Hi Koz,
Thank you for your reply.
That sounds like a good Idea. I haven’t noticed ‘red lines’ when Show Clipping was enabled after opening the MP3s in Audacity. What I HAVE noticed is that when I open up the Amplify effect box, the top box (Amplification dB) is sometimes not set at -1dB, which you would think it would be,since that is what I exported it at. It is, instead, usually fractionally off: for example, -1.0010 dB or -.97901 dB, or -99091 dB, etc.
From what it sounds like, however, in your description and what I have read in the user manual, I still shouldn’t have clipping distortion, even if it is fractionally above or below -1dB. Clipping, as was previously discussed, and as I understand, only happens when you go above 0dB. Is my thought process correct, Koz? Does that make sense to you? Finally, is checking the Amplify dB calculator, as I have done above, a logical alternative for confirming the presence of clipping? Does it make sense to do that since it calculates the distance from 0dB for you?
Thanks again, my friend. I value your input when you have time.
Kind Regards,
BlethiK82
Hi Koz,
Did you happen to see my message, posted on Sept. 22nd. I re-posted it below. Would value your perspective on my interpretation of your last post when you have time. Thank you.
The post on Sept. 2nd was as follows:
Thank you for your reply.
That sounds like a good Idea. I haven’t noticed ‘red lines’ when Show Clipping was enabled after opening the MP3s in Audacity. What I HAVE noticed is that when I open up the Amplify effect box, the top box (Amplification dB) is sometimes not set at -1dB, which you would think it would be,since that is what I exported it at. It is, instead, usually fractionally off: for example, -1.0010 dB or -.97901 dB, or -.99091 dB, etc.
From what it sounds like, however, in your description and what I have read in the user manual, I still shouldn’t have clipping distortion, even if it is fractionally above or below -1dB. Clipping, as was previously discussed, and as I understand, only happens when you go above 0dB. Is my thought process correct, Koz? Does that make sense to you? Finally, is checking the Amplify dB calculator, as I have done above, a logical alternative for confirming the presence of clipping? Does it make sense to do that since it calculates the distance from 0dB for you?
Thanks again, my friend. I value your input when you have time.
Kind Regards,
BlethiK82
It is, instead, usually fractionally off: for example, -1.0010 dB or -.97901 dB, or -.99091 dB, etc.
Do you recognize clinically obsessive?
Clipping, as was previously discussed, and as I understand, only happens when you go above 0dB.
To be absolutely accurate, Audacity doesn’t clip. The internal system Audacity uses (32-floating) allows sound to go above 0 and come back to normal no worse for the trip. The audiobook tools in Mastering 4 almost always send a performance into “overload” and then brings it back to normal. I used to warn people about that but I gave it up as being too scary. If you follow the suite you just don’t have to worry about it.
That only works inside Audacity. The instant you export the work to conventional WAV or MP3 or anything else, normal rules of the road apply and the blue waves can get very seriously damaged if they go over 0.
Koz
Lol.
Koz, you’re killin’ me. I may be a tad clinically obsessive, but it is only due to lack of knowledge. Forgive me, but I’m not really catching your drift. I’ve always understood that there IS a point at which the music does distort (at which the analog or computer equipment can no longer reproduce the signal in its original form through amplification). Isn’t that what Audacity does?
You also talk about a suite:
“If you follow the suite you just don’t have to worry about it.”
My apologies, but I don’t know what this is. I freely admit, it sounds as though your knowledge and abilities far outstretch mine in this realm.
I DO realize, that the significantly smaller size of MP3 files compared to WAV files inherently causes ‘damage’ because it has to throw off bits of information in the song to get it to that size, but to me, that is different than ‘clipping.’
I guess my real question is: If I set Audacity to amplify to -1dB and it exports at -1.0dB, -.9971dB, or or 1.0120dB do I have a problem with damaging the quality of the music by causing clipping? It’s not at 0dB or above, and the ‘clipping’ lines are not showing when I import the MP3 files into Audacity. Am I somehow ‘clipping’ MP3 songs (causing noise) even though it is exporting at approximately -1dB?
Kind Regards,
Blethik82