Audio Peaking Plug in?

[DNathan]

I spend a lot of time looking for peaks (over 0db) and I feel like it's something that a plug-in should be able to handle. Any recommendations? I've played with the different FCP options, and can't figure out what I'm doing with them. Thanks!

 

[NoahK]

Peaks or clipping? Peaks that don't clip don't neccessarily need to be ridden down. It sounds like ALC gain control when you do that too much.

Noah

 

[AwakenedFilms]

In Final Cut, go Mark/Audio Peaks/Mark. FCP will put a marker where ever the audio hits 0db. This will not work if your distortion is created by filters, only if the recorded material has a peak at 0db.

You can then choose to manually pull down the peaks using audio key frames, drop the whole level of the whole clip ("Command -" to drop it -1db increments or "Command [" to drop it -3db increments ), or throw a compressor on the track (Threshold -6, Ratio 2.5:1).


Jason

 

[DNathan]

Thanks for your responses!

Compressor will do it? Great! Does that mean that Threshold brings down peak levels 6db? What is the Ratio doing?

 

[Alex H.]

Thanks for your responses!

Compressor will do it? Great! Does that mean that Threshold brings down peak levels 6db? What is the Ratio doing?

You need to read up on audio plug-ins before you start putting them in your signal chain. Otherwise, you'll do more damage than good.

Threshold does not, itself, change the signal level. It sets the point at which the compressor begins to work. (So a setting of -6dB means that the compressor won't kick in until the signal reaches -6dB or louder.)

Ratio sets how much the compressor does to the signal. It's always going to be x:1. For every x dB increase coming in to the compressor, the output level from the compressor will only change 1 dB. (A 4:1 ratio means that a 4dB increase in the source audio will only increase 1dB after compression.)

The more you have the compressor do, the more your signal can suffer (depending on the source, and the quality of the compressor). So be careful in how you use it. If you start hearing your sound turn a bit crunchy, the compressor is probably to blame.

 

[DNathan]

Thank you thank you! That will be SO much more efficient than what I'm currently doing. I will experiment with different ratios to be able to know what I'm doing with it. Again, thanks!