[backtoreality15]

This may be old news, but is it just me, or is there distortion and clipping on Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why" track? Particularly from 1:10 to 1:15... Its bothering me.

 

[GreatDane]

Old news. I love that CD and it bothers me too.

 

[plonter]

HI..i heard the term clipping a lot of times but never knew what that means..
can someone be kind to explain?
thanks!

 

[Menisk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonter /img/forum/go_quote.gif HI..i heard the term clipping a lot of times but never knew what that means.. can someone be kind to explain? thanks!

In digital audio there is a maximum amplitude that can be reached when you reach that amplitude you can't go any further and so the top of the waveform becomes clipped. This is becoming a problem increasingly in what is called the 'loudness war' where large record labels feel the need to try and make their CDs sound so much louder rather than letting the consumer make it louder by turning the volume up on their amp.

The diagram below shows the same waveform, but the second one has been amplified digitally to clipping. You can get clipping in analogue audio when you reach the maximum amplitude of you amplifier, but your amplifier is powerful enough that you can drive your headphones to be unlistenably loud before that happens.

 

[Jaska]

The album in question doesn't suffer too badly from overcompression compared to others of the same era, but unfortunately the vocal mic in particular seems to have been too hot. I own both the Blue Note and Parlophone pressings, and while I haven't done any computer-based analysis between them, the Parlophone sounds somewhat better to me. I fear that if a remaster ever comes out, the corrections (noise reduction, etc.) might make it sound even worse.

 

[plonter]

thanks for the answer and the graph mate! very helpful and simple.

but how exactly clipping should sound like on a record...like distortion?

 

[Menisk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonter /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the answer and the graph mate! very helpful and simple. but how exactly clipping should sound like on a record...like distortion?

Grab Audacity from here: Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder

Open your favorite song and go to the effects menu. Choose amplification and put the gain somewhere around 12db. Choose the option that says allow clipping and hit okay. You'll notice that it doesn't sound so nice.

 

[SiriuslyCold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Menisk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Grab Audacity from here: Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder Open your favorite song and go to the effects menu. Choose amplification and put the gain somewhere around 12db. Choose the option that says allow clipping and hit okay. You'll notice that it doesn't sound so nice.

or, get a copy of Metallica's Death Magnetic

 

[Menisk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiriuslyCold /img/forum/go_quote.gif or, get a copy of Metallica's Death Magnetic

*blink*