[linux-audio-user] Mastering; Rezound, fir filter, digital clipping

[Oyvind Hammer]

Mark Knecht wrote:

> > I guess the process of copying audio and data from CD
> > doesn't introduce any opportunity to compromise the
> > sonic quality of the source. Am I right or wrong?
>
> According to one guy, you're wrong.

Hm. Of course things can go wrong in a digital
transfer, but they are not supposed to. It's rare,
luckily, otherwise we would have even more trouble
than we do when we store computer files on CDR.
Remember that only a single bit error in a software
on CD will probably make your computer crash. How
often does that happen? (OK, sometimes it does!)


> 'Exact Audio Copy'

Snake oil. :-)
Of course it's a good thing that it tells you if
you have a serious dropout on your CD - that does
happen. I'm sure it's a fine program.


> I think you might be looking for it's 'Glitch Removal'
> section on the Sound Editor page.

Won't remove clips though.


> These may be clipping, but the might be incorrectly
> written bits on the CD you're ripping, as described above.

Maybe. Doubt it.


> As an experiment, I've burned multiple CDRs with the
> same database, and then used EAC to see what happened.
> None of the CDRs were identical, even when burned at
> a lower speed.

!!!. Hope you don't make your computer file backups with
that burner!


> It could also be just plain clipping if the levels were
> set too hot in the original mix.

Not clipping on the digital side, but you might guess
that there was clipping in the original mix.


> Other CDs I've run across with strange results might
> be something like SMPTE by Transatlantic which seems
> to drive my CD player crazy with clipping.

In principle, it can't make your CD player clip, not if
its analog circuits are adjusted correctly. Sorry for
splitting hairs  :-)


> Waves has some stuff in their Restoration package for
> clicks and pops,

Won't fix clips though.


> look-ahead limiter/compressor which is quite good at
> this sort of stuff.

Won't fix clips after the fact.


Dr. Oyvind Hammer
Dinosaur researcher etc.
University of Oslo