Declipper.... :(

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fooman
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2013/01/08 19:36:39 (permalink)

Declipper.... :(

I have recently gotten some gigs mixing other's recorded work. I enjoy it a lot!

But people obviously don't often record themselves very well.

I have a new client who has some clipping issues. Since I haven't had to read or deal with this in years, what is everyone using to deal with nasty digital distortion if it comes do to it.
(re-recording isn't possible for this one).
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    Beepster
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    Re:Declipper.... :( 2013/01/08 19:39:01 (permalink)
    What's clipping? Instruments? Vox? Drums?
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    Beepster
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    Re:Declipper.... :( 2013/01/08 19:52:44 (permalink)
      Alright... well if it is in perfect time and there are repeating parts and one section of a part doesn't have the clipping you can slice and dice the sections to replace the bad ones... or you can zoom into the wave really far and cut out the clip (if you can't turn it down so it isn't noticeable) then blend in a part from elsewehere that is the same note, hit, etc... for drums you can use audio snap and just replace it all with MIDI drums or sample the good hits as one shots and toss them in where necessary... if it's vox and there aren't any repeating parts well that's a drag but you could try using effects and creative engineering to make the clipping sound intentional.

    IDK... digital clipping is bad and I don't think there are any real plug in solutions but if it is slight then maybe some zooming in and putting in some precise volume automation you could get rid of some. I'd imagine compressor and EQ notch filtering might help.

    Just things I would look at. Cheers.
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    VariousArtist
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    Re:Declipper.... :( 2013/01/08 19:54:18 (permalink)
    fooman


    I have recently gotten some gigs mixing other's recorded work. I enjoy it a lot!

    But people obviously don't often record themselves very well.

    I have a new client who has some clipping issues. Since I haven't had to read or deal with this in years, what is everyone using to deal with nasty digital distortion if it comes do to it.
    (re-recording isn't possible for this one).

    Hello fooman


    Try these tools -- I believe they are about the best on the market:
    http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/rx/



    Many would argue that something digitally clipped is not recoverable, and that might be partially true, at least not to the point where you can be sure that is has been recovered 100%.  But I think many of these tools have come a long way such that you can apply fixes that reduce the harshness of digital clipping, perhaps even to the point where they are hardly noticeable (if at all).  These tools use sophisticated algorithms that do a best guesstimation at what the missing data is (i.e. what went beyond the digital boundary into digital clipping) and reconstruct it accordingly.


    Watch the video on that page link, especially the one with respect to digital clipping.


    Good luck.
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    Beepster
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    Re:Declipper.... :( 2013/01/08 19:55:35 (permalink)
    Oh and R-Mix seems to do some pretty impressive stuff. Wait for the clip and see what lights up then automate that section out. It also some cool filters that might get rid of less intense but consistent clipping
    #5
    musicroom
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    Re:Declipper.... :( 2013/01/08 20:20:43 (permalink)
    Sometimes you can have success splitting the clip point and fade in/out...

     
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    #6
    Guitarhacker
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    Re:Declipper.... :( 2013/01/09 08:38:25 (permalink)
    Generally, clipping is hard to fix...

    If say chorus one clips but chorus 2, which is a perfect match doesn't,  a copy paste will fix it.  

    Other than that.... IDK... I will record it again. Working for others that may not be possible.

    That would be one of the problems in working with people who do not know what they are doing. I would contact them, tell them what the problem is and ask for a new track at lower levels. 

    Once you clip.... the data that is missing can not be invented to fix it. You can always raise a low level without issues..... but not so easy the other way around. 

    Maybe some of the tools mentioned above will get you there in a reasonable way... but IMHO.... the best way is a new track that is recorded better.

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    #7
    fooman
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    Re:Declipper.... :( 2013/01/09 10:45:39 (permalink)
    Thanks for all the help :)

    I am also one of those guys who would say "record again duh". But this time, in this scenario, it's not happening. Two guys recorded something for fun live off the floor with a lot of bleed in all it's glory, hired me to mix it, and one of the guys is moving to another province. No re-recording haha.

    I showed the member who contacted me the issue, and explained what is happening... he understands it and will take care next time to use the digital headroom available.

    I will look at Izotope. I have also read that Waves' X-Crackle may also be of some help. Perhaps I'll look into both.
    #8
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