clip red light?

[calle.vs]

Hi!

I'm doing post for swedish television. Could anyone please explain what the clip red light is indicating. When mixing I often get the red light on different channels even though nothing's inserted.
If I am feeding a bus to hard I understand why but this I don't.

I have not experienced this in other daws.

Thanks!

/Calle

[Tom Smith]

It means you've reached the maximum digital value (or some pre determined point very near the maximum) for that particular track, bus, etc. In other words, you are getting or are about to get digital clipping. Not good.

You probably should attenuate, by some some method or another, the signal so that that indicator does not come on.

[calle.vs]

Thanks for replying. I still don't understand why audio recorded with peaks nowhere near zero will drive the track itself to it's maximum. I would much appreciate if someone could explain this to me.

Thanks!

/Calle

[jahtao]

post fader metering?

[originalscottyg]

Plugins adding gain or level, especially eq boosts?

[Tom Smith]

Originally Posted by calle.vs

Thanks for replying. I still don't understand why audio recorded with peaks nowhere near zero will drive the track itself to it's maximum. I would much appreciate if someone could explain this to me.

Thanks!
/Calle

There has to be something more going on. A single track of audio, with a maximum peak value of, say -6 dBFS (or -0.9 for that matter), isn't going to trigger the clip indicator all by itself.

But as soon as you do something that raises the level to 0 dBFS, you'll likely get a clip indicator somewhere. Raising the channel fader to +6 will do it, as will adding a plug-in or combination of plug-ins that raise the level enough that that peak reaches 0 dBFS.

Summing will also do it. Bus together three tracks of audio that contain (to use the same example) -6 dBFS peaks and you'll get a clip indicator on the aux return unless you attenuate one, some, or all of those tracks enough.

[calle.vs]

Thank you all for replying. Since I am using volume automation I guess that is what's causing it. I just think it happens to soon. it's not like I'm pushing it really hard.

I've experienced this on both LE and HD systems. So is this headroom we are talking about? Does pro tools have bad headroom?

/Calle

[tj_davies]

Originally Posted by calle.vs

Thank you all for replying. Since I am using volume automation I guess that is what's causing it. I just think it happens to soon. it's not like I'm pushing it really hard.

I've experienced this on both LE and HD systems. So is this headroom we are talking about? Does pro tools have bad headroom?

/Calle

I think you are just pushing it too hard. Don't use a digital Mixer like an analog mixer. In my opinion there is no reason to go that hot on a digital mixer.

Tim

[sleadley]

What ref level are you using? That is where the headroom is set. For example if you set -20 dBFS as the Odb level you then have 20db headroom. For TV work we set this to 82 dB in the monitoring position with a Level meter, no peake are allowed over -8 dBFS and this is mandated by the TV stations in Australia. This never gets near RED and it is more than loud enough for TV.
It seems to me that you are not observing any of these requirements. For us, if we got a clip then it would be really loud and not suitable for broadcast on TV.
Hope this helps
Simon L.