Clipping on Evanescence Rip

[ironword]

Hi--I've done some preliminary searching on the web about this issue but didn't come up with anything that addressed my problem. I'm trying to rip Evanescence's album Fallen (from the original CD I bought at the store) but it always comes out with its amplitude way too high, i.e. when I open it in a wave editor, it doesn't have a normal waveform--most of the waveforms are cut off at the bottom and the top (in other words, it's clipping the waveform). On this CD, it's only a problem with the guitar chords--bass, drums, vocals, keyboards, and guitar solo notes are all clear and not clipped, but the guitar chords are all clipped. It's very wierd.

This is not a problem with most CDs. I'm in the process of systematically backing up my entire collection as WAVs. Just to give one example, I also barely finished ripping "20th Century Masters: The Best of Lynyrd Skynyrd," and it doesn't have this problem. I've spent the last two weeks backing up about 40 CDs (or more), and this has only been a problem with one other disk. I put that down to chance--thought I had a bad CD or something--but now the same problem is popping up again. I think it's a problem with the recording levels. Has anybody else had this problem with this CD?

As far as ripping, I'm doing everything right, as far as I can tell. I'm using EAC, having followed the configuration instructions at http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php ... ve_Options , and under EAC Options | Extraction, both Extraction/Compression Priority and Error Recovery Quality set to High; Normalize is checked (though left at the default 85%). I have an NEC ND-3550A 1.05.

Thanks,
Mike

[redk9258]

I think many CDs are mastered this way now. As matter of fact, because of these volume wars, I pretty much quit buying CDs. It really is a shame that the CD format gets slapped in the face by audiophiles. It's not the CD, it's the crappy mastering job. No wonder people are buying vinyl again!

[Dartman]

I agree, everyone suddenly loves vinyl again because cd's sound horrible. The analog nuts will never admit a digital medium sounds good when done properly,and I think the kids just don't remember what a hassle it was to keep records clean and get a good one. They just love all the touchy feelly part of it.
I remember getting all excited when a new record was truly well recorded, buying Mobile Fidelity master records at 18 bucks a pop, etc.
Then a friend loaned me a cheap cd player WOW, quiet, huge dynamic range, etc. Too bad the Record industry dropped to the lowest common denominator and decided the only thing that counts is LOUD, they clip the crap outa it and loose half the audio bandwidth and quality.
There are some recording engineers that are trying to reverse this trend now at least, too bad SACD and DVD-Audio never really took off and were properly promoted. A good recording on either format is pretty stunning.

[ironword]

You guys have gotta be kidding me. This is a TREND? I can't freaking believe it. I thought for sure it was just a mistake!

I don't keep on top of the music scene like I used to. The Evanescence CD is the last pop/rock music I bought, and that was three years ago, so as you can see I'm not au courant. I don't do lossy compression, so no ipod etc.--but if you can't depend on CDs, then where do you turn? It's been a long time since I've even owned a record player; and lossy MP3 downloads are not an acceptable substitute! Well, I've drifted over into other interests anyway, and in that connection I'm happy to report that distortion from clipping is NOT normal on current world music and classical music CDs. To find out that it's common on mainstream CDs is actually quite a shock. I never would have believed it. I too remember when CDs first came out, in the mid-to-late '80s. I'm not an audiophile, but my band's soundman was, and for him the new clarity was the greatest thing ever. Me, I just thought it was great having a disk only a third the size of an LP and a lot less fragile. No more worrying about the stupid stylus on the record player getting worn out and ruining your music!

Many thanks for answering my question. Now at least I won't keep wondering if there was some solution I could implement to get a decent rip from this disk. I guess I'll just count on not buying pop/rock music anymore.

[redk9258]

I think the record companies should post the average RMS value on the CD label. I hate when things are "remastered". Usually this means jacking the volume through the roof and tampering with the original tone. So in the process of "remastering" if any sound improvement really was there from using original tapes, better equipment. etc., the mastering engineer ruins any improvements by shoving the volume through the roof. Usually this is done in a way that there is no clipping, just lots of compression. I guess now they try to go so high, the software cannot compress enough, so they just let the sound clip. Hell. it won't be long and the CD you buy will have square wave signals. What is really a shame is my kids will never hear their music the way we did before the sound level wars came about. For someone who wants to hear a properly mastered CD listen to a Mobile Fidelity CD. Especially something like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" or "Dark Side Of The Moon". These sound better than any vinyl I've ever heard and without the pops / ticks, etc.

[ironword]

I think the record companies should post the average RMS value on the CD label.

Absolutely. Until they do something like that, they're no longer getting any of my money.

I can't afford Mobile Fidelity, but I've no doubt they're phenomenal.