# Clipping outputs?
**URL:** https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317
**Category:** Quad Cortex
**Created:** [August 6, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317 "2021-08-06T18:07:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ottogtr](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Ottogtr)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/1 "2021-08-06T18:07:19Z")
My outputs clip pretty badly. Does anyone else have that problem? I have to take off like 7db from my xlr and 1/4 outs to get under clipping. When I go into the headphone out. The multi out still shows clipping and I can’t figure out what to do.
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### Author:  [@jaza69](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/jaza69)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/2 "2021-08-06T19:07:43Z")
Check the User manual on Clipping on page 22.
> **[Quad Cortex User Manual](https://cortex-support.neuraldsp.com/help/quad-cortex-user-manual)**
>
> Covering everything from first start instructions, navigation, and Preset building all the way through to setup examples and advanced MIDI controls. It is a comprehensive guide to every Quad Cortex feature.
Checking and changing the device block parameters on the grid before MultiOut should solve the problem.
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### Author:  [@Ottogtr](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Ottogtr)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/3 "2021-08-06T19:20:55Z")
I will check this. I don’t recall seeing a block light up red
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### Author:  [@jaza69](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/jaza69)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2021, 9:36pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/4 "2021-08-06T21:36:01Z")
They don’t light up red. What light up red is the MultiOut indicating that one of your block is causing clipping of the output… If your block has volume or level knob in it (like amp, drive, cab et.) check if it isn’t cranked up.
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### Author:  [@jamsden](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/jamsden)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2021, 11:59am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/5 "2021-08-08T11:59:29Z")
Audio processing with digital equipment requires careful gain staging at the input and ouput where the analog to digital and digital to analog conversion occurs. This is because these conversions have hard limits and digital clipping never sounds good.
For QC, you can use the I/O page to check the input and output to make sure there’s no clipping using the meters. Between the input and output blocks in your signal chain may add or remove volume. That’s generally not a problem as most of the calculations in the blocks have plenty of headroom, same for typical DAWs. You may find that some blocks will behave differently if they are driven really hard or soft, especially those that have gain or drive controls and are intended to be nonlinear.
An easy approach to keep things predictable is to have each block somewhat close to unity gain - the volume change is small between the block bypass on and off. That’s not a hard and fast rule, just a starting point that avoids gain buildup that could cause clipping at the output, and potential unexpected behavior in blocks that are not driven at their intended design level.
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### Author:  [@Ottogtr](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Ottogtr)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/6 "2021-08-08T13:04:19Z")
I am very familiar with digital gear. Been using only digital for 11 years now. The issue here is def my captures. Even though they pass the sanity check they must be cause the clipping because I don’t have anything else that is boosting levels.
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### Author:  [@jamsden](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/jamsden)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/7 "2021-08-09T23:24:49Z")
Interesting. I did some captures of my Mad Professor Supreme A and B sides yesterday. When comparing the capture to the reference at the end of the capture process, they were identical. But I thought when I added the captures to a signal chain, the volume and drive seemed to be a lot higher than the pedal. I had to adjust gain and volume to reproduce the pedal.
Its possible than when we create the captures, we are trying too hard to get close to the 0 dB mark on the input and capture level. Maybe we should be shooting for -18dB or more mid scale. Maybe that’s the sweet spot for the capture?
I’ll have to try that to see if the end result more closely matches the pedal in a patch.
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### Author:  [@jamsden](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/jamsden)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2021, 3:19pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/8 "2021-08-15T15:19:49Z")
I recaptured my Mad Professor A and B sides today. What I found is that it seems if you want a distortion pedal capture to have the same drive and volume behavior in the capture as in the pedal, you need to use instrument input and capture input set to 0dB. Setting the input higher will result in the capture block having too much drive. Setting the capture input higher will result in the capture block volume being too loud compared to the actual pedal.
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### Author:  [@Ottogtr](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Ottogtr)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/9 "2021-08-15T15:36:24Z")
Did you use auto set or just did both levels at 0db
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### Author:  [@jamsden](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/jamsden)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/10 "2021-08-15T15:49:19Z")
No auto set - If I use that it sets the level too high and doesn’t reproduce the pedal’s setting in the capture block.
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### Author:  [@Ottogtr](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Ottogtr)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/11 "2021-08-15T22:52:53Z")
So both at 0db?
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### Author:  [@jamsden](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/jamsden)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 11:34am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/12 "2021-08-16T11:34:47Z")
Yes, so the captured block matches the gain and volume of the actual pedal.
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### Author:  [@Ottogtr](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Ottogtr)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 11:48am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/13 "2021-08-16T11:48:14Z")
Wonder why the QC even has those level controls. Would be cool if QC have some more guidance on best practices for a capture. I will be trying the 0 0 capture
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### Author:  [@Ottogtr](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Ottogtr)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/14 "2021-08-18T20:23:40Z")
Well I tried the 0 db 0 db captures and I did in fact like those better than my previous ones. I did some at unity gain on my pedal and like those results even more but the levels were way to low
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### Author:  [@macphly](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/macphly)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 11:59pm UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/15 "2021-08-18T23:59:20Z")
This is good to know. I’m getting ready to sell off my last amp, cab, and pedals. The captures I did of that rig have been my go-to in the QC, but I will capture them one more time in case they can get even better!
To those who may say “don’t sell your analog stuff just yet!” I’m almost 60 and playing in two bands…I’m positive that I’m not gonna be dragging tube heads and cabs around anymore!
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### Author:  [@Chyke01](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Chyke01)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/16 "2023-01-06T02:55:45Z")
I can almost guarantee your headphone are a mix match on ohms. I’m facing the same thing. The QC sound’s phenomenal through my HS8’s but when I play with my in ears it’s trash.
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### Author:  [@danimaetrix](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/danimaetrix)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2023, 5:07am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/17 "2023-01-06T05:07:47Z")
1. this thread is literally a year old lol
2. does it sound the same using headphones from your interface out and monitoring the QC output that way as it does from QC headphones?
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### Author:  [@Chyke01](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/u/Chyke01)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://unity.neuraldsp.com/t/clipping-outputs/5317/18 "2023-01-06T11:55:24Z")
Nah, it’s roughly a year old, it’s literally 16 months old.