[Ardour-Users] After normalize, clipped but sounds OK

[Don Fredricks]

> If the waveform is clipped, gain automation doesn't change a thing about
> that.

This is not correct, if I understand the situation Ben described.

The recorded waveform is not clipped. Normalization has increased the peak
level beyond 0dBFS at some points, but that doesn't necessarily mean that
clipping will occur. The waveform data is not affected by normalization;
normalization is simply another gain stage in the signal path.

The gain added by normalization can be undone by gain automation, by
pulling the fader down, by running the signal through a limiter plugin, or
whatever.

In 32-bit floating point, internal clipping is almost impossible. The only
place where a potential for clipping exists is where the data gets
converted to an integer format. In most cases, that's at the D/A
converters.

In an integer-based DAW, the situation is quite different.

Don