How To Use A Clipper When Mastering

Mastering clippers are your secret weapon in music production, helping you achieve loud masters that sound great.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the powerful world of clippers, detailing how to use them effectively to achieve both loudness and clarity without sacrificing quality.

You’ll learn the differences between hard and soft clipping, how to integrate clippers into your mastering chain, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Plus, we’ll recommend some top clipper plugins to enhance your setup.

Get ready to learn something new that you can use to get your music sounding better than ever. Let’s dive in!

Understanding Clippers: Your Gateway to Dynamic Masters

What is a Clipper?

At its core, a clipper is an essential mastering tool that modifies the amplitude of your track’s audio signal. Its primary function is to shear off peaks that exceed a certain threshold, effectively controlling the maximum peak level of the audio without altering its lower-volume sounds. This technique not only allows you to increase the overall loudness but also preserves the vitality of the mix, making clippers indispensable for achieving both punch and power in your final master.

Hard Clipping vs. Soft Clipping

There are two main types of clipping: hard and soft. Hard clipping is like a precise, unforgiving blade—it cuts off the audio peaks abruptly once they hit the threshold. This method is fantastic for aggressive styles of music where you want maximum impact and loudness without distortion creeping into the audible range.

Soft clipping, on the other hand, is more like a sculptor’s tool. It gradually rounds off the peaks, adding warmth and a slight harmonic distortion that can enrich the track. This approach is perfect for genres where a more subtle, textured sound is desired, such as jazz or acoustic music.

Why Use Clippers?

Using clippers effectively allows you to push your music closer to the loudness levels of commercial tracks while maintaining a clean and dynamic sound. Clippers can be particularly useful in genres like EDM and rock, where bold, assertive mastering helps the music cut through on radio and streaming platforms.

But they’re not just for loud genres; even in more dynamic acoustic recordings, a well-applied clipper can subtly enhance the track without noticeable artefacts.

In the following sections, we’ll dive into setting up clippers correctly and mastering their use to ensure your tracks are not only loud and clear but also maintain their musical integrity.

Hard Clipping: Maximizing Loudness with Precision

Harnessing the Power of Hard Clipping

Hard clipping is an aggressive yet precise tool in the mastering arsenal, often likened to a surgeon’s scalpel for its sharp, clear-cut way of dealing with peaks. When you set a hard clipper on your master track, any part of the audio that exceeds the threshold is immediately truncated. This brute force approach is essential for genres demanding high impact and presence, such as metal, hip-hop, and electronic dance music.

Setting Up a Hard Clipper

To effectively use hard clipping:

1. Threshold Setting: Begin by setting the threshold just below the peaks of your loudest segments. This setup ensures you’re only clipping the absolute necessities, preserving as much of the dynamic range as possible.
2. Gain Adjustment: Increase the input gain to the clipper until you start seeing the peaks being trimmed on the waveform display. Watch closely for any signs of distortion—while some transients will be cut, the body of your mix should remain intact and undistorted.
3. Listen Carefully: Always use your ears—after adjusting the settings, listen back to the track in its entirety. Pay attention to the kick and snare; ensure they punch through the mix without sounding squashed.

The Benefits of Hard Clipping

Hard clipping is not just about making tracks louder; it’s about control. By effectively shearing off transient peaks, you make room in the mix, allowing you to raise the overall level without fear of digital clipping during playback. This increased headroom is particularly useful for tracks that need to compete on loud, crowded platforms like Spotify or SoundCloud.

Common Uses and Considerations

Hard clipping is most beneficial where transient control is paramount but should be used judiciously. Overuse can lead to a flat, lifeless mix if not monitored closely. It works best when combined with other mastering processes like multi-band compression and limiting, where each tool can be optimized for a specific task without overburdening any single process.

Next, we’ll explore soft clipping—where subtlety meets strength, offering a warmer, more nuanced approach to mastering dynamics.

Soft Clipping: Tone Shaping with Warmth and Character

The Art of Soft Clipping

Soft clipping, unlike its harder counterpart, offers a gentler approach to managing peaks in your audio. It subtly rounds off the tops of waves, introducing a warm, saturated sound that many engineers and producers covet. This method is less about sheer loudness and more about enriching the track’s sonic quality with harmonically pleasing overtones.

How to Apply Soft Clipping

To implement soft clipping effectively:

1. Gradual Curve Adjustment: Start by setting a softer knee or curve on the clipper. This setting allows the transition into clipping to be less abrupt, affecting the signal in a more gradual manner as it approaches the threshold.
2. Tweak the Threshold: Adjust the threshold so that only the very loudest parts of your track begin to enter the soft clipping zone. Unlike hard clipping, you want to engage more of the signal, not just the peaks.
3. Control the Color: Many soft clippers come with tone-shaping features or harmonics controls. Experiment with these to add desirable coloration and warmth to the track. The goal is to enhance, not overpower, the original mix.

Benefits and Musical Applications

Soft clipping is particularly effective in mastering scenarios where you want to preserve the dynamic feel of a performance while still adding presence and density. It’s favored in genres like blues, rock, jazz, and any place where musicality takes precedence over maximum loudness. The subtle introduction of harmonic distortion helps to glue the elements of a mix together, creating a cohesive and engaging listening experience.

When and Why to Choose Soft Clipping

Choosing soft clipping often comes down to the desired aesthetic and the specific needs of the track:

• Tone Enhancement: If a track feels too clean or lacks character, soft clipping can add the necessary life and vibe.
• Gluing Effects: In mixes where elements feel disjointed, the cohesive effect of soft clipping’s harmonics can blend the pieces more naturally.
• Volume Boost Without Harshness: For projects where loudness is necessary but aggression isn’t, soft clipping offers a way to increase RMS levels without the harsh side effects of hard clipping.

In mastering, blending the use of hard and soft clipping can sometimes yield the best results, giving you loudness and impact while maintaining musical warmth and detail. As we continue, we’ll delve into practical setups and examples of how to balance these techniques for optimal mastering outcomes.

Our Clipper Recommendations

Gold Clip – Ryan Schwabe $249USD

BX Clipper – Brainworx $249USD

KClip 3 – Kazrog £28GBP

Give the free trials a spin and see which works for you! I use GoldClip. I was put onto it by my friend Vespers over at Warp Academy who explains why GoldClip is exceptional in this great video. (Click play and it will automatically jump to the relevant section so you don’t have to skip through)

How To Set Up Your Clipper

Integrating Clippers into Your Mastering Chain

Mastering with clippers requires a thoughtful approach, balancing the tool’s aggressive potential with the need for musical integrity. Whether you choose hard or soft clipping, the setup process is crucial to achieving desirable results without compromising the quality of your track.

Step-by-Step Guide to Configuring Your Clipper

1. Select the Right Clipper: Start with choosing a clipper that best suits your musical goals. Hard clippers are ideal for genres requiring clear, loud impact, while soft clippers are better for genres that benefit from warmth and subtlety.

2. Placement in the Chain: Position the clipper in your mastering chain where it will be most effective. Typically, it’s placed after EQ adjustments but before the final limiter. This placement ensures that any harsh peaks trimmed by the clipper don’t cause the limiter to react excessively, which can lead to pumping effects.

3. Adjust the Threshold: Set the threshold level where the clipping starts. For hard clipping, set it just below the peak transients. For soft clipping, you might set it slightly higher to engage more of the signal gently.

4. Fine-Tune the Input Gain: Increase the input gain until the peaks of the signal just start to clip. Be vigilant about the amount of clipping – a little goes a long way. Watching the waveform visually can help you see how much of the signal is being affected.

5. Monitor the Output: Always keep an eye (and ear) on the output. Listen for any unwanted artifacts or distortion, and adjust the clipper settings accordingly. Use a spectrum analyzer to see how the clipping affects the frequency distribution of the track.

6. A/B Testing: Frequently toggle the clipper on and off to compare the processed and unprocessed sounds. This comparison will help you determine if the clipper is enhancing the track or if further tweaks are needed.

Tips for Maximizing Clipper Effectiveness

• Dynamic Considerations: Remember that clippers can affect the dynamics of your track. Use them judiciously to preserve the natural dynamics while still achieving the loudness or tone you desire.
• Harmonic Enhancement: Especially with soft clippers, experiment with the harmonic settings if available. Adding harmonics can enrich the sound, providing depth and complexity.
• Combine with Other Processors: Sometimes, using a clipper in conjunction with a compressor or limiter can yield better results. The compressor can handle broader dynamic range control, while the clipper manages peak limiting.

Advanced Techniques

For those looking to explore further, try using different types of clippers in series or parallel for more complex clipping effects. Parallel clipping, for example, allows you to blend the clipped signal with the unclipped original, giving you more control over the blend of clarity and saturation.

As you become more comfortable with these tools, you’ll start to see how versatile clippers can be in mastering. They not only make your tracks louder but also contribute significantly to their sonic character. The key is to keep experimenting and listening critically, ensuring each adjustment serves the music.

Tips for Using Clippers Effectively

Clippers can dramatically shape the sound of your final master, but like any powerful tool, they require careful handling. Here are some essential tips to help you harness their full potential without falling into common pitfalls.

1. Start with Subtle Adjustments: When first applying a clipper, start with subtle settings. Small adjustments can have a significant impact, especially in a dense mix. Gradually increase the clipping amount while continuously monitoring the audio to avoid over-processing. This cautious approach helps preserve the natural dynamics and tonality of your track.

2. Know Your Goals: Before tweaking any settings, clearly define what you want to achieve with clipping. Are you looking to simply tame a few unruly peaks, or are you trying to increase overall loudness? Your goals will dictate how aggressively you set the clipper’s threshold and how much gain you apply.

3. Use High-Quality Clippers: Not all clippers are created equal. Higher-quality plugins often provide more transparency and offer additional features like oversampling, which reduces aliasing and delivers a cleaner sound. Investing in a well-regarded clipper can make a noticeable difference in your mastering chain.

4. Monitor at Different Levels: Listening to your track at various volume levels can provide new perspectives on how the clipping is affecting the sound. Clipping artifacts are sometimes more noticeable at lower volumes, so be sure to check your track softly as well as at more robust listening levels.

5. Avoid Clipping Bass Frequencies: Be cautious with low-end frequencies when using clippers. Clipping can easily muddy the bass, leading to a loss of clarity and punch. If necessary, use a high-pass filter before the clipper to protect the low end, or apply clipping selectively to higher frequency bands only.

6. Combine with Other Mastering Tools: Clippers work best as part of a broader mastering toolkit. After clipping, running the signal through a limiter can help smooth out any remaining peaks and solidify the overall loudness. Similarly, subtle use of EQ post-clipping can help restore any tonal balance lost during the clipping process.

7. A/B Compare Frequently: Regularly bypass the clipper to compare the processed and unprocessed signals. This practice helps ensure that your adjustments enhance rather than detract from the track’s overall quality. Keeping reference tracks handy for comparison can also guide your decisions and help maintain industry-standard sound quality.

8. Listen on Multiple Systems: Finally, test your clipped master on various playback systems—from studio monitors to car speakers to earbuds. Different environments can reveal clipping distortions or imbalances you might not notice in the studio. This step is crucial to ensure your music translates well across all listening platforms.

By following these tips, you can effectively use clippers to enhance your tracks during mastering, ensuring they sound powerful and polished without sacrificing the music’s dynamic feel. Clippers are a mastery of balance—the more you experiment and listen, the better you’ll become at integrating them seamlessly into your mastering workflow.

Advanced Techniques: Mastering Clippers for Optimal Sound

Once you’re comfortable with the basic operation of clippers, exploring more advanced techniques can further refine your mastering skills and enhance your tracks’ sonic qualities. Here’s how to elevate your use of clippers from functional to finesse:

1. Parallel Clipping: Parallel clipping is a technique where you mix the clipped signal with the original, unprocessed audio. This approach allows you to blend the aggressive character of clipping with the dynamics of the original track, achieving a powerful yet nuanced sound. To implement this, set up a send from the original track to an auxiliary channel with a clipper and then mix this back in with the original. Adjust the send level to control the blend of clipped and clean signals.

2. Frequency-Selective Clipping: Instead of applying clipping across the entire frequency spectrum, target specific frequency ranges to shape the sound more precisely. Use a multi-band splitter to isolate bands where clipping could be beneficial—such as the mid-range for adding presence or the high-end for extra sparkle—while leaving other ranges, like the bass, untouched to maintain clarity and punch.

3. Harmonic Enhancement: Some clippers offer adjustable harmonic settings that can introduce additional harmonic content into the signal. By fine-tuning these settings, you can enhance the warmth and richness of the track. Experiment with different types of harmonic distortion to see which complements your track’s style and genre the best.

4. Clipper Before Compression: While clippers are generally used after EQ and before limiting in the mastering chain, placing a clipper before a compressor can yield interesting results. This setup allows the compressor to smooth out the transients shaped by the clipper, blending the clipped peaks more seamlessly into the track. It’s a technique that can add density and cohesion, particularly useful for styles like rock and EDM.

5. Automating Clipper Settings: For tracks with significant dynamic changes, automating clipper settings such as the threshold and knee can adapt the clipping intensity to different sections of the track. Automation ensures that each part—whether it’s a quiet verse or a booming chorus—receives the optimal level of clipping, maintaining both dynamic contrast and consistency.

6. A/B Testing with Different Clippers: Different clippers can impart unique characteristics to a track. A/B testing between various clipper plugins during the mastering session can help you choose the one that best fits the track’s needs. This testing is crucial when working on projects where the clipping effect contributes significantly to the overall sonic signature.

7. Use Clipping as a Creative Effect: Beyond just controlling peaks, consider using clippers as a creative effect to alter the sound in stylistically appropriate ways. For instance, deliberately pushing a clipper into heavy clipping for a gritty, aggressive sound can work well in industrial, rock, or lo-fi hip-hop tracks.

Mastering these advanced clipping techniques will not only broaden your mastering toolkit but also enhance your ability to make creative and technical decisions that elevate the overall impact of your music. As always, the key is to listen critically and make adjustments that respect and enhance the musical material.

Conclusion: Mastering Your Sound with Clippers

Mastering the use of clippers is an essential skill for any audio engineer looking to polish and perfect their tracks. The precision and control provided by clippers can elevate your mastering process, ensuring your music not only competes with but stands out among commercial releases.

As we wrap up, let’s summarize the key points and consider how you can continue to develop your mastering skills.

Recap of Key Insights:

• Hard vs. Soft Clipping: Understanding when to use hard clipping for aggressive peak limiting and soft clipping for adding warmth and character is crucial.
• Setting Up Clippers: Placement in the mastering chain is critical. Ensure clippers are used after EQ adjustments and before final limiting for optimal results.
• Advanced Techniques: Techniques like parallel clipping and dynamic clipping offer nuanced ways to enhance your sound while maintaining the integrity of your track.

Whether you’re a novice just starting out or a seasoned professional polishing your skills, mastering the use of clippers can significantly impact the quality and commercial viability of your music. Keep pushing the boundaries, keep listening critically, and most importantly, keep enjoying the beautiful process of bringing music to its fullest potential.

Thank you for joining us on this deep dive into the world of clippers. We hope you feel inspired to experiment with these techniques in your next mastering session. Happy mastering!