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D.Ipsum » Mon Mar 12, 2018 2:21 pm
FenA wrote: ↑Sun Mar 11, 2018 12:38 am
You can learn about "loudness war". This contextualizes the type of waveform that you show us.
If I do not say nonsense:
- By exporting a track, the parts having a level which exceeds the absolute limit of 0 dB Fs will be clipped because it is not possible to go beyond 0. Visually, you obtain a waveform similar to that which you show us: the peaks do not exceed the threshold. If it's only a few ms, you may not hear it. Otherwise, the result can be uncomfortable to listen to. Generally, when we talk about clipping, we are referring to an unwanted artifact.
- If you place a hard limiter with a threshold of for example -1 dB FS, you get the same result: the peaks will be cut off. The only difference is that you choose the threshold yourself. (And after setting a hard limit with a threshold of -1, you can normalize the track to 0 dB FS, for example). The result will be nice to listen to or not depending on how you manage your mix or your mastering.
According to the waveform that you show us, I guess it's done intentionally (loudness war). It would be a compromise between quantity (to increase the average volume of the track) and quality (to increase the average volume of the track without greatly altering the audio quality).