No one told me this! Here's WHY clipper plugins make BIG LOUD MIXES & Masters!

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Hello, I'm Nicholas Di Lorenzo, Studio Owner, Mixing and Mastering engineer at Panorama Studios.

I'm an Italian-Australian born and raised in Melbourne. I've been a creative professional for 10 years managing some pretty awesome projects for artists, labels and producers all around the globe.

What motivates and drives me?

My family,
Good food,
Great coffee.

You can find me on many platforms:

[warpacademy]

Awesome video mate. Love the intention, detail and science you put into your explanations. I use clipping as an essential process in my mixes, as do most mixers, and I'd like to make a case for not oversampling. If you're using a clipper to generate audible harmonics (IE you're noticeably changing the timbre of the signal) then yes, oversample as that will control aliasing foldback.

However, I rarely use clippers for this. I mostly use them for transparent or nearly transparent gain reduction of transients to control peak level. Clipping only several samples to several ms, removing things the listener won't be missing. In this case it makes no sense to me to engage oversampling because oversampling will cause the clippers detection circuit to read a higher peak level than the actual sample peak level in the project at the base sample rate. Thus causing the clipper to clip more and changing the sound in a negative way.

If you want accurate sample peak clipping, you must work at project sample rate without oversampling. This is the exact reason why DMG Limitless does not oversample its primary limiter algorithm (it does allow clipper oversampling, which I never use, and also for TPL in that limiter stage, but not for it's primary limiter stages). Again, this is for transparent gain reduction, not tone shaping like you'd be doing with intentional audible harmonic-generation.


I also see a lot of beginners setting up their clippers at 1x OS to keep CPU usage low, and then engaging 32x OS for rendering the mix because they think oversampling is always good, and that more oversampling must be better. Of course you and I both know that's a bad practice as engaging OS for an offline render will change the sound without you even being able to monitor it. I think Ian Stewart and you discussed this in your Basslane Pro interview with him.

Anyways, just some thoughts. Great video and thanks for helping people better understand the tools they use.

[edwardrivera]

When I learned how to mix on an ssl, it was common practice to bring up the line trims on almost every track until it distorted then back it off. Bringing this workflow into the digital realm has allowed me to get loud and punchy sounds and leave compressors to add groove or sustain.

[joshmarn]

Ur a real gee. Learning a lot from u mate 🤝

[AakkoPetersenBeats]

Clippers also have the ability to stay extremely transparent and just shave off the highest peaks my favorites are Kclip & Newfangled Saturate

[Quant-Beat]

It’s far better than limiting, but but… Limiting works better on vocals-in-beat.

[christopherlee]

I don't know why people over complicate things. Loud drums and their transients make the limiter move way too much thus working too hard. Clipper lets you push your limiter way way further because it chops the transients that make the limiter move too much. Just try cranking the limiter. The thing that stops you is the transients.... Chop it and now you can push harder. Shit is dead simple. And drums on an aggressive song sounds good clipped... Not rocket science.

[johnpatrickkotermanskijr]

I think everyone was telling you, you just weren't listening

[taha_mirza]

many people fail to explain except "ME" .. many people dont know except "ME" .. many people are all the same except "ME" .. many people already made 1000s of loud mixes and masters except "ME" ... Remember "ME" ..

[realtalk]

To much talking get to the point and show the process.

[pinkpenguinpoopoo]

Great info as always my dude! Quick off topic question if I may, which metering mode do you use on pro tools and why?

[russenduf]

Never never try to get maximum loudness readings with one tool .On the other hand as loudness is subjective evaluate only loudness readings is not recommended.

[levondarratt]

Then you must be new to mixing and mastering. This is a known fact for 10 years and there's like 900 YouTube videos about it... Every nerd newb and hobby DJ nodding to their own beats is using a Clipper on everything to be louder