Does the sound wave (visual) on an audio track, show clipping reliably?

[Ally007]

I'm working on project with 12 audio tracks. In order to get one or two of the instruments playing back at a suitable volume, relative to the other tracks, I have to increase the levels of those tracks to the degree that the visual sound wave on those tracks looks massively clipped, and yet they don't sound clipped at all. Which makes me wonder if the visual sound wave really reflects clipping or not. Any comments?

[dysjoint]

Have you rendered those tracks? You can go well above zero in the digital environment but when you render everything above zero dB is lost (clipped). In the rendered waveform you can see clipping as flat sections in place of the normal peaks of a waveform.
Not all clipping sounds bad, but I would use a clipper plugin or a limiter.
As long as you're in control of the clipping and the effect is desired.

[Peter Widdicombe]

Isn't there a "LoudMax" plugin that does just that? Boosts the level of the whole mix or just one track, such that it is apparently louder with no clipping or compression artifacts?

[Ally007]

Have you rendered those tracks? You can go well above zero in the digital environment but when you render everything above zero dB is lost (clipped).

Thank you; I must bear that in mind. I'm puzzled though, because a couple of my audio tracks appear to have become seriously clipped (according to the visual waveform), even though they were not clipped when I recorded them. How can that happen? It cannot be rectified by reducing the gain on those tracks. When playing them, I don't notice any audible clipping (either in TW or in the rendered file) but then that might just be my hearing. Someone with better-trained ears might detect it, if indeed there is any actual clipping. Then there is one track with a recording of a small hand drum, that I cannot make sufficiently audible over the sounds of the other tracks, unless the gain on the track is set to about +10dB. The levels were suitably set when I recorded that drum track, and the visual waveform looks fine, as if there should be more volume.

[Ally007]

Isn't there a "LoudMax" plugin that does just that? Boosts the level of the whole mix or just one track, such that it is apparently louder with no clipping or compression artifacts?

Thanks for mentioning that, Peter. I will give that a go, in the next day or two.

[Peter Widdicombe]

You've never normalized the audio level? It will boost - but may mess up dynamics of a track.

[Ally007]

You've never normalized the audio level? It will boost - but may mess up dynamics of a track.

No, I never have, because so many people say it can causes noise, and as you say, I don't want to change the dynamics of the recording. I did try the other option once (adjust level based on RMS), but it didn't seem to improve anything, for me. Anyway, I tried out that limiter plugin today, and it more or less solved the issues with my problem tracks - thanks. (I used it on the problem tracks specifically, and not the master track.)

[Watchful]

I don't normalize, either. I find it turns audio into something sounding like a radio turned up to 11 but stuffed into a box. It's kind of a throwback to older recording techniques, in my experience. If you're using compressors, limiters, and the occasional exciter, you can get a better result by far.

[Stuttaton]

Isn't there a "LoudMax" plugin that does just that? Boosts the level of the whole mix or just one track, such that it is apparently louder with no clipping or compression artifacts?

Final Mix does this for the whole mix.

[pough]

I'm working on project with 12 audio tracks. In order to get one or two of the instruments playing back at a suitable volume, relative to the other tracks, I have to increase the levels of those tracks to the degree that the visual sound wave on those tracks looks massively clipped, and yet they don't sound clipped at all. Which makes me wonder if the visual sound wave really reflects clipping or not. Any comments?

It would be easier if you showed us what you mean by "increase the levels of those tracks" as there are a number of ways this can be done. I've found that when someone comes here to ask for help they have often done the least likely thing imaginable, so vagueness sends helpers off in the wrong direction.

[Ally007]

It would be easier if you showed us what you mean by "increase the levels of those tracks" as there are a number of ways this can be done. I've found that when someone comes here to ask for help they have often done the least likely thing imaginable, so vagueness sends helpers off in the wrong direction.

By "increase the levels of those tracks" I meant increase the amplitude, via the track's gain control. Sorry if my meaning was open to misinterpretation. Anyway, I resolved the problem with a compressor.