My band performed last weekend and I taped the show with my Sony VX1000 video camera. I set the levels just about right, but now and then I have some digital clipping (very infrequently).
I am not interested in raising the overall volume. I simply want to bring the peaks under control.
Question: How do I set a typical limiter (or compressor) to tame the clipping (without bringing up the bottom -- I don't want to overcompress!)?
Also, can anyone correlate their advice to a good freeware or donationware compressor / limiter?
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I am also interested in some equalization advice for this live recording (it's a hard rock power trio!). If anyone is interested in making an equalization recommendation (again, correlated to a good freeware EQ), please let me know.
Thanks. I appreciate your help.
Compressor / Limiter question
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- AcousticHippie
- 4769 posts since 12 Mar, 2003
well just use a limiter then with a threshold of -0.3dB that should tame your peaks without raising the volume
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- KVRAF
- 6937 posts since 4 Jun, 2004 from Utrecht, Holland
Hmmm, clipping... And you do not want to re-record I suppose. Live recordings have their charms in inperfection... Probably the video camera has a built-in auto-gain or limiter cirquit.
I had some decent results once with restoring incidental clips. It involved an audio editor that allows you to edit each individual sample (cooleditpro) and me manually making the flat peaks round again.
For future recordings, nothing beats a dude watching the meters and making sure it does not clip. If it already is recorded, the harm is done. The clipping happens before a vst effect can tame any peak. Only a hardware limiter can save you, but that still requires a dude at the knobs knowing what to do.
Now for EQ: a nice 32-band graphical one can be useful. You can patch it up a bit, but a bad sounding live recording basically remains a bad sounding live recording.
The reason why you need EQ needs to be addressed: basic sound of the PA, room acoustics of the place you played, a tiny Sony mic, cheap AD converter... Need I go on??
I had some decent results once with restoring incidental clips. It involved an audio editor that allows you to edit each individual sample (cooleditpro) and me manually making the flat peaks round again.
For future recordings, nothing beats a dude watching the meters and making sure it does not clip. If it already is recorded, the harm is done. The clipping happens before a vst effect can tame any peak. Only a hardware limiter can save you, but that still requires a dude at the knobs knowing what to do.
Now for EQ: a nice 32-band graphical one can be useful. You can patch it up a bit, but a bad sounding live recording basically remains a bad sounding live recording.
The reason why you need EQ needs to be addressed: basic sound of the PA, room acoustics of the place you played, a tiny Sony mic, cheap AD converter... Need I go on??
My MusicCalc is temporary offline.
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
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- AcousticHippie
- 4769 posts since 12 Mar, 2003
oh I thought he wanted to rerecord... but using a limiter to prevent the overs
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 248 posts since 7 May, 2004
Thanks for the replies so far.
I've got Sound Forge 8. Should I re-draw the clipped wavs, or use a limiter?
The recording isn't too bad. But I bet a good bit of EQ could help. My cymbals definately get too sizzly (I was slamming them), the bottom could come up a bit, etc. I have fooled around a bit with EQ, but it's hit and miss. I bet someone really good would be able to zero in on very specific regions.
If I uploaded a song from the tape, would anyone be interested in a treatment (using freeware or donationware or inexpensive plugs)?
I've got Sound Forge 8. Should I re-draw the clipped wavs, or use a limiter?
The recording isn't too bad. But I bet a good bit of EQ could help. My cymbals definately get too sizzly (I was slamming them), the bottom could come up a bit, etc. I have fooled around a bit with EQ, but it's hit and miss. I bet someone really good would be able to zero in on very specific regions.
If I uploaded a song from the tape, would anyone be interested in a treatment (using freeware or donationware or inexpensive plugs)?
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- AcousticHippie
- 4769 posts since 12 Mar, 2003
well when the audio file is clipped there's no point in limiting.... the only way is to redraw the waveform... but that's no superb solution either....
rerecord it
rerecord it
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 248 posts since 7 May, 2004
Well, for now, we can't rerecord. This was our "big gig". We want to use this recording to get other gigs for the summer.
So, I should redraw the clipped waveformss? Any special technique? Or just round them off?
Redrawing is better than leaving it clipped, yes?
Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it.
So, I should redraw the clipped waveformss? Any special technique? Or just round them off?
Redrawing is better than leaving it clipped, yes?
Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it.
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- AcousticHippie
- 4769 posts since 12 Mar, 2003
well there's a possibility to make it worse but trial and error will make it better in the end.... just check what you did to the file and when it sounds better go to the next square peak.....geekboy wrote:Well, for now, we can't rerecord. This was our "big gig". We want to use this recording to get other gigs for the summer.
So, I should redraw the clipped waveformss? Any special technique? Or just round them off?
Redrawing is better than leaving it clipped, yes?
Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it.
just rounding them off can work with small clips ... but if there's some real square blocks... that's almost impossible to fix...
just try it......
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- KVRAF
- 6937 posts since 4 Jun, 2004 from Utrecht, Holland
Leaving it clipped has its grungy raw merits, but you need to show the video images also! (e.g. make a dvd) That way you honoustly show it is a handycam recording, and people will forgive its not perfect.
The redrawing technique is to look at simular peaks that were not clipped, and draw the clipped ones just like that. The nasty sharp transients should be deminished. If it sounds horrible, then undo.
Oh, CoolEditPro has a feature called "clip restauration"! I should have seen that before, never tried that...
The redrawing technique is to look at simular peaks that were not clipped, and draw the clipped ones just like that. The nasty sharp transients should be deminished. If it sounds horrible, then undo.
Oh, CoolEditPro has a feature called "clip restauration"! I should have seen that before, never tried that...
My MusicCalc is temporary offline.
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 248 posts since 7 May, 2004
Yeah, we're going to make a DVD... we were going pretty nuts. If I get a chance, I'll make some video clips and post links. This assumes that people here are interested in a little hard rock now and then...
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- KVRist
- 85 posts since 7 Jan, 2005
Clipping on a live handycam hard rock recording is perfect in my opinion. The band must be too powerful for the poor little camera! GRRRR! It all adds to the feel of the recording. Well i hope it does.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 248 posts since 7 May, 2004
Yes Iain, we were loud. I had the camera audio gain set manually to 1.5 (instead of normal 8 or whatever) and we still had some clipping. It only clips now and then, but the up side is that the signal is always very hot.