KVR Audio

dasdeck · Post by **dasdeck** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:38 pm

hi there.
i recently figured how much u like the sound(or the lack of) of hard/ soft clippers. i seem to prefer non oversampled ones, as they sound softer. i read that clippers (can) resemble the sound of overdrive mixer channels. do (good) mixer channels clip smoother that digital clipper? i'd like to try some alternatives. at the moment use:

mostly:
gclip for (hardclipping)
reaper js effect: soft_clip

firegain (multi band soft clip)
christian budde advanced clipper

cheers!

jm

shalako · Post by **shalako** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:05 pm

Saturation types from soft to harsh ===> Valve (hardware) > transistor (hardware) > Valve emulation (software) > Transistor emulation (software) > Digital/Standard (software)

Most Analog Mixing desks fall under the Transitor (hardware) category. And the odd few under Valve.

It is saturation that is used to emulate mixing consoles but clipping is part of the equation when channels are driven hard.

This is jut a bit of background to help you in your search for the right tool.

dasdeck · Post by **dasdeck** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:17 pm

thanks!
kind of knew that already.
i'll try some saturation and tube plugins as clippers.

jm

mauseoleum · Post by **mauseoleum** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:37 pm

dasdeck wrote:thanks!
kind of knew that already.
i'll try some saturation and tube plugins as clippers.

jm

In the other thread here there was another clipper mentioned, called "TSClip".

I checked it out and it's pretty good. Look here:
http://www.signaldust.com/plugins.html

I quickly tested it in a theme I was working on, and it seems to work nice.

This clip is a pretty honest representation of how it works in a mix; I used TSClip on channels - on the master there was only a ReaComp and a loudness maximizer used, no multiband, no tape/exciter or widening - IOW pretty "linear", "whatyouget". This is a quick "on the headphones" mix, so it may not be a really representative, however, DO check it out.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/25/1835391/clip.mp3

Btw.: this was made in an ancient FLstudio 4.5 on my internet computer, synth is a Dreamstation DX, so it's not as fat, full, whatever - compared to modern VSTis.

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:49 pm

mauseoleum wrote:Btw.: this was made in an ancient FLstudio 4.5 on my internet computer, synth is a Dreamstation DX, so it has mysterious, indefinable vintage mojo, whatever - compared to modern VSTis.

Fixed that for ya.

Remember, everything's a plus. Old joke, I think by David Frost and an accomplice.

Ad writer-type guy: "It's waterproof!"
Captain bringdown: "No, it's not."
Ad writer-type guy: "It's water resistant!!"
Captain bringdown: "No, it's not."
Ad writer-type guy: "It's... ABSORBENT!!!"

mike@manike · Post by **mike@manike** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:53 pm

If you're using a clipper I'd use something like Elephant where you can oversample.

Makes an audible difference.

dasdeck · Post by **dasdeck** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:10 pm

mike@manike wrote:If you're using a clipper I'd use something like Elephant where you can oversample.

Makes an audible difference.

yes, but oversampling sometime makes the sound feel more edgy. i'll try elephant anyways. thanks

mauseoleum · Post by **mauseoleum** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:22 pm

This is also my observation.

If you use it on channels/groups, it adds up.

However, it usually sounds good on 2bus. (to me)

mike@manike · Post by **mike@manike** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:47 pm

mauseoleum wrote:This is also my observation.

If you use it on channels/groups, it adds up.

However, it usually sounds good on 2bus. (to me)

It's sounds edgy oversampled you mean?

mauseoleum · Post by **mauseoleum** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:50 pm

mike@manike wrote:
mauseoleum wrote:This is also my observation.

If you use it on channels/groups, it adds up.

However, it usually sounds good on 2bus. (to me)

It's sounds edgy oversampled you mean?

Oversampled, yes.

Not really "edgy" but to me definitely brings out some kind of "presence" that adds up.

dasdeck · Post by **dasdeck** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:03 pm

mauseoleum wrote:
mike@manike wrote:
mauseoleum wrote:This is also my observation.

If you use it on channels/groups, it adds up.

However, it usually sounds good on 2bus. (to me)

It's sounds edgy oversampled you mean?
Oversampled, yes.

Not really "edgy" but to me definitely brings out some kind of "presence" that adds up.

yes...edgy might be a too vague description...i guess one hears the filter used for the oversampling, as filters tend to have boosting bumps in their response. i now the theory behind oversampling. t-racks clipper seems to oversample without sounding hard.i guess the oversampling method matters too

. i like the tsclip! thanks for bringing it up! it has a nice sound when breaking up kicks

also very smooth.

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:15 pm

yes, but oversampling sometime makes the sound feel more edgy.

the only reason to oversample a saturator is to reduce aliasing, really

dasdeck · Post by **dasdeck** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:33 pm

tony tony chopper wrote:
yes, but oversampling sometime makes the sound feel more edgy.
the only reason to oversample a saturator is to reduce aliasing, really

i know...but some oversampling algos seem to make the sound more "edgy" to me (what does edgy really mean anyways)..i notice the aliasing noise decreases, but the aliasing noise does not hurt on the things i'm clipping (non melodic rhythmical stuff, like cracking snares and claps) most of the time, while the edge created by some oversampling filters annoys me. but yes, to say oversampled clippers sound more edgy is surely an oversimplification

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:34 pm

to make the sound more "edgy"

but what does edgy mean?

futurefields · Post by **futurefields** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:29 pm

HARSH. GLASSY. SHARP. PIERCING. CUTTING. BLEEDING. DYING.