Distortion when maximizing/limiting

[Yms]

Hi, congrats about your site and the forums , lots of knowledge in here

I hope you could help me with my problem too .

Trying to master a track, my chain is this:

Noise remover, imager, low frequences centerer, EQ, LinMB and now i am at the last stage of applying limiting (Waves L2)

The track now has an RMS level of -22 and the highest peaks are up to -4.3 so, consider the track at -18 without limiting.

I try to limit, lowering the threshold gradually, even at -2, the loudest passages are ok but i get distortion on the first kicks of every bar, specially at the start of the track .

I even tried correcting em to soundforge with the "pencil", it fixed it at a level but i am not willing to do this on the whole track :S

Anyway, here is a sample of 1.30 were the main kick comes in, if you try to limit it you'll see what happens . . :

http://s23.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=39S4 ... 64LA53AYCS

And here is a pick of the whole track:
http://s23.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3SBT ... 20WY197UJ9

Sorry for my long post , but i thought i should explain a bit . .

Thanks in advance for any help

[har-bal]

Hi, congrats about your site and the forums , lots of knowledge in here

I hope you could help me with my problem too .

Trying to master a track, my chain is this:

Noise remover, imager, low frequences centerer, EQ, LinMB and now i am at the last stage of applying limiting (Waves L2)

The track now has an RMS level of -22 and the highest peaks are up to -4.3 so, consider the track at -18 without limiting.

I try to limit, lowering the threshold gradually, even at -2, the loudest passages are ok but i get distortion on the first kicks of every bar, specially at the start of the track .

I even tried correcting em to soundforge with the "pencil", it fixed it at a level but i am not willing to do this on the whole track :S

Anyway, here is a sample of 1.30 were the main kick comes in, if you try to limit it you'll see what happens . . :

http://s23.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=39S4 ... 64LA53AYCS

And here is a pick of the whole track:
http://s23.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3SBT ... 20WY197UJ9

Sorry for my long post , but i thought i should explain a bit . .

Thanks in advance for any help

Yms

I just downloaded the track converted it to a wav file and opened it in Sound Forge.

I then applied the L2 using an outceiling of -0.1 . I am pulling down the threshold and do not hear distortion.

I am also monitoring for distortion with a meter and do not see any.

What do you have the outceiling set at?

Earle

[tcatzere]

Earle,

What "metering" do you use to identify/monitor distortion?

Tom

[har-bal]

Earle,

What "metering" do you use to identify/monitor distortion?

Tom

Tom

The same vumeter I was pointing folks at before.
http://voyager.adsl.dk/knef/vumeter/

Earle

[tcatzere]

The same vumeter I was pointing folks at before.
http://voyager.adsl.dk/knef/vumeter/

Earle

Earle,

I just downloaded and installed this. It looks like the oscilioscope view (#2) can be used for detecting distortion. However, I was a little confused by this statement on their website:

"This view is good when checking for distortion and stuff. If you see flat parts on the incoming sound on the white curve, usually at the top or bottom, you have distortion."

I wasn't sure what was meant by the "white curve." By chance, do you know?

Tom

[Yms]

Thanks for checking it Earle, with threshold -3 and above (-4), i get a weird clip in my speakers at 4 sec.

I can hear it better when the volume is low.

[har-bal]

The same vumeter I was pointing folks at before.
http://voyager.adsl.dk/knef/vumeter/

Earle

Earle,

I just downloaded and installed this. It looks like the oscilioscope view (#2) can be used for detecting distortion. However, I was a little confused by this statement on their website:

"This view is good when checking for distortion and stuff. If you see flat parts on the incoming sound on the white curve, usually at the top or bottom, you have distortion."

I wasn't sure what was meant by the "white curve." By chance, do you know?

Tom

Tom

If you increase the monitoring input you will see that view #2 becomes larger. Look closely at the signal and all incoming wave forms will be minus any flattened parts. If you see any this is distortion.

Earle

[doogle]

hi guys.
I dont think the vu meter is compatible with ASIO.
are any of you guys using ut with asio.
Are there any alternatives?
thanks

[har-bal]

hi guys.
I dont think the vu meter is compatible with ASIO.
are any of you guys using ut with asio.
Are there any alternatives?
thanks

Doogle

It is compatible with ASIO. I am using ASIO.

If you soundcard cannot do this trick, you must route the signal around manually, either by routing the sound back from your mixer, or by simply connecting your output to your input.

Pretty much the same way as if you played a cd in an external cd player and opened up a sound editor in your computer and pressed record. If you can then see the incoming signai on your screen the vumeter will work fine. I have my system setup so any incoming sound can be monitored. This is how the vumeter measures the sounds.

You have to send the output from the soundcard into it's own input. I have incoming signals (outside of my computer) coming in and routed through (Aux 1&2) stereo linked.

You are simply measuring the sound coming into your soundcard.

Earle

[Jonny Mumra]

great.
ill give it a try.
from what ive heard its a great tool.

thanks again Earle