Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Clipping Removal

  • 16-04-2009 4:47pm
    #1
    JJV
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 168 ✭✭


    I've been working with a client for more than a year now on a CD of piano recordings. The recordings are now ready to go for mastering but there is clipping in 4 or 5 places that needs to be addressed. I didn't notice it on my speakers, but when listening back on headphones it is there in the LH channel. I have tried a bit of experimenting with re-drawing the waveform in Logic's sample window but this does not really solve the problem satisfactorily. Is there something in the sample editor in Soundtrack Pro that might do the job?

    I see Izotope RX offers a tool for dealing with this kind of thing. Does anyone have any experience of this or own it & how successful is it? Is there a Pro Tools equivalent plug in?

    Finally, does anyone have any suggestions for mastering a classical piano album? The files are 24 bit 96 kHz, no eq, no compression, no reverb. The mastering will involve balancing track levels, adjusting spaces between tracks, adding a suitable reverb, eq & compression (if any.)

    The mastering needs to be done in Dublin as the client wishes to attend.

    Thanks for the help.

    www.jjvernon.com


Comments

  • #2
    woodsdenis
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 535 ✭✭✭woodsdenis


    JJV wrote: »
    I've been working with a client for more than a year now on a CD of piano recordings. The recordings are now ready to go for mastering but there is clipping in 4 or 5 places that needs to be addressed. I didn't notice it on my speakers, but when listening back on headphones it is there in the LH channel. I have tried a bit of experimenting with re-drawing the waveform in Logic's sample window but this does not really solve the problem satisfactorily. Is there something in the sample editor in Soundtrack Pro that might do the job?

    I see Izotope RX offers a tool for dealing with this kind of thing. Does anyone have any experience of this or own it & how successful is it? Is there a Pro Tools equivalent plug in?

    Finally, does anyone have any suggestions for mastering a classical piano album? The files are 24 bit 96 kHz, no eq, no compression, no reverb. The mastering will involve balancing track levels, adjusting spaces between tracks, adding a suitable reverb, eq & compression (if any.)

    The mastering needs to be done in Dublin as the client wishes to attend.

    Thanks for the help.

    www.jjvernon.com

    I dont have personal experience of these plugs as I dont own them, however
    the Isotope RX and the Waves Restoration stuff will certainly fix most things.
    Sonic Solutions would also fix these kind of problems. Most pro mastering houses will have these types of restoration plugs so dont panic. Some of these plugs can be downloaded as a demo why not try this.


  • #3
    trackmixstudio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 843 ✭✭✭trackmixstudio


    Open in Soundtrack Pro.
    In lefthand pane select analysis then clips then fix all. Usually does a great job.
    It's amazing that people who own logic or final cut have soundtrack pro and most of them never use it. It is a really good sample editor.


  • #4
    JJV
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 168 ✭✭JJV


    trackmixstudio wrote: »
    Open in Soundtrack Pro.
    In lefthand pane select analysis then clips then fix all. Usually does a great job.
    It's amazing that people who own logic or final cut have soundtrack pro and most of them never use it. It is a really good sample editor.

    Thanks for that. Will do. I am also downloading the Izotope RX demo - will give both a go & report back with my findings!

    www.jjvernon.com


  • #5
    PaulBrewer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,790 ✭✭✭PaulBrewer


    I'm not aware what local guys, if any, specialise in Classical Mastering.

    How I'd suggest talking to Tim Martin (Denis may have contact) who's musical background might be most in tune with the Joanna Buzz ...


    Lastly , School Boy Error on the distortion! ;)


  • #6
    JJV
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 168 ✭✭JJV


    PaulBrewer wrote: »

    Lastly , School Boy Error on the distortion! ;)

    Yes, the "school boy" is a lady in her 80s. I take my hat off to her for tackling this recording business at all especially as playing is her thing.


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    PaulBrewer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,790 ✭✭✭PaulBrewer


    JJV wrote: »
    Yes, the "school boy" is a lady in her 80s. I take my hat off to her for tackling this recording business at all especially as playing is her thing.

    I thought it was you .....

    Try Tim anyway.


  • #8
    woodsdenis
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 535 ✭✭✭woodsdenis


    trackmixstudio wrote: »
    Open in Soundtrack Pro.
    In lefthand pane select analysis then clips then fix all. Usually does a great job.
    It's amazing that people who own logic or final cut have soundtrack pro and most of them never use it. It is a really good sample editor.

    good one trackmix, handy one to know.:D


  • #9
    iquinn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 176 ✭✭iquinn


    If soundtrack pro doesn't give good enough results, Izotope rx is excellent for this type of work. Try using the single band mode and experiment with the clipping threshold and makeup gain until you get something that sounds good.
    And best to just select the problem sections rather than processing the whole track.


  • #10
    madtheory
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,892 ✭✭✭madtheory


    Interesting. I have Izotope RX, the denoising is excellent, haven't needed to de clipping.

    If it's only 4 or 5 places, redrawing is the most effective solution. Pro Tools is good for that, I've never done it in Logic.

    Is Mary Kettle still working in Dublin? I remember her doing excellent work on classical and trad in Trend.


  • #11
    JJV
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 168 ✭✭JJV


    OK, so I tried Soundtrack Pro. I imported the clipped audio file & pressed "analyse" in the left pane. Soundtrack Pro correctly found all the clipped sections however when I pressed "fix" the clips became noticeably "clippier." (I was hearing more not less distortion.) Confused by this I zoomed right into the waveform where STP had attempted the repairs & what had happened was that the programme had drawn a deep "V" shape in the waveform by significantly lowering the clipped node & this sounds worse than before.

    It looks to me like STP is doing no more than automatically re-drawing the waveform. I'm having more luck with iZotope RX but have to say I can not remove 100% of the clipping & of course I can't save because I only have the demo.

    I was speaking to a mastering engineer yesterday & he was of the opinion that if at all possible you are better off editing an un-clipped take in. (He said that removing clipping 100% is not possible & that you will end up with something better but which is not perfect.) I think this is probably the route I will go down now, but will report back further on my attempts with RX. I will also try re-drawing the waveform in Pro Tools to see if that gives better results than Logic.

    www.jjvernon.com


  • Advertisement
Advertisement