Why is that? Does that mean the encoding process introduced the clipping or the original CD clips too? MP3gain makes all my MP3s quieter because it drops them below the clipping range, but i'm not sure i can hear a difference eitherway on my portable and car stereo except they are quieter.

Maybe I should just leave them alone since I don't have high end equiptment?

So why are they clipping when they are fresh rips and encoded with easyLame?

Thanks and oh by the way awesome site. THis is my first post

Most of it is caused by careless production, usually at the mastering/mixing stage. There is really nothing you can do about it. Even after replay gain, the clipping is there.

However, what replay gain is showing are frames that will produce sounds that exceed the allowable volume. It's very common on most pop and rock CD's since 1990.

Often, on low-fi to lower-mid-fi, you won't be able to tell the difference between the audio clipping because of the source (the CD) and the audio equipment (normal stock stereo speakers/amps).

It's a dirty shame, and engineers/labels should hide their deformed heads in shame.

Here is an article that explains it better than I can:

http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/...6256C2E005DAF1C

Since the encoding changes the waveform a little, sometimes, it can be higher than the original.
If the original is clipped, or strongly compressed, encoders often introduce additional clipping because removoing ususeful frequencies makes the steady clipped part oscillate near the top of the availaible level range.
MP3gain prevents this additional clipping to appear in the output file.

Hi guys - new here, and had to comment on this.

Modern CD masters? Don't get me started!

I refer to them as 'MP3 quality CD' [sic].

I've been transferring vinyl to CDR for a couple of years now, and in the process ended up using various wave editors, I've had the chance to examine more than a few extracted CD tracks in detail. The amount of compression and hard-limiting used nowadays is unbelievable. Audio engineers of yore would have blanched on seeing this sort of bucthcery.

A 'cheat' Ive often seen used is to push the transfer into overs, then 'normalise' to, say. -3dB, so the mastering facility dosen't see error lights flashing at them during glass-mastering.

I've seen repeated 'overs' (clips) lasting for 1000 samples or more occuring all the way thru some CDs - eg UK release of 'Songs For The Deaf' QUOTSA.

Here are some articles by respected mastering engineers on this

http://www.desmastering.com/trends.html


http://georgegraham.com/compress.html


http://johnvestman.com/disease.htm

George Graham;

"...Where the current pressure is coming from is unclear, but several prominent mastering engineers have complained that they are being pushed to make the CDs they work on as loud as possible."

ciao,
RF

In the Mp3gain interface you can see: Volume - clipping - Track Gain - clip(Track) etc....

I give all of my mp3's a volume of 89 with Mp3gain. Mp3's with a volume of 89 sometimes show a 'Y' at clip(Track). When I enter 88 at Target 'Normal' Volume the Y disappears. If I leave the 89 mp3 at 89 (so I don't apply track gain on that mp3) will it have clipping?

Is it possible for mp3's ripped from cd's to have clipping, even if you only ripped them and did nothing else with them.

Yes, most likely.


Yes, have a look at Pio2001 post above.