Distortion and Clipping

When engineering sound, there are standards and general rules of thumb that should be followed. But at the same time, audio engineering is an art form blended with science. So there is a time to brake rules when trying to create something unique and memorable. One thing a sound engineer usually avoids is clipping and distortion in the signal.Every device, analog or digital, has a set dynamic range. The dynamic range is how quite and loud of a sound or signal that device can handle. If the signal or sound increases past the point that a device can handle, the device will clip the signal. If you look at the wave form of the sound, you can actually see the tops and bottoms of the waves cut off. When these clipped wave forms are played back, the sound is harsh and unnatural. This is what is called distortion.

Distortion isn’t a bad thing if used properly. Distortion effects are commonly applied to guitars, vocals, and all other sorts of instruments to achieve a desired sound and style. These types of distortion are usually engineered to be less harsh and more musical compared to just a clipped signal.

Clipping can happen along any point of the signal line. It can happen at the beginning where the sound might be way too loud for the dynamic range of the microphone. It can happen any place the signal can be adjusted or change. Most sound engineer equipment, both hardware and software, are equipped with meters that give a visual indication that the signal is being clipped. Watch all your meters along your signal line, if you’re seeing red the signal is being clipped, and that is generally a bad thing.