Distortion removal

[JonesH]

Well, this has surely been discussed befpre, but perhaps it's time for an update (also, I found zlich searching ).

What are the options, methods and preferred plugins for removing distortion and clipping?

What are your methods (except for re-recording...)?

[M.Brane]

Recording is a lot like grilling a steak: you can always throw it back on for a few minutes if it's too raw, but once it's overdone you're screwed.

That's why I always order medium-rare.

[JonesH]

I'm a vegetarian

But anyhoo, what are your methods when a client shows up and you gotta reduce distortion in the material?

Some people use the anti-crackle plugins featured in i.e. Waves X-series or WaveArts Master Restoration suite. I find that they sometimes help ,but lack real capacity for change.
Seeing as how distorted and clipped material is a common problem, surely experienced people like the ones on this board must have ways to deal?

[Slim Shady]

But anyhoo, what are your methods when a client shows up and you gotta reduce distortion in the material?

Well, start by saying "there's nothing I can do to fix that" and then maybe run all the tracks through a sans-amp plug-in and tell them you're going for a "sound" ... but generally speaking distored material is unusable material, you can't 'undo' distortion, especially the digital clipping kind.

Seeing as how distorted and clipped material is a common problem, surely experienced people like the ones on this board must have ways to deal?

If you seriously have lots of clients coming to you with distorted recordings, maybe you should think about hosting a little 'recording techniques' class for them so they can learn how to make recordings they can actually use. Distorted and clipped material definitely should not be a 'common problem' - it's not one that I've ever run into with any of my clients, and I have clients of all different levels and experience, and even the ones who can barely remember how to launch PT at least know that seeing the red clipping light in the meters means re-doing the take.

[Park Seward]

Tell your clients, "Red lights bad". Have then drop their levels 20 db and you will be fine.

You can't add back audio to a flat top.

[M.Brane]

Yeah most of the restoration/noise removal plugs are for removing ambient noise from an otherwise clean recording not repairing clipped peaks on waveforms. Not really anything you can do about that other than try to hide it in the mix somehow. Tough to do with clipping that is clearly audible, and if it's on multiple tracks the cumulative effects are even worse.

[Simon Reich]

Well, I guess because this thread is quite a few years old, I need to update the answer. i just used Izotope De Click & it worked an absolute charm. Repaired the sheared of WAV files & playing with the threshold & make up gain settings made it completely disappear.
The burnt steak can now be put back on the grill & made into medium rare