MOST Mixers Get this WRONG! | Clipping vs Limiting

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I'll unravel the confusion surrounding using clipping and limiting plugins when mixing music. You will learn about the differences, common misconceptions, and discover what most mixers get wrong when trying to use these plugins. Learning to master BOTH clipping and limiting is essential for achieving professional mixes.
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HASHTAGS
#limiter #clipping #musicproduction
⌚TIMESTAMPS⌚
00:00 - What MOST people get WRONG about Clipping vs. Limiting
01:14 - How do limiters work?
01:40 - Looking under the hood of a limiter
02:05 - The harmonic structure of limiters
02:53 - The effect of limiting on transients
03:34 - What is a clipper?
03:46 - Visualizing clipping in an oscilloscope
04:10 - Harmonic structure of a clipped waveform
05:22 - WHEN and WHY would you use a limiter or a clipper?
06:45 - Where clippers sound the best (my secret weapon)
07:39 - Comparing Limiting vs Clipping on Drums
08:57 - The main problem with limiters on drums
09:42 - Clipper vs Limiter on Drums Shootout
10:32 - When to NOT use a clipper
10:55 - Limiter and clipper on bass guitar
11:44 - Why clippers on bass just don't work...
12:24 - Final thoughts and Key Takeaways
12:46 - Limiting vs clipping during mastering
13:28 - Don't forget your FREE Gift!

[@jessepaul8819]

Absolutely critical information if you want pro sounding mixes. You rock buddy. That clipper into limiter combo on the master buss is THE sound.

[@RaytownProductions]

Agreed! Thanks so much :)

[@oompapompaa6543]

On the mixbus?

[@sagarchawla8145]

But doesn’t clipping leave bad(unwanted) harmonic distortion on the mixbus? I myself use this technique but just want to know if it’s a bad way of doing it?

[@RaytownProductions]

@@sagarchawla8145 If it sounds good to your ears, then you are good! Clipping by it's nature introduces lots of odd order harmonics whereas limiting tends to minimize this. But like I show in the video, clipping also makes transients feel and hit harder than a limiter. Hope that helps!

[@sagarchawla8145]

@@RaytownProductions indeed it helps. Thankyou ♥️

[@panagope]

Thank you SO MUCH ! First time someone explains WHY we should use clipper instead of Limiter at Drums ! Extremely useful video !!!!

[@oldguysplaymetal5517]

I use clipping on multiple source tracks or busses. I also use the individual DAW tracks as a zero monitor. IOW, if anything goes over (yes, even with 32 bit float) then you have to clip alot more once summing takes place. So, late in the mix, I keep individual tracks from overage w the fader / automation. I'll use a clipper at the submix, stage, and by that time, the clipping applied to the master bus is not enough to cause audible distortion, even with summing occurring. After that, I use the limiter just to get the volume up. If I see more than 3 dB or more of limiting, then I go back and simply tweak the stems, or turn the output of the clipper, or volume of the whole mix down as its going into the master bus. Its really quite easy to deliver a mix to mastering engineer with RMS of about -12 dB and a peak of around -1dB. End result is usually a LUFS of around -9 and very balanced but punchy mixes.

[@michaelrichardson8343]

Killer information Bobby. The clipper has always been a mystery to me and I think you explained it very well. Thanks!

[@kaveiros75]

After 20 years of being a sound engineer, it 's nice to see some videos that are actually useful, and not just "what is the compressor and how does it work" stuff. Backed up with some scientific proof and examples. Well done, mister!

[@iliavr]

Great tutorial! However, I didn’t think clipped bass was garbage, I thinks it’s a way to add treble so it cuts through more. This is useful with a small % wet

[@pesopeso510]

Crazy you just drop this video and ive been wondering about this n never found a video to show exactly the answers i was looking for. Had to like, next can you make a video of how you would use a soft clipper and a limiter together. Amazing job!

[@jwilliams6976]

Great job man, explained excellently. That was a great help and understanding.

[@greenlightstudiospnw]

Always love catching your videos in my feed. Keep up the solid content man!

[@RaytownProductions]

Thank you so so much :)

[@asymmetrymedia9838]

I pretty much do the exact same as you both in mixing and mastering in terms of limiters and clippers. In an online world with so much questionable info. Videos like these are refreshing. Keep up the good work.

[@o.g.tommye7580]

Thank you Bobby. I appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge Bro.

[@glittergigglesmusic]

Amazing info. Needed a refresher.

[@KaitavSapreMusic]

Brilliant video with practical examples. Thank you so much! 👍

[@sansproductionlounge8083]

Excellent video man! So well taught :)

[@sweet99gtx]

This is the best lesson to get clear ideas about clipper and limiter. Thank you buddy!

[@emander8340]

Incredibly helpful. Thank you!

[@nikitaptashko3430]

Best video on this topic I've seen. Thank you

[@ashdelarosa]

Yes I noticed this yesterday when I was mixing drums for live tracks. So as I was only focusing on the drums I tried both clipping and limiting on it and there’s a huge difference in like punch and grit. The limiter kinda made everything sound weak and the clipper kept all the dynamics and transients even though it cuts the highest ones off… Pretty interesting stuff and your video made me understand the difference between them theoretically much better :)

[@renebrossard]

Great explanation and using plugin doctor really helps to clarify the best uses for a limiter or clipper. I'll be checking this out. Good one!

[@Fubuki43]

Great video!! Thanks!

[@andrewthomas3680]

Great video. I’m happy someone decided to post this vital information. As professional audio engineers, we hear this errors all the time because some users of these dynamic processors really don’t know the real difference each of them make towards audio. 👍🏾👍🏾

[@josepauloarchetticonrado6622]

Thank you Bob. Very good explanation.

[@BrandonBurch]

Wow! I never knew what a clipper was for and it's highly informative to know I have that option - especially on drums. Thank you.

[@j.r.a.inthacut8148]

Awesome video and explanation! 👏👏👏

[@TotalOrcAnnihilation]

Nice video, what do you think about making video about when to better use soft clipping or when to use hard clipper?

[@juhakuvajainen6453]

Thanks for the vid! I do agree with you 100%. I use a clipper usually only as the first plugin in the mastering stage if the most transient producing instruments are already well treated in the mixing stage. I normally scan through the soundwave form to see if there are any transients that really stand out and shear just the tops of them off with either hard or soft clipping depending on the type of music. Limiter is then naturally the last plugin after the clipped signal has gone through the eq, compressor, saturator and stereo imager. I think I get a better balanced outcome if using a clipper first before limiting. This is, of course, heavily dependent on the mixed audio coming into the mastering stage. If possible, I try to tame the exessive transients already in the mixing stage by using either a limiter or a clipper mostly in the same manner as you discribed. And also, sometimes you get interesting results by using a clipper instead of a saturator in the mixing stage as well! Cheers.

[@alexanderewing3779]

Thanks for breaking this down. I'll make more informed choices now. Cheers!

[@RaytownProductions]

Awesome! Glad it's helpful!

[@milanpolak]

Great info, thank you!

[@RaytownProductions]

Of course 🤘

[@spexionuk5552]

Good video man. Thanks.

[@enotiofficial4963]

Great info 👍

[@perrygoround]

Thanks a lot, this is very useful!!

[@danielmarion2405]

Dude, I just "discovered" this while mixing a track a few days ago and experimented with limiters and clippers on the drum bus. Such a difference!

[@MR_Cellarpop]

Great video. Thanks

[@toddkreuzburg4162]

This was the recipe for success of the Slate FG X plugin. A clipper followed by a limiter. A decade old now.

[@1wibble230]

So true regarding drums, however, a clipper CAN work wonders on certain baselines . I’ve had fantastic results clipping a couple db on electronic baseline :)

[@Nic-FoleyRSA_damusiqalnerd]

You just gained a subscriber 💪 thank you so much🙏

[@EqDior]

Awesome vid!

[@pocket1684]

Great vid thanks

[@grundvater]

Echt starkes Video.

[@smathaudio]

Thank you, Bobby

[@jamesrios520]

Thanks!

[@maaaquemeseyo]

Good video buddy, thx

[@giddigogo]

Nice one thanks

[@kmacrealmusiq]

Thank you

[@patrickrowe6745]

Thanks, thanks thanks

[@charlexguitar]

Excelente información, saludos desde México!

[@lennix_music]

Best explanation

[@garyshirinian]

Thx for sharing. What do you think of waves MV2 plugin. Thx.

[@DEDSREIS]

How you doing my brother? Thanks for the awesome content. Do you have any video that is a "Ultimate Guide" on how to analyze important aspects of your mix? Thank you! Thumbs Up

[@kayahanli]

What a great video! This is the best tutorial I have seen online explaining clippers and limiters. You suggest to apply clippers to drums only, which can be done on mixing track but how do you apply clipper to drums only on master bus? Thanks a lot!

[@kayahanli]

@@aaronedmunds5685 Thanks for your reply will try. If we want to isolate and apply the clipper to drums only then why dont we apply it on mixing bus? What is the benefit of using clipper on master bus applying to all tracks?

[@RaytownProductions]

The drum transients tend to "poke out" above the average level of the audio so you can target those by being very careful about setting your threshold.

[@user-xj8yl2dh4p]

Black salt audio clipper is my favourite . Nice and simple

[@PaulFisherMedia]

Weird I was taught the exact opposite of this. That a soft clipper rounds the peaks and makes it less aggressive and the limiter just chops the peaks 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@waliddeui6725]

The key is to know how everything work and know when to use them, and that's why it's important to take time in mixing and applying different stuff individually on stems rather than skipping the hard work and fixing shit blindly in mastering

[@sgg6927]

Would you suggest using clipper on the drum bus as opposed to the master bus?

[@AliRazaJeffo]

Is compression enough instead of limiter’s & clipper

[@victorloya1590]

I was about to ask why mastering guys use lots of clipping, and you just answer it. 👍

[@wagnerbertolino2]

Amazing

[@campar1043]

is hard clipping the same as FET saturation whereas it introduces odd harmonics?

[@spidif2544]

Nice

[@Gaming4Life--]

What about clippers on synthesizers?

[@tundesmart]

Hi Bobby, how about soft clipping on Bass instead of hard clipping? Does it work better?

[@RaytownProductions]

MUCH better :) Soft clipping starts to get a lot like limiting, but the limiter in my opinion is just a bit cleaner and better suited for bass. Hope that helps!

[@tundesmart]

@@RaytownProductions Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it. Should the limiter be the first in the chain before saturation and EQ in a typical bass track?

[@sibbyeskie]

I don’t agree with the description of limiters as just turning down the relative levels. Anyone can see a slammed mix has squared off transients. The difference is that squaring off isn’t quite as dramatic as with a clipper. In the end both can sound very punchy but the real thing to watch for is any mid-high crunch and harshness to the transients and choose according to that. If you listen at louder levels you will notice those harsh transients really kill your ears where they might be easier with a slightly softer sounding limiter. I rarely clip much for this reason alone and I’m often mixing and mastering very aggressive music.

[@Mhxhgc]

What about when you have a very dynamic snare track & you try to use clipper, wouldn’t hard hits get clipped & the soft ones not, wouldn’t that create an inconsistent snare sound? I’m guessing the use of a clipper depends on the style of music/drum performance. Ta.

[@RaytownProductions]

It does! But again you can really really clip drum transients without much of a change to the sound. What I would suggest in this case is to manually go through and "clip gain" (or automate) the drum transients so they are more even before clipping. This can also be done in the recording phase by having a better drum performance or tracking through a compressor on the way in. That way you get a more consistent sound. Hope that helps!

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

Are all clippers about the same or is the Little Clipper a little better ?

[@joek2904]

Does anyone clip their kick and snare to the same volume so they hit their drum buss comp at similar levels?

[@RaytownProductions]

I do this 🤘

[@sm441]

You know the DS1 and DS2 are the main distortions used on Nirvana albums right?

[@RaytownProductions]

I do now! 🤣

[@WBCStudio.]

Actually, I got that orange distortion pedal from guitar center, and I wasn't 12 year old 😢😢😢. 😂 Thanks for this valuable video tutorial that's making me improve my mixing and mattering.

[@RaytownProductions]

I had it as well 😁 (let's keep that a secret 🤣)

[@ClyvCleveland]

I want someone to talk about buttered sausage.

[@Caynug]

😮the sosig listens

[@NTMTR_OFFICIAL]

Nothing to disagree with here 👍🏽. Edit: well except for the title like another commenter said, but I get it, the algorithm is merciless. Although I genuinely wonder what would the landscape of KZbin titles and thumbnails would look like if people didn’t give in to this trend. Probably much more visually pleasing instead of this endless stream of stimulus hacking our brains for attention. There are some channels though that keep it minimal and honest. It’s a balance between integrity and clicks.. But yeah good content nonetheless 👍🏽

[@NathanielPrinceCoulter]

Weird avant garde bass player, immediately thought squarepusher.

[@lencarmichael]

dude. if you just pulled only the threshold down on the L2, and then adjust the out ceiling, you CAN get more volume. either one of these can work. gotta know how to use them to your advantage. Do you want it cleaner and louder, limiter. want more edge?? clipper. it's not rocket science

[@RaytownProductions]

Yep, you are totally right about L2. I didn't do that because then the gain staging would be different between the clipper and limiter and you wouldn't get an honest comparison.

[@joefx69]

Wait…. What’s a Gerlimitter?!

[@Depurity]

Clipping first then limiting works best.

[@fullmixstudio4585]

Saying that "most mixers get this wrong" is such a clickbait title. I've seen the same "actionable" advice regarding clippers and limiters many times by many engineers before this video.

[@RaytownProductions]

It is! But this is what is required unfortunately to get people to watch videos. The difference between this video and most other videos on YT is that this video overdelivered on high quality, easy to understand mixing concepts that was mildly entertaining. You get examples (both visual and audible) and complicated DSP concepts that are digested down and easy for anyone to understand. Trust me, making titles and thumbnails is probably my least favorite part about making videos. Hope you got something from it!

[@randylodder1265]

I watched this with the mindset Im probably doing it all wrong......... But......cool. I use a clipper on my drum bus for some power.......and I use a clipper very mildly on my master bus in front of my limiter.

[@RaytownProductions]

Thats perfect Randy! You nailed it :)

[@PartyOnDude_]

The white coat means he knows what he's talking about

[@ronallen2458]

FYI - DS-1s rule.

[@Luna_lalals05]

Hi there, Bobby! I reached out to you via email a few days back regarding a possible partnership. I'd appreciate it if you could give it a quick review!

[@thomasshugar5636]

It's GREAT to see SOMEBODY cut through the sea of shit on You-Tube, and make a COHERENT video on this subject! THANK YOU! It ALL makes sense now!

[@RaytownProductions]

Appreciate that very much. There is quite the sea of shit on here haha!

[@nvisionbeats]

A lot of people are talking about the difference between the two it’s not a new topic. Also limiters can add distortion depending on how much you push them and the type of limiter - clippers add more harmonic distortion than gritty saturation that it sounds like you’re ralking about.

[@tgrimes175]

The bass guitar sound was already crappy and horrible before you even put a clipper on it, it was even crappy when there was a limiter on it.

[@pascalmerschaudio]

great video......on this pin should be written also, Be Grateful to live and to god, eat sleep produce repeat. we are not a robots

[@djcata7474]

Your example are just awful. That reverb on those drums.. wow!

[@klogg1987]

Drums does not sound the same, stop this bullshit please... you are killing the transients just to get more lufs.... ridiculous feels bad man

[@youngleon25]

Thank you