Question about Atomic CLR loudness and clipping

Brick_top

Power User
Question about Atomic CLR loudness and clipping ("Solved!")

Hi

a couple of weeks ago me and a bandmate both bought Atomic CLRs.

I Bought a powered wedge that I'm using with my axe-fx II.
he bought a powered cab to use with his kemper.

the problem is we both feel the atomic CLR is not loud enough.

I have the input in the CLR set at 2 o' clock and the output at 1 o'clock, anything more than that and the master clips.
my bandmate input and output setups are pratically the same, the differences being because of the output from the axe or the kemper.

from most reviews online we were expecting more volume.

even quotes like "your drummer will tell you to turn down" nothing like that is happening.

Anyone experiencing the same?

but we are both very happy with the sound quality.
 
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Yes, I've experience this, I run at about 12 O'Clock for both, cutting the low end way down and boosting my mids a bit made a huge difference. I noticed with my powered CLR wedge that there is so much low end the entire room and drum kit vibrates.
 
Hi

a couple of weeks ago me and a bandmate both bought Atomic CLRs.

I Bought a powered wedge that I'm using with my axe-fx II.
he bought a powered cab to use with his kemper.

the problem is we both feel the atomic CLR is not loud enough.

I have the input in the CLR set at 2 o' clock and the output at 1 o'clock, anything more than that and the master clips.
my bandmate input and output setups are pratically the same, the differences being because of the output from the axe or the kemper.

from most reviews online we were expecting more volume.

even quotes like "your drummer will tell you to turn down" nothing like that is happening.

Anyone experiencing the same?

but we are both very happy with the sound quality.


Which clip light is coming on? The one at the input, or the one at the output, or both? If you have input clipping, then it should be more audible than if the output clip light flashes.

FWIW, as I use the CLRs for bass, I brought up this same concern with Tom at Atomic, and his response was essentially this: make sure the input level does not clip, and then turn up the output level. The clip light indicator on the output can engage, but it is by no means indicating that harm will come to the amp/speakers. Rather, it is OK for the output clip to flash on, but the protection/limiting circuitry in the CLR will take care of this, so ultimately, use your ears regardless of what the output clip light is indicating, and turn it up as loud as you want until there are audible negative sonic artifacts.

IOW, it is common for the output light to be on without adverse impact to the speaker, and without noticeable sonic impact to your tone. It is the INPUT clip light you need to worry about more.

Perhaps Tom K can chime in if he's following the post.
 
cool that is good news! I have the input correctly configured and the light never lights in my loudest sound.

the light that might come up is the master one, I don't remember correctly if there were any adverse effect on the sound because as soon as the light went on I reduced the volume imediately. I'll have to check
 
OK. That's good. Again, due to limiting and protection circuitry in the CLR, you can use your ears rather than your eyes in turning up the master volume output on the CLR. I've also found that as volume increases to ear-bleeding levels, you may find you'll naturally want to reduce low-end. YMMV.
 
Hi Brick_top,

I think some of the confusion here is based on the perception that the Speaker Limit Indicator is a clip light. It is not. It is a signal that you are approaching the operating threshold of the speaker. There is at least 6dB more SPL in the CLR when you start to light it. The setting for it is too conservative. In hindsight we shouldn't have included it at all. We're considering getting rid of it in future production to avoid this type of confusion. Ultimately, it has no real purpose because there are other protective mechanisms that will prevent the speaker from being damaged. The moral of the story is to disregard the Speaker Limit Indicator and use your ears.

I find it very strange to hear people say the CLR is not loud. Most customers say it can be dangerously loud. The CLR specs are accurate .When we say the CLR can do 120dB continuous / 130dB peak, that is based on conservative ratings using professional measurement techniques and test equipment. That's how loud it is for better or worse.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Tom
 
I agree about the SPL. This thing gets literally painfully loud and still does not distort. I could not imagine a rig where 2 CLR's would not handle it.
 
I agree about the SPL. This thing gets literally painfully loud and still does not distort. I could not imagine a rig where 2 CLR's would not handle it.

I agree, the "issue" I'm talking about isn't using 2 CLR's, I only have one, the other is from my bandmate. Sorry if I was not very clear.
 
ok, yesterday I had rehearsal.

Fortunately it went very well. It only took a couple adjustments to my presets and in some of the more louder I let the master led light a bit. As Tom and Jay said and it sounded perfectly fine!

the band is rehearsing very loud, its unconfortable really. Any doubt about lack of volume is gone now. don't need to get this loud I need to get the band to turn down a bit.

It is not desirable to rehearse this loud, I'm afraid for my health

I'm very happy with the CLR it can get very loud and it still sounds good but will all the band playing this loud with distorted rhythm guitars some of the nuances get lost.... or maybe my hearing is already suffering.

thanks for all the help! I'll try to convince the band that we are playing too loud! I said it a couple of times yesterday
 
I would get some full range ear plugs.

They make them for musicians that have full frequency response but just attenuate the SPL.

Mine are Westones. They have different inserts. -9db, -12db, -20db.
 
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