MOST Mixers Get this WRONG! | Clipping vs Limiting

[@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 !!!!

[@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!

[@michaelrichardson8343]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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 :)

[@TotalOrcAnnihilation]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@Byron101_]

Complete nonsense workflow. Find another hobby.

[@oldguysplaymetal5517]

@@Byron101_ Thanks for your sunny outlook/opinion. I know it seems weird to people that some of us don't do things based on cookie cutter KZbin videos.

[@sgg6927]

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

[@edgriggs3544]

The Plugin Doctor and audio demonstrations were very helpful. Thanks.

[@Fubuki43]

Great video!! Thanks!

[@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]

@@AJoylessEon 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.

[@LilLayne11]

The thing that bothers me about this explanation is you're using the ultramaximizer in a way that makes the signal weak. You are lowering the signal and the threshold at the same time. You're squashing the signal and lowering it in db at the same time. Now take the ceiling and bring it to -1 db then lower your threshold and you get a stronger signal. The way you're demonstrating it seems like you're searching for where the signal gets squashed. That's the only way I've seen it used like that but after they raise the ceiling to push the level hotter.

[@jaym2112]

I skimmed the comments to see if anyone else mentioned this. I can’t believe you’re the only one that seems to have pointed this out! He’s comparing compression to clipping. Not limiting. He said “All it's doing is turning down the volume.” Of course it’s getting quieter when you lower the ceiling. But it’s still not just turning down the gain, it’s compressing it lower. How terribly misleading.

[@aleciocosta7346]

Disenganging the two controllers of the L2 for sure!

[@alexanderewing3779]

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

[@RaytownProductions]

Awesome! Glad it's helpful!

[@ProAudioIQ]

Very cool info! Help me understand why you are dropping the output ceiling level on L2. That’s going to effectively reduce your output level proportionate to your limiting - which does reduce the power and your output level , versus hearing the limiting increase your power by maintaining the same output ceiling as you increase the limiting. Does that make sense? Please help me understand.

[@milanpolak]

Great info, thank you!

[@RaytownProductions]

Of course 🤘

[@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. 👍🏾👍🏾

[@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 :)

[@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?

[@mvrcielago9533]

I'm researching this subject and found you video very helpful. I do have a question. What's your take on hi hats: limiter, clipper, or leave without?

[@TheLeon1032]

nice one bobby, thanks for the lesson dude

[@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.

[@DAWTutorials]

Very good presentation! Thanks man :)

[@dananthony6258]

Very cool video, thank you for sharing your secrets 🙏

[@PASHKULI]

Useful tutorial\explanation on the matter!

[@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!

[@Gaming4Life--]

What about clippers on synthesizers?

[@samprock]

I ignored limiters till later, because they killed my songs. I thought. But never had that loud enough. Recently understood the reasoning, it this sums it up. Wish I watched that 10 years ago ❤

[@jwilliams6976]

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

[@Walid.OnTheTrack6725]

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

[@garyshirinian]

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

[@vasterasgurkan]

This is the best video i’ve seen on limiters vs clippers so far👍

[@o.g.tommye7580]

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

[@sweet99gtx]

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

[@glittergigglesmusic]

Amazing info. Needed a refresher.

[@toddkreuzburg4162]

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

[@ElectronicCity715]

A hardware 500 series or rack clipper? Do they exist? Where do I buy one?

[@KaitavSapreMusic]

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

[@AliRazaJeffo]

Is compression enough instead of limiter’s & clipper

[@enotiofficial4963]

Great info 👍

[@greenlightstudiospnw]

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

[@RaytownProductions]

Thank you so so much :)

[@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.

[@sm441]

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

[@RaytownProductions]

I do now! 🤣

[@campar1043]

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

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

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

[@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

[@wesleywild-s9x]

Black salt audio clipper is my favourite . Nice and simple

[@joeljameson4961]

Clipping on drums doesn't come as a free hack for loud aggressive drums. Listen carefully to the low mid mud they add and the dullness of the attack of your transients if you're not careful

[@josepauloarchetticonrado6622]

Thank you Bob. Very good explanation.

[@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 🤘

[@patrickrowe6745]

Thanks, thanks thanks

[@duhsk3181]

See, I knew the difference between the two but this just comfirmed a lot of stuff i've always wondered. Great video, got youself a new subscriber 👍

[@nikitaptashko3430]

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

[@PolymerJones]

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 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@spexionuk5552]

Good video man. Thanks.

[@sansproductionlounge8083]

Excellent video man! So well taught :)

[@emander8340]

Incredibly helpful. Thank you!

[@youngleon25]

Thank you

[@j.r.a.inthacut8148]

Awesome video and explanation! 👏👏👏

[@ScalerWave]

Very well done

[@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 👍🏽

[@smathaudio]

Thank you, Bobby

[@KingJamesFive20]

Thanks!

[@perrygoround]

Thanks a lot, this is very useful!!

[@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!

[@giddigogo]

Nice one thanks

[@charlexguitar]

Excelente información, saludos desde México!

[@EqDior]

Awesome vid!

[@pocket1684]

Great vid thanks

[@lennix_music]

Best explanation

[@Nic-FoleyRSA_damusiqalnerd]

You just gained a subscriber 💪 thank you so much🙏

[@maaaquemeseyo]

Good video buddy, thx

[@EmperorKamikaze]

Any guitar distortion stompbox is a clipper

[@gawel772]

Clippers could also be useful for rythm gutiars

[@Xtronoid]

And then put transient shaper, to bring back what you clipped... I mean all depends on source...

[@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.

[@grundvater]

Echt starkes Video.

[@victorloya1590]

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

[@hippietrap]

limiter made the low end of the kick completely lose all its punch and impact

[@julienepouhe9639]

Clip before maximize

[@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!

[@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 🤣)

[@ThreeBeingOne]

Weird avant garde bass player, immediately thought squarepusher.

[@ClyvCleveland]

I want someone to talk about buttered sausage.

[@Caynug]

😮the sosig listens

[@DerSilvano]

11:46 That what people say when listening to my music :(

[@LuanBermudez]

S U P E R video. Thanks a lot!!!

[@spidif2544]

Nice

[@kristianalexanderpedersen7382]

"But we all know distorted drums don't sound very good". The internet is a funny place

[@Depurity]

Clipping first then limiting works best.

[@joefx69]

Wait…. What’s a Gerlimitter?!

[@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 :)

[@wagnerbertolino2]

Amazing

[@jaym2112]

8:26 You’re decreasing the ceiling! Of course it’s getting quieter. You know what a limiter that decreases the ceiling proportionally to the threshold is called? A compressor. You are comparing compression to clipping. Am I missing something here?

[@jaym2112]

Also, you said it was the same as just turning down the volume. Are you saying that compressing and turning down the volume are the same effect?

[@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!

[@ronallen2458]

FYI - DS-1s rule.

[@Byron101_]

It would be better if the people concentrate on composing and make a great arrange than only loudness and technical aspects....