User guide

Chapter 25 Mixing 579
Clipping occurs when too much (too loud a) signal is fed through a channel strip,
thereby exceeding the limit of what can be accurately reproduced, resulting in a
distorted sound known as clipping.
Up to + 6 dB will be shown. If a track clips now and then, it doesn’t really matter—as
long as the master channel (output destination for the channel) doesn’t clip. Clicking
on any clip detector will reset all clip detectors. The Clear Overload Flag in Audio
Channel Display key command has the same effect.
To avoid clipping:
1 Look at the Clip Detector value of a channel strip that is clipping (lit red).
As an example, 1.5 dB is shown on the Clip Detector when the Level fader is set to a
value of 0.0 dB.
2 Grab the Level fader, and reduce it to a value of –1.5 or so.
∏ Tip: You may find that a Level fader value of –1.2 sounds “best” in the context of the
overall mix, and only clips once (by 0.3 dB) during playback. As mentioned, this is
nothing to worry about, and you should use your ears, rather than your eyes as a guide.
Setting the Pan or Balance Control
Mono channels feature a Pan control, which determines the position of a signal in the
stereo image. Stereo channels, on the other hand, display Balance controls. The Balance
control differs from the Pan control in that the former controls the relative levels of two
signals (Left and Right) at their outputs. The latter merely apportions one signal
between two outputs.
To adjust the Pan or Balance control:
m Grab the control and drag up and down, or to the left or right.
Option-click on the Pan or Balance control to reset it to the centered (0) position.