Hi all, I'm still a newbie to X1 so this might be an easy question. Is there a way to minimize/lower/compress a sound that clipped because of peak overload? I have some takes of vocals and acoustic guitar that I really wanna keep because I like the performances, but they clipped in one or two spots. Is there a way to level them out? -ryan

If they clipped during recording there's not a lot you can do about it. I do believe there are some audio tools out there which purport to smooth digital clipping, but they're expensive (Sony's Noise Reduction 2.0 is around $280 for instance). And you're not likely to get 100% perfect results. Maybe their demo is usable for a quick fix in this case? 

Absolute best thing you can do is record the take again!

clipping continues to be a risk for me. I use a hardware compressorlimiter before my interface. even so, last might during a happy jam, there was a little clipping. I was recording at 24 bit 88.2, and the tracks are still usable. I find with my interface, higher sample rates result in files more usable with a clip or two. that said, I try hard to prevent clipping.

You may find that a click/pop eliminator will do the job, but you would have to experiment with the settings.  Adobe Audition, Izotope Rx etc. have this function and I have managed to salvage some recording that were clipped with some success.

I have a problem with my M-Audio Fast Track C400 in that I cannot avoid clipping when I plug my Telecaster into it and play on the bridge pickup. Even with the gain pot turned all the way down to zero, if I really bash the strings (which I'm prone to do without warning) then it clips. Neck pickup? No problem. 

also, sometimes, I will use a volume envelope to notch out a clip  and fill the void with the boosted section from another track.. maybe a vocal Mic that didn't clip.

An analog limiter can't "look ahead" like a digital one, so it's hard for it to not let some signal through before it starts compressing, even if it has a really fast attack time.

The best way to avoid clipping is to record using 24 bits and leave LOTS of headroom. At least 12dB from the highest peak you get during set up. But if you want to leave 30dB, there is absolutely no downside to that. With 24 bit converters, there is no reason to be anywhere near clipping, as you gain nothing from setting the converter's level too high and you lose nothing unless you set it's level really, really, really low in a really, really quiet room using a really quiet mic and really quiet preamp and try to record something with really, really wide dynamic range.


But if you want to use a limiter to add a little safety to avoid really ridiculous overs, you want one set up for:
1. peak detection (not RMS)
2. faster than fast attack time
3. hard knee, unless you want to color your sound as well when you approach the threshold
4. threshold well below clipping (so it starts compressing sooner)

 I use a Dbx compressor 162SL. it has something called peakstop. I don't know how it works. It is usually very safe. I use some light compression too.

If you're recording 24 bit, you can record at lower levels to avoid clipping, as you'll have plenty of headroom to increase things afterwards.  This is  abit more challenging when recording at 16 bit.

gswitz


clipping continues to be a risk for me. I use a hardware compressorlimiter before my interface. even so, last might during a happy jam, there was a little clipping. I was recording at 24 bit 88.2, and the tracks are still usable. I find with my interface, higher sample rates result in files more usable with a clip or two. that said, I try hard to prevent clipping.

You may want to look into getting a pad for this. Its a way to control the volume of a signal and can be used between your guitar and the audio interface. Its nothing more than a attenuator for volume.