I use my QC primarily with my Dingwall NG2 Basses. Most of the time I use both pickups in serial, so there is a LOT of output. I never had any clipping problems to this point.
You can see visible clips in the recorded wavelength on the DAW and hear clipping. I started with the default impedance setting and it didn’t same thing. Then I used the lowest impedance setting to test it and still the same. But when I take the same guitar and use another audio interface, Scarlett for example, there’s no visual or audible clipping.
All of my guitars have Fishmans (modern hb, classic hb, strat, HSS, GK tele, GK P90). 1MΩ impedance and 0.00db input level works great for me into Logic.
That’s how mine looks. There is no clipping I can see anywhere on the Cortex or in Protools.
So I record a track but when I listen back you can hear clipping and also see it clipping in the wavelength of the track.
I just don’t know what I’m missing.
Guitar plugged into input one.
Pro Tools input is 1/2 and output is 1/2 like the QC manual instructs.
On the QC my input is 1 and out out is Output 1. I’ve also done multi out.
have you tried all your QC Inputs and Outputs? Perhaps you have a hardware problem?
In my DAW, my DI signal looks like a straight line, you have to zoom in to see any actual waveform. Many others report a really low DI signal, with no real way to boost or otherwise adjust it from the QC. That makes me think it’s either a physical/hardware issue with your QC, or a setting in ProTools that’s affecting your signal.
Just to be clear, you are using USB connection from QC to computer, no external interface, right?
Four of my guitars are active, two with Fishman’s. I’ve had no clipping issues but I haven’t used it for USB recording. When you say you can see clipping in the waveform, do you mean the wave form is hitting the 0db bars on the scale or are they under the bars but flatened? The former scenario would indicate that the recordering is too hot, the second mean the clipping is happening elsewhere (QC). Can you hear clipping from headphones plugged into the QC?
Yup, using the QC as an interface directly to the computer. I thought maybe a hardware issue as well? But I use the QC live and it sounds great with no issues at all. I’ll try input 2 tonight as I haven’t yet. I’m leaning against it being a Pro Tools issue because I literally fire it up and create a new track and have nothing else going on.
Hmmmmmmmm. The peaks are flattened in the waveform. I have not tried to listen for clipping in the headphones I will try tonight. If there is no clipping in headphones would that mean it’s not stemming from the QC? And if I do hear it it is coming from the QC?
New member but long time Pro Tools user, here. Could it be that you have your waveforms zoomed in, in Pro Tools? (I ask because you said the waveforms looked clipped but you didn’t say you heard it clipping). If the waveforms are zoomed in, in the edit window, they will look chopped off but are actually fine.
Sorry for the late reply, just got back from NAMM. If you hear no clipping through headphones plugged into your QC then chances are good (but not certain) that the problem is elsewhere. Concerning the clipped waveform, are the flattened peaks shown at the 0db bars or below? Make sure the clip volume for your recording has not been changed in Pro Tools before checking this. If the flattened peaks appear at the 0db bars, that would indicate that the signal is too hot coming into your DAW. Again, I’ve only used the USB for Cortex Control so I don’t know all the “ins abd outs”. If the QC has a level control for the USB send level, make sure it’s not clipping there.
