.

I tested some other Signals I recorded with the Interface and some are ok and others sound clipped. It seems that the ones my buddy played tend a lot to sounding like clipped. Maybe cause he always plays very heavy on the strings.

Will try it out with the Hi-Z Input and Gain all the Way down when he is going to play some more stuff.

Heavy Greetz

 

[Pickasso]

Hi I recently discovered that most of my older recorded Guitar Tracks sounds kind of clipped.

I own a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB and record thru the Hi-Z Input with Pad pressed and gain all the way down.
When I record that and the red light doesn't blink, only the green is.

Does any of you guy have any Suggestiones how to setup my stuff properly so I don't have to worry about clipping?

Best and easiest solution: Lower the pickup height on your guitar, until the loudest smack is totally clean without clipping. It might look a little funny to you, but it works. Listen to the playback of the clean recorded d.i., sometimes the meters don't show the clips.

I've owned 3 Focusrite interfaces now, and using the 'inst' input they all clipped with the gain on zero. The gain range they use on their preamps is just too high with their starting point for most pickups. Again, it sounds counter to what your instincts are, but try lowering your pickups.

 

[EachHit]

Best and easiest solution: Lower the pickup height on your guitar, until the loudest smack is totally clean without clipping. It might look a little funny to you, but it works. Listen to the playback of the clean recorded d.i., sometimes the meters don't show the clips.

I've owned 3 Focusrite interfaces now, and using the 'inst' input they all clipped with the gain on zero. The gain range they use on their preamps is just too high with their starting point for most pickups. Again, it sounds counter to what your instincts are, but try lowering your pickups.

Hi,

I tested your tip with the Pickup. Lowered my Seymour Duncan JB on my Baritone a bit and I seem to get less clipping. But even if I can't hear it clearly it seems that there is still a little clipping going on when I look at the raw Waveform.
With the Pickup lowered so far done that he is "inside" the Frame from the Pickup it seemed okay. But a lot of the nastieness from the Sound seems to have Gone.

Is it possible that my Interface is Clipping internally or something like that?
I had a closer look at a Song I am remixing right now where it also sounds like the DI Clipped.

I have a Picture of the Waveform zoomed in:
http://imgur.com/ezQLNZb

Wouldn't normally only the highest peaks be clipped? On the graphic it seems that even lower peaks are clipped.

Or am I getting something wrong with clipping?

Heavy Greetz

 

[Novocaine]

Hey Pickasso, I own the Focusrite Scarlett and whenever I use the "inst" option for the guitar, with zero gain, the signal clips when I play the low strings (but not the high ones), and I have to lower the pickup volume to about 5 so it won't clip. The problem with that is that the higher strings and stuff like pinch harmonics lack power that way. Using the line option doesn't sound as clear as the inst. Is there any option to balance the high and low strings so it won't clip but won't lose power either? will a DI box do that?

 

[Pickasso]

Again, consider lowering your pickup height on the guitar. Keep the guitar volume knob on 10. Go back to that guitar track's recording, and raise the input volume control on the ampsim, that should get you close to the gain you're used to, if not, add a tube screamer vst. Or normalize the track.
It works for me anyway. And you're right, the 'inst' setting sounds much better than the 'line' setting.

Here's Focusrite's property listings on the Saffire's instrument inputs:
Gain Range= +10dB to +55dB

So you can never have less than a 10 db boost on the 'inst' setting. That's why the guitar's clip. It's just the way their preamps operate. Other manufacturer's start theirs at 0 gain or less, here its +10db. Got the info here:
http://global.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-2i2/specifications

I don't own a high end d.i. box, so I don't know about those, I have a DI400P, it stops the clipping (only because it cuts the signal volume alot), but it doesn't sound better tonewise.

@EachHit- Do you have a high quality, low capacitance guitar cable? Just another variable to consider.

 

[deLuther]

Hi,
Is it possible that my Interface is Clipping internally or something like that?
I had a closer look at a Song I am remixing right now where it also sounds like the DI Clipped.

I have a Picture of the Waveform zoomed in:
http://imgur.com/ezQLNZb

Wouldn't normally only the highest peaks be clipped? On the graphic it seems that even lower peaks are clipped.

Or am I getting something wrong with clipping?

Heavy Greetz

Seems like preamp is clipping before the ADC, too much gain (because focusrite pres usually have large minimal gain) and not enough opamp power supply.

 

[RiF]

Just to make sure you are wiring everything up correctly:

You're going from the balanced (not the link output which should go into your amp for monitoring, if you're using one) output of your DI box into a microphone (XLR) input of your audio interface, right?
No pads engaged on the DI box or the interface, correct?

Then set the input meters in Pro Tools to prefader (options menu) and set the gain on the audio interface so that you're getting a signal around -18 dBFS.

 

[EachHit]

@EachHit- Do you have a high quality, low capacitance guitar cable? Just another variable to consider.

I've got a SOMMER Cable about 2 meters in Length. The Correct Name is "The Spirit XXL 1x0,75mm" or something like that.

Maybe I will do a test in the next couple days with my Guitars and Bass and see which seem to clip.

Perhaps I can upload the DI-Tracks so somebody can listen and look in close how the clipping occurs.

Heavy Greetz