Recording Trouble (clipping)

[Grooven]

Small mix in Reaper its my 2 guitars panned hard L&R
For the intro its at -6db and fine then clips during the last bit of verse into chorus
Doesn't matter how much I adjust the interface or even adjust the track vol in Reaper it just stays at -6 sometimes even just above which is too hot either way.
Cheap $100 Presonus interface (Audiobox)2x2

 

[DudeManBrother]

You can double click on the actual audio file in Reaper, and in the middle of the pop-up, on the left side, is a source audio level slider (not sure what it’s called off the top of my head) this slider will uniformly reduce the wave form. You can also place your mouse at the top of the file (similar to how you hover at the corner to do a fade) and it’ll allow you to lower the wave form that way as well.

There’s an included plugin called Event Horizon. Set the Limit to -0.01 an that will clip off any transients causing you to go into the red.

 

[fproject]

You want to avoid clipping coming in. No plugin will help with that.
Either reduce the level coming into the DAW with the gain control on your interface or add an external compressor in your signal chain, before you go into your interface to help reduce the spikes.

 

[Flappydoodle]

You mean the DI is clipping? If so, that’s an interface problem. If the input gain is set to the lowest, you need a DI box to further reduce the signal. Or you could get a higher quality interface.

I guess the real question is whether it is messing up your song though. I wouldn’t be worried too much about dB levels if it sounds fine.

 

[Grooven]

You can double click on the actual audio file in Reaper, and in the middle of the pop-up, on the left side, is a source audio level slider (not sure what it’s called off the top of my head) this slider will uniformly reduce the wave form. You can also place your mouse at the top of the file (similar to how you hover at the corner to do a fade) and it’ll allow you to lower the wave form that way as well.

There’s an included plugin called Event Horizon. Set the Limit to -0.01 an that will clip off any transients causing you to go into the red.

Thanks ,I'll try and see what happens

 

[Grooven]

You mean the DI is clipping? If so, that’s an interface problem. If the input gain is set to the lowest, you need a DI box to further reduce the signal. Or you could get a higher quality interface.

I guess the real question is whether it is messing up your song though. I wouldn’t be worried too much about dB levels if it sounds fine.

Yeah I should've upgraded years ago but figured it really wasn't that big of a deal but yeah I'll look into some DI boxes. And it's not really messing with the sound or anything just annoying

 

[DudeManBrother]

Recording at 24 bit or 32 bit FP has a lot of headroom. You shouldn’t clip the converter with the interface input at 0. It can show up in the DAW as clipping, but reducing the wave level should restore the peaks without any crackles. You’d hear audible distortion and nasty crackles if the wave peaks were actually truncated. This would require a DI workaround or better interface.

A better interface will have better input control, so you wouldn’t have to deal with the nuisance of adjusting every guitar file you record; but you can “clip gain”, like I mentioned in the previous post, as a workaround, until you decide to upgrade.

 

[-niko-]

Like already stated in this thread, you should never hit your interface even near the 0db and if you cannot set the input gain low enough the interface is the problem. Some interfaces can't handle hi impedance signals and will easily clip when using high output pickups. As said a cheap fix is to have a DI box that could take the high impedance signal and convert it to line level signal.

The interface should have dedicated ASIO control software which meters shows the interface input levels. Playing dynamics with DI signal will greatly affect the signal levels. If you are inputing already processed signal e.g. distortion/compression the signal levels will be more constant. You could try to hit hard some chords and see the db levels in ASIO control software.

 

[WarMachine]

Does you interface have a USB/Direct control knob? Something that lets you control what's coming in direct vs USB? I ask because i have an M-Track 2x2 C Series and with my gain zeroed out on the input i got hot levels also. The way to fix that was to turn the USB/Direct control up a touch.

 

[Grooven]

Does you interface have a USB/Direct control knob? Something that lets you control what's coming in direct vs USB? I ask because i have an M-Track 2x2 C Series and with my gain zeroed out on the input i got hot levels also. The way to fix that was to turn the USB/Direct control up a touch.

Nope

 

[Grooven]

Like already stated in this thread, you should never hit your interface even near the 0db and if you cannot set the input gain low enough the interface is the problem. Some interfaces can't handle hi impedance signals and will easily clip when using high output pickups. As said a cheap fix is to have a DI box that could take the high impedance signal and convert it to line level signal.

The interface should have dedicated ASIO control software which meters shows the interface input levels. Playing dynamics with DI signal will greatly affect the signal levels. If you are inputing already processed signal e.g. distortion/compression the signal levels will be more constant. You could try to hit hard some chords and see the db levels in ASIO control software.

I adjusted it again it wasn't really at zero but real close to it.
If I play really hard palm mutes I can see blinking on the interface and that's the lowest I can set it without it being at 0,funny enough the guitar track in reaper is not going red but instead it's the master this time. Oh and for dedicated software it's just a small pop up window called Universal Control it let's me change sample rate, clock source and block size.

 

[nickgray]

If I play really hard palm mutes I can see blinking on the interface and that's the lowest I can set it without it being at 0

Sounds like the input is too hot. Scarlett gen1 had this issue too, I've seen lots of complaints about it here and there. You need a DI box, basically.