on audiotool, when the stereo output blinks red, does that actually mean that the sound in the studio is actually clipping? if so, then how come it sounds no different from when it was and wasnt blinking red, and how come other people tell me it does. if not, then why do other people still tell me that it does?
Comments (3)
If the clip LEDs light up, your audio is clipping at the output. But if you only clip occasionally, then the distortion introduced by clipping might not even be noticeable. If you clip often, or all the time, you'll definitely hear clipping distortion. It really depends on the dynamics of your track and how much clipping occurs.
then how much would be acceptable, because ive heard some people complain about the tiniest of clips, whilst i think it sounds perfectly fine and dont necessarily want to change it just because someone else doesnt like the sound of it.
It really depends on the track. In general, clipping distortion you can hear is never pleasant. The best is to avoid it and have about half a dB of headroom above your loudest peak. Nevertheless, I've seen professional, commercial tracks where the waveform clipped very often. But the amount of clipping was such that it wasn't noticeable. You can post an example and then people can give an opinion. But if it sounds good to you, i'd just leave it.