Good Mastering Limiter plug-in?
- Thread starter Ermz
- Start date
slinky_
Member
I've just read a ton of information on the gearslutz board that makes me question using clipping on individual tracks. I honestly cannot see the benefit in doing this at this point in time.
If you understand how clipping actually creates those larger transients, and how equipment-varied the results are, you become a lot more apprehensive about using it so liberally. You're essentially fooling the output DAC in doing a voltage overshoot in between your squared-off samples. You're counting on it to replicate the transient in the way that your equipment at home does, and in reality this just isn't going to be the case all the time. This is why the drum attacks sound slightly different after they've been clipped to what they sounded like prior to clipping. You're essentially hearing your DAC's attempt at recreating the waveform information that you chopped off!
I think I will use clipping very sparingly in my mastering chain to stop the squashing effect of regular limiters, but I think I would gladly sacrifice most of that transient information for my mixes to translate across to a wider variety of systems.
Definitely going to keep reading up on this whole thing, as much for my research paper as for my own benefit.
If you understand how clipping actually creates those larger transients, and how equipment-varied the results are, you become a lot more apprehensive about using it so liberally. You're essentially fooling the output DAC in doing a voltage overshoot in between your squared-off samples. You're counting on it to replicate the transient in the way that your equipment at home does, and in reality this just isn't going to be the case all the time. This is why the drum attacks sound slightly different after they've been clipped to what they sounded like prior to clipping. You're essentially hearing your DAC's attempt at recreating the waveform information that you chopped off!
I think I will use clipping very sparingly in my mastering chain to stop the squashing effect of regular limiters, but I think I would gladly sacrifice most of that transient information for my mixes to translate across to a wider variety of systems.
Definitely going to keep reading up on this whole thing, as much for my research paper as for my own benefit.
ffaudio
Member
When I set up gclip I don't put the threshold down to where it is hitting every hit. I'll keep it up near the top and not even touching the transients and just use it to make sure I don't have any overs on the tracks.
Gnash
Lefty
