Clipping in commercial music

[dewgong]

Im noticing that quite a few tracks which I hear in wav or flac formats actually have alot of clipping or have a really bloated low end. Is this some kind of saturation technique? By this I mean are artists resampling digital clipping and turning the volume down? I dont like the sound but it is kind of Pavlovian conditioning heh

[ThePresent]

Distorted kicks and basses are sampled and used in productions and also there are entire mixes that distort a lot in the loudest parts

[dewgong]

Distorted kicks and basses are sampled and used in productions and also there are entire mixes that distort a lot in the loudest parts

Distortion is slightly different to clipping isn't it? I mean the distortion im hearing sounds more like the nasty overburn that you get inside a DAW. This is afaik different to actual digital clipping which can sound great.

[Paschalis I.]

Im noticing that quite a few tracks which I hear in wav or flac formats actually have alot of clipping or have a really bloated low end. Is this some kind of saturation technique? By this I mean are artists resampling digital clipping and turning the volume down? I dont like the sound but it is kind of Pavlovian conditioning heh

This can also be created using an L1 type of limiter and limiting the hell out of the bass.

Can you please post a youtube link to make sure we're talking about the same thing?

[Sendy]

People care more about things sounding loud than sounding good. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that large swathes of people are forgetting how to appreciate and listen to music. Smashing the f**k out of mixes seems to be standard practice in a lot of scenes.

[Paschalis I.]

People care more about things sounding loud than sounding good. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that large swathes of people are forgetting how to appreciate and listen to music. Smashing the f**k out of mixes seems to be standard practice in a lot of scenes.

I always prefer dynamics/punch/feelings that loudness.

But in a genre that's been created for loudness...
Well, you're looking for loudness in an orchestra just like you're not looking for dynamics in EDM

[Ciao007]

I prefer "balanced" Loudness

check out this mixes from Axwell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0e9wALeTvw 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCs-QNH2G0U 2014


You can get that feeling like "clipping/distortiong" just a little bit from plugins at the mastering stage with Sausage Fattern at the end of the chain after the limiter 1% of processing

In the mixing stage use Sonnox Oxford Dynamics "Warmth" section to get that particular distortion thru dry/wet or if you have logic use Overdrive.

[dewgong]

I was just listening to a contemporary jazz album opened up the waveform in audacity and the entire album is clipped. It sounds thoroughly awful to be honest. All the detail is completely distorted and there's no headroom. Im just trying to understand what could possess a band to deliberately do that to their music?????!!!! The composition is brilliant on the album (Badbadnotgood) but the clipping makes it pretty unpleasant. It sounds as if its been compressed heavily and pushed to the limit. I think I can see what they were hoping to achieve, but why clip it to that extent? Is that a form of compression or something? I had a listen on Spotify and the mp3 is still clipped but much less aggressively

[dewgong]

People care more about things sounding loud than sounding good. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that large swathes of people are forgetting how to appreciate and listen to music. Smashing the f**k out of mixes seems to be standard practice in a lot of scenes.

Very true what surprises me however is that the tracks im referring to arent commercial at all. These are groups and artists who are really accomplished. In all other respects I admire artists like Badbadnotgood but I get the impression that whoever mastered the track was trying to give it that fist pumping hiphop dynamic response. Its an instrumental jazz album with hiphop references though. It just detracts from the beauty of the songcraft

[Gamma-UT]

Which BBNG album is this? The latest one, with Ghostface Killah, is more hiphop with a touch of jazz in any case.

But they've always been happy to use distortion, if only to get away from the trad jazz vibe.

[1wob2many]

Here are some articles on clipping and distortion:

http://productionadvice.co.uk/clipping/

http://productionadvice.co.uk/distortion/

There's also a lot of stuff on the loudness wars Sendy refers to.

[1wob2many]

But in a genre that's been created for loudness...

"Even Skrillex sounds better with more dynamics!" (Apparently - I never listened to any prior to reading this article and unlikely to ever listen to any again. I tried to listen to a couple of other tracks. Yuk.)

http://productionadvice.co.uk/skrillex-dynamics/

Sorry for keeping posting links to the same site.

[dewgong]

Which BBNG album is this? The latest one, with Ghostface Killah, is more hiphop with a touch of jazz in any case.

But they've always been happy to use distortion, if only to get away from the trad jazz vibe.

Ah its III that im referring to. I love distortion but this is like really bad tape compression or something. There's no dynamic range and it feels "burned". If it weren't for that the album would be peerless. Polar Bear and Hiatus Kaiyote have the same hip hop/acid jazz vibe going but they pull it off without blowing a single speaker

I suspect that the album might be tape compressed in any case. It would explain the "heat" I get from the tracks and the lack of dynamic range. There's also noise in quite a few of the tracks..,. i'll need to double check.

[Gamma-UT]

Ah its III that im referring to. I love distortion but this is like really bad tape compression or something. There's no dynamic range and it feels "burned". If it weren't for that the album would be peerless. Polar Bear and Hiatus Kaiyote have the same hip hop/acid jazz vibe going but they pull it off without blowing a single speaker

I suspect that the album might be tape compressed in any case. It would explain the "heat" I get from the tracks and the lack of dynamic range. There's also noise in quite a few of the tracks..,. i'll need to double check.

I don't think you can draw any conclusions about the gear used other than in search of a sound they probably drove everything too hot. It just goes to show that a bunch of 'real' analogue gear doesn't add up to a better sound. However, I do think that overdriven sound was what they were aiming for. I saw some hints in interviews that if they did it again, they'd make some different choices about approach.

[dewgong]

Ah its III that im referring to. I love distortion but this is like really bad tape compression or something. There's no dynamic range and it feels "burned". If it weren't for that the album would be peerless. Polar Bear and Hiatus Kaiyote have the same hip hop/acid jazz vibe going but they pull it off without blowing a single speaker

I suspect that the album might be tape compressed in any case. It would explain the "heat" I get from the tracks and the lack of dynamic range. There's also noise in quite a few of the tracks..,. i'll need to double check.

I don't think you can draw any conclusions about the gear used other than in search of a sound they probably drove everything too hot. It just goes to show that a bunch of 'real' analogue gear doesn't add up to a better sound. However, I do think that overdriven sound was what they were aiming for. I saw some hints in interviews that if they did it again, they'd make some different choices about approach.

Its one of many possibilities but you are right. Im glad that theyre reconsidering their approach too. They have alot in common with Polar Bear and Portico but if you compare the soundworlds these artists really allow all the instruments to breathe freely. Once you start overdriving everything all you end up with is instruments which feel as if they're being subjected to mediaeval torture. Not in a good way either