hard limiting in cool edit ?

monokreck · Post by **monokreck** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:04 pm

i'm a real nerd when it comes to computers, digital sh!t and so on...
but for recording records, what's better? to normalize the peaks or to do some hard limiting ? when i do the hard limiting the selection is playing at excactly 0 dB so that seems to be the best isn't it ?

[ññP] · Post by **[ññP]** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:31 pm

when hard limiting...the program raises the level of the track and limits at 0db...
if you raise the level enough, then all the peaks would be in possitive db...but with the limiter, it lowers the level of all those peaks to 0db
When normalizing, the program takes the highest peak, and it raises the level of the track so that the highest peak is at 0db....
the diference is that hard limiting raises the level much more, and then cuts the peaks...so you are adding extra compression, and therefore you get more loudness...
if the track has all the loudness and compression that you want...then just normalize, but if you want to raise the overall loudness you use the hard limiter.

Dopplereffekt · Post by **Dopplereffekt** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:39 pm

Normalizing is only advised when there are no extreme peaks in your track. If so, you better you use the hard limiting-function. It also gives your sound some more bite. I don't use it if I already used dozens of limiters and compressors on my track before the final editting with CoolEdit, or Audition in my case.

monokreck · Post by **monokreck** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:40 pm

so basically it's ruining the peaks if i hard limit ?

I have here 2 pics 1st with normalizing
2nd with hard limiting...

what's your recomendation to do in general ?

plaster · Post by **plaster** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:43 pm

you will notice once you play that track loud... it will start distorting, because your average level is 0.

try not to normalise tracks above 0 or 0 at all.

monokreck · Post by **monokreck** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:45 pm

plaster wrote:you will notice once you play that track loud... it will start distorting, because your average level is 0.

try not to normalise tracks above 0 or 0 at all.

but it's not getting louder than 0 dB...

so it's not a good idea to hard limit everything I record ?

jpls · Post by **jpls** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 1:02 am

what result are you trying to achieve by doing these things?

nowayback · Post by **nowayback** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 1:22 am

i would not suggest the 2nd option...
it brings up the lows and chops off the high peaks, with a result that
usually sounds wrong to my ears (bass sounds like 'choking' or sth)

basically never overdo it with the normalizing process.

just when you record, set the right line-in vol levels, with peaks
no more than -0,5 to 0 dB or so and you 'll be fine, most of the times.