How to stop a mix from clipping
Clipping happens when a mix gets too loud. Loop by Zaweba's master has a limiter at -0.3 dBFS, and track levels plus a compressor do the rest.
Clipping is the harsh crackle you get when a mix is pushed louder than digital audio can hold, and the cure in Loop by Zaweba starts with the levels. Bring the track faders down in the mixer until the meters have room, use a compressor on tracks that jump out, and let the master limiter, which has a ceiling of -0.3 dBFS, catch the odd peak that gets through.
The limiter is a safety net rather than a fix. A mix that only stays clean because the limiter is working hard will still sound squashed. The steps below get the balance right first.
How clipping happens
Every track adds to the total. A kick, a bass, chords, a lead and a vocal might each look fine on their own meter, but played together their peaks pile up on the master. When the sum goes over the top of the scale, the waveform is flattened and you hear distortion.
Loops make this easy to do by accident. Drop five loops on the grid at full volume and the master is already working hard before you've added anything of your own.
Setting levels in the mixer
Open Studio mode with F3 and go to the mixer. Each track has volume, pan, mute and solo and a meter, and there is a master level at the end. Play the loudest part of the song, usually the chorus or the last section, because that is where clipping happens.
Pull every track down a little rather than turning the master down at the end. Then bring up the most important part, often the drums or the vocal, and fit everything else around it. Solo a track to hear it alone, mute it to hear the mix without it.
Watch the master meter as you go. You want the loudest moments to come close to the top without living there.
Using a compressor
A compressor evens out a track by turning down its loudest moments. It is the right tool for a part whose peaks jump out, such as a recorded vocal with a few shouted words or a bass line where some notes are much louder than others. Add one from the effects to the track's chain, and the peaks come down so the track can sit at a sensible level without poking through.
You can also put effects on the master, but compressing individual tracks is easier to control while you are learning.
What the master limiter does
The master has a limiter set at -0.3 dBFS. A limiter is a very fast, very firm compressor: whatever reaches it, nothing gets out above the ceiling. That stops the export from going over the edge even if one moment in the song is louder than you expected.
When you export stems with File > Export > Stems, the master limiter is switched off so the separate files add back up to the mix. Bear that in mind if you open the stems elsewhere: their levels are as you set them on the faders.
Checking the export
Export the song (File > Export, WAV at 16 or 24 bit, MP3 or OGG) and play it in another player. After an export, File > Open the last export in Play by Zaweba hands it straight over. Listen at a normal volume to the loudest section. If it sounds crunchy or the drums lose their punch, go back and lower the busiest tracks a little more.
Small habits that help
Effects add level as well as colour. Distortion and EQ boosts in particular can push a track much louder than it looked before, so recheck the fader after adding one.
Automation is useful for one-off peaks. Instead of turning a whole track down because of one loud bar, draw a dip on its volume lane just there. And if you change your mind, Ctrl+Z undoes up to 100 steps, so it's safe to experiment.
