Make sure that none of your meters are banging against the end into the red. That goes from the channel gain to the traktor master output to the channel gain on the mixer to the output of the mixer to the output of the amp.
RED=BAD
(Unless youâre using a Pioneer mixer, which seem to be setup so that you have to go a bit into the red)
Autogain only levels out the volumes of the tracks. Limiter will stop Clipping but many people dont like limiters as they suck the life out of a track to stop clipping.
Best just to set your master volume lower and ride the channel faders or use autogain in PRO or the the Gain controls on the Mixer (if it has them)
The point you know youâre really clipping is when you hear it.
The best way to avoid clipping is to set your levels on your mixer to a sustainable level. I would do this by getting the sound out of Traktor, in my headphones, to a sound and quality I like. Then I send it to the mixer and, leaving the gain and EQ toward the middle, turn up the volume. Iâd set it to around â6â or above half but less than three quarters up. Now I fine tune it with the EQ and gain on the mixer (if Iâm using one, if not just the VCI-100. If youâre using Auto Gain then make sure the Master Out levels never hit a certain point). Assuming Iâm using an external mixer to hit the speakers (which I almost always am), I follow the red line, and cross reference that with my ears by going to the dance floor, toward the middle and listening to it.
Realistically you want to provide the most pleasant listening experience for your crowd. So make sure it isnât too loud, especially when itâs early, and as the night goes on, keep checking. Try to keep the gain readouts toward the same level, as this will normalize the sound as you increase the volume. There are a few threads here on gain/clipping use.
If you start to clip, Iâd just tweak the gain down, and the EQ. Iâve found that it starts sounding a LOT better as you do this, but you wonât lose the oomph of the track. You might actually start getting it back.
I know there are issues with Ableton & Traktor syncing but what about simply routing audio to Ableton from Traktor? Would it be possible to basically just use ableton as one master level? If so you could easily use their master limiter for this.
A little overkill for a clipping issue but just a thought.
Well, the limiter isnât a bad thing, man. Itâs a balance thing. Having it on as a safety precaution is good. I always have mine on. But I take time to make sure my levels are set appropriately so I donât have to use it.
If you rely on the limiter to keep your levels even it will just slowly wind down the dynamics and eventually youâll clip anyway. Really the readout shouldnât be bouncing in the red that much. Hell, you should see the wave forms I record for friends. They are so small. But they still sound loud.
Maybe the autogain feature then, as that takes each channel to border red doesnt it? So when you got two/three/four tracks playing that must be being limited at the master?
Well, I always use autogain also. Pretty much I spend more of my time tweaking my EQ and volume levels to keep everything smooth, as well as slight blends with my crossfader.
The autogain doesnât bring it to red, it just makes sure the gain is all normalized and equal. Unfortunately Traktor doesnât have the colored LEDâs, so it becomes more of a pain in the ass.
The best bet for me is to pick a song I know really well, like, you know all those secret little effects they put in that you have to listen to a song a million times to really hear, and you sit and listen to it. You tweak it over and over again until it sounds right. Now use that as a reference for all of the other stuff youâre mixing as well. Youâll know itâll at least sound close to right and tweak the little things on a track by track basis.
Actually i think its a bit more complicated then making sure that the light at the top of the program isnt clipping. You need to keep an eye on the lights the volume fader is putting out and make sure its not clipping there.
Think about it, if your clipping the hell out of your deck gain then reduce the master volume all you are doing is reducing the gain of an already clipped signal. You need to make sure that nothing is clipping anywhere along the way of the signal chain. So you have to make sure the individual decks arnt clipping, the master mix isnt clipping and at the same time your not clipping the mixers line in.
Id suggest working in that order, first make sure your individual decks arnt clipping, then make sure your master out isnt clipping then check the line on the mixer to make sure thats not clipping either. Keep an eye on your levels constantly ! Digital will sound crystal clear up to the point where it starts to clip while analogue with analogue the sound will graduarly degrade the more you clip the output.
It doesnt matter if your mixing in or out of the box a good dj keeps all the levels in check every step along the signal chain.
Now that I have started mixing on 4 decks it makes clipping such a pita, really makes your monitor and constantly edit your levels to make room for new tracks. Also I feel like the DJIO has a weak preamp and makes me sound less loud than my labwerx compatriots. Maybe it is time for a new soundcard soon.
I used to have a âbannedâ list at the party house I used to live at, anyone who had to be told more than 3 times to keep it out of the red had their name scribbled on it for all eternity.
Exactly ! That is the point. The best practices in order to get the most power out of your sound system without clipping or deterioring the sound quality signal is to keep the levels controlled and optimized on every stage. So you need to know that you might face digital and analog clipping. In my opinion digital it much worse. Keeep levels controlled on every deck, then on your sound interface (both on the digital domain), then on the mixer, then on the master mixing board /sound systemâŚ
Nah thats not what i was saying but i said that i was having problems with that another time, now i dont worry with autogain at all.
I was saying that if you turn the deck gain too high, even if you turn the master volume down that all you are doing is reducing the gain of a peaked signal and it will still sound like crap. You want to make sure your not peaking on the on any of the deck at the same time as making sure your not peaking on the master meter.
If your mixing externally you just need to worry about the individual decks not peaking and not the master meter at the top of the software. Instead for the master mix you need to be keeping an eye on the master channel on the mixer to make sure thats not clipping.
ahh ok ⌠so, what i was playing with last night was just leaving auto gain feature on for the channels in traktor as that would prevent clipping, then turning the master down in traktor so no red lights, then just making sure no red lights on djm600 channels or master.
