[help] Clipping @#$%^*

[ikan]

Guys,

Currently here's my recording set-up:

guitar/condenser mic > UX2 > Gearbox > Reaper

I've been using the presets in Gearbox as FXs to color the sound of my guitar & vocal tracks. No tweaking was done either on the Gearbox or Reaper. The result is, I can clearly hear the clipping sound at around 3-7 sec intervals, before and after the track is armed for recording. For drums, I used Drumkit From Hell by Toontrack and the same thing happened. Anyway, the slider for each track in the Reaper is set at 0dbs by default.

What should I do to overcome this problem? Thanking you guys in advance!

 

[godchuanz]

Are you using ASIO? If so, check your latency settings. Increase it bit by bit to see the problem goes away.

You may also want to record some sample waveforms and observe the peaks for clips. If there are clips, lower your gain anywhere along the chain.

Tips to improve your ASIO performance:
1) Close as many background processes
2) Use as fast a CPU as possible
3) If possible, optimize your OS for faster/frequent process-switching.

You should also look through DFH or any software you use to see if there are options to cache samples.

 

[Cheez]

What DAW recording software are you using?

By clipping, do you mean peaking in terms of dB or "clicks and pops" (ie background noises)?

 

[ikan]

I guess my problem is not clipping coz the red LED on the Gearbox didn't appear at all. Just crackly sounds here and there. Dropout perhaps?

Anyway, here's some snippets of my recording:

Indian Nite: listen online

I used my GT-8 for the intro (sitar sound) and the rest used the presets in Gearbox. You can hear some crackly parts especially in the intro. No bass track yet. All the tracks peaked at -something dB except for the drums which peaked at +4.6dB. Am I recording too hot?

 

[godchuanz]

If you're talking about dBFS, you cannot record anything above 0dB (or for safety -3dB). It should be impossible to hit 4.6dB? Do you mean -4.6dB?

Also, you mentioned that you're using GT8? Remember that the GT8 is a digital effects board and thus, can clip internally. I'd say it is likely the case, from the clip you showed. Lower the gain for the preset in your GT8, and turn up the output volume. See if it helps.

Nice music by the way.