Sound Quality Problems with Mixdowns & Recorded Songs

I'm using Kristal Audio Engine as my Recording software. I've been recording a song of mine for about 2 or 3 weeks now, I have 5 minutes and 13 seconds finished. Now my problem is this:
I'll 'export to mixdown' then listen to it. And even after making sure there wasn't any clipping or anything before the mixdown, there's still bad clipping in the mixdown (I play my mixdowns on Windows Media Player)
Now I've noticed one thing though.. It doesn't clip unless during a distorted guitar track or if I turn my speaker volume up. What do you guys think I should do to fix it?

Does it sound ok played back through Kristal?

What's the peak output level of the finished mix? Do any of the individual tracks peak over -6db?

What sample rate and bit depth are you recording at?

What kind of sound card are you using?

Are you using a dedicated recording interface, or just the inputs on your sound card?

Are you micing inputs or recording direct?

If you're using mikes, what kind of mikes?

Are you using any type of effects or compression on the output bus during mixing?

Are you using any type of effects on the tracks during mixing?

What are you using to monitor with during mixdown?

There's a lot of points where clipping or distortion can be introduced into a recording, starting with the mikes themselves. Mke sure you have the gain staging right. Here's a thread on the Tape Op message board that seems to fit your situation well: http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=38430&highlight=gain+staging

Hi marshall

If you can´t hear the clipping/distorsion at low playback volumes, there is no fault in the recording/mixdown.
It must be a playback problem in Media Player, as clipping/distorsion in a recorded track is hearable at all playback level as it a part of the recorded information.

If you can´t hear or see any clipping when you playback the complete mix in KAE everything should be OK.

A question: When you export the Mixdown in KAE, what file format and quality levels are you using.
Highest quality wave ?

My mixdowns are exported in Stereo, 16 bit quality.

I'm using Kristal Audio Engine as my Recording software. I've been recording a song of mine for about 2 or 3 weeks now, I have 5 minutes and 13 seconds finished. Now my problem is this:
I'll 'export to mixdown' then listen to it. And even after making sure there wasn't any clipping or anything before the mixdown, there's still bad clipping in the mixdown (I play my mixdowns on Windows Media Player)
Now I've noticed one thing though.. It doesn't clip unless during a distorted guitar track or if I turn my speaker volume up. What do you guys think I should do to fix it?

Does it sound ok played back through Kristal?

What's the peak output level of the finished mix? Do any of the individual tracks peak over -6db?

What sample rate and bit depth are you recording at?

What kind of sound card are you using?

Are you using a dedicated recording interface, or just the inputs on your sound card?

Are you micing inputs or recording direct?

If you're using mikes, what kind of mikes?

Are you using any type of effects or compression on the output bus during mixing?

Are you using any type of effects on the tracks during mixing?

What are you using to monitor with during mixdown?

There's a lot of points where clipping or distortion can be introduced into a recording, starting with the mikes themselves. Mke sure you have the gain staging right. Here's a thread on the Tape Op message board that seems to fit your situation well: http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=38430&highlight=gain+staging

Ok... Here are the answers to all of your questions Moonrider.

1. When played back in Kristal Audio Editor, only some of the Wavers and tracks have the feedback.
For example: In the song that I'm recording, Waver 5 and 6 (distortion) have very noticable static in the background ONLY during the 1st chorus which is played with 2 distorted guitars using the following VST Plug-ins: Waver 5 - BLOCKFISH and Classic Compressor, Waver 6 - Glaceverb and Classic Chorus.
But the Pre-verse, using the same two Wavers, doesn't produce any static or feedback at all and it's also played with 2 distorted guitars.

2. The peak out-put level of the finished mix is set to 0. Yes, most of the distortion parts peak around 0 or a little above, but no clips occur.

3. I'm not completely sure as to what the answer is to the 3rd question but when you ask what Bit depth I'm recording at, do you mean what bit-depth my mixdowns are? Defualt is 16-bit, but I set them to 32 bit float. As for the sample rate, I guess you're talking about what ASIO shows as Buffer size = 512 Samples.

4. My sound card is a AC'97 Audio Controller card. It's the stock soundcard which is integrated into the computer. My computer is about 6 years old. It's a Hewlette Packard xt993.

5. I'm using the Line-in input on the back of my computer into my soundcard.

6. I'm recording direct. No mics are being used at all.

7. I don't think that ASIO counts as an effect but it is what is used on my Audio Output.

8. Yes, I'm using effects on all of my tracks. I'm using either Chorus/Reverb or Chorus/Compress or Chorus/Phaser for my clean guitar tracks and I'm using either Compression/Compression or Compression/Reverb or Compression/Chorus on my distortion tracks.

9. Yet again, I'm not sure as to what the answer for this one is either. You asked, 'what are you using to monitor the mixdown?'
..I thought that a mixdown was the process of click 'File' then clicking 'Export to mixdown' then selecting my Bit depth, audio(stereo or mono) and the name of the file. Then after doing that, watching it download. correct me if im wrong as I'm sure that I am.

Ok... Here are the answers to all of your questions Moonrider.

1. When played back in Kristal Audio Editor, only some of the Wavers and tracks have the feedback.
For example: In the song that I'm recording, Waver 5 and 6 (distortion) have very noticable static in the background ONLY during the 1st chorus which is played with 2 distorted guitars using the following VST Plug-ins: Waver 5 - BLOCKFISH and Classic Compressor, Waver 6 - Glaceverb and Classic Chorus.
But the Pre-verse, using the same two Wavers, doesn't produce any static or feedback at all and it's also played with 2 distorted guitars.

Disable the compression and see if the "static" goes away. I have a feeling you're using WAY too much, and bringing the noise floor up. Try not to use any more compression on a track than you absolutely have to until you understand what it's doing to the signal.

Here's an introductory article on compression:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/apr97/compressors.html

Here's a whole lot more:
http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/articles3.htm

2. The peak out-put level of the finished mix is set to 0. Yes, most of the distortion parts peak around 0 or a little above, but no clips occur.

3. I'm not completely sure as to what the answer is to the 3rd question but when you ask what Bit depth I'm recording at, do you mean what bit-depth my mixdowns are? Defualt is 16-bit, but I set them to 32 bit float. As for the sample rate, I guess you're talking about what ASIO shows as Buffer size = 512 Samples.

If you go past 0 on a digital mix, you've clipped. Period. It's a bit more complicated, but in short, simple terms, "0" represents the point where you've used up your bit depth, and have no headroom left. Try turning the individual tracks down until the master levels peak out about -6db. This is still gonna be a loud mix. If it seems too quiet, that's when you use the volume knob ;)

Sample rate is how many times the sound is sampled by the analog to digital converters on your sound card, and bit depth is how many bits are used to capture the amplitude (signal strength) of each sample. For example, a CD has a sample rate of 44,100 samples per second, and uses a bit depth of 16 bits.

Here's a basic reference on how it all works:
http://www.prosoundweb.com/studyhall/psw_studyhall/frames/basic_digital_Usc_fm.html
4. My sound card is a AC'97 Audio Controller card. It's the stock soundcard which is integrated into the computer. My computer is about 6 years old. It's a Hewlette Packard xt993.

5. I'm using the Line-in input on the back of my computer into my soundcard.

6. I'm recording direct. No mics are being used at all.

7. I don't think that ASIO counts as an effect but it is what is used on my Audio Output.

8. Yes, I'm using effects on all of my tracks. I'm using either Chorus/Reverb or Chorus/Compress or Chorus/Phaser for my clean guitar tracks and I'm using either Compression/Compression or Compression/Reverb or Compression/Chorus on my distortion tracks.

That's kinda what I thought. Given your hardware I'd recommend you use a bit depth of 16, and a sample rate of 44100 for input and output. This will help reduce the load on your machine.

Also, aside from laying off the compression, be careful using plugins in general. Each plugin uses cpu cycles, and with an older machine it's working pretty hard just to get the samples read from disk, processed and sent to the converters without missing any.

The delay caused by all this processing is one source of "latency"

This article explains it far better than I can.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr99/articles/letency.htm
9. Yet again, I'm not sure as to what the answer for this one is either. You asked, 'what are you using to monitor the mixdown?'
..I thought that a mixdown was the process of click 'File' then clicking 'Export to mixdown' then selecting my Bit depth, audio(stereo or mono) and the name of the file. Then after doing that, watching it download. correct me if im wrong as I'm sure that I am.

I probably should have phrased that as "What are you using to monitor the mix?"

From your answers above, I'd guess computer speakers or headphones.

Here's one final link for you. It's called "The Project Studio Handbook," and it's basically an online encyclopedia of recording:
http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

It's a bit more complicated, but in short, simple terms, "0" represents the point where you've used up your bit depth, and have no headroom left. Try turning the individual tracks down until the master levels peak out about -6db. This is still gonna be a loud mix. If it seems too quiet, that's when you use the volume knob ;)
The way I work out track volumes versus the overall volume of whatever I'm playing it on is to put a couple of clips of tracks into the mix to compare. I usually use something by Megadeth as a loud sample and Jack Johnson as a quiet one. Both are the same volume, but Megadeth sounds louder becxause it's that kind of music.

When I'm setting all my volumes, I just have the clip on another track and alternate between the mute button and the solo button (This is audacity, but Kristal will have the same). It basically just allows me to swap back and forth between my mix and a proper mix and make sure my mix is not too quiet. Seems to work OK :)

I am using Cubase Sx3 and Reason3.0 Software.
If you want my point of view, a well-done mx, is the most important think as far as homestudio recording is concerned. If you want to produce a new wave pop-rock sound you mix differently.If you want to produce mainstream metal sound you mix differently. The way I found to make my life easier and for my mixes not to clip or even worse distort, is to make a good mix in a not so high level of volume, and then if I have the option, I group all the tracks and simultaneously increase their volume to a level that it won't clip!
That's my mix!

then I do the mastering, adding some eq, compressor, or a maximizer plug-in I found.

Hope it helps...! cheers!