09) Oversampling Made Simple with ORANGE CLIP 3
Oversampling reduces aliasing in harmonic processors by running the internal processing at a higher sample rate.
When saturation is applied, new harmonics are generated at 2x, 3x, and higher multiples of the original signal’s frequencies. If these harmonics extend beyond half the sample rate (for example, above 22kHz at a 44.1kHz sample rate), they fold back into the audible range and create unwanted distortion known as aliasing.
Aliasing can make audio sound grindy, cluttered, or unclear because it introduces false frequencies based on sampling errors.
By running saturation at a higher internal sample rate, these fold-back artifacts are pushed beyond the range of human hearing and filtered out before being downsampled back to the host sample rate. This keeps the added harmonics clear, detailed, and natural, making saturation and harmonic enhancement sound cleaner and more accurate.
While aliasing was part of the character of some classic gear, like the SP-1200 drum machine, in mixing and mastering it’s usually considered undesirable.
However, oversampling isn’t perfect. During downsampling, overshoot can occur — creating peaks that exceed the intended ceiling.
Schwabe Digital addresses this by using anti-overshoot technology inside our downsampling filters, ensuring peak control stays clean and consistent.
Both Gold Clip and Orange Clip are designed to deliver a consistent sound, regardless of your DAW's sample rate. To achieve this, the oversampling rate dynamically adjusts based on the session's sample rate. This ensures that High, Pristine, and Extra Pristine modes sound identical, no matter the sample rate you’re working with. Let me explain how it works.
OVERSAMPLING RATE
OFF - 0x (44.1kHz & 48kHz sessions), 0x (88.2kHz and 96kHz sessions)
High - 4x (44.1kHz & 48kHz sessions), 2x (88.2kHz and 96kHz sessions)
Pristine - 8x (44.1kHz & 48kHz sessions), 4x (88.2kHz and 96kHz sessions)
Extra Pristine - 16x (44.1kHz & 48kHz sessions), 8x (88.2kHz and 96kHz sessions)
Orange Clip also lets you to select separate sample rates for real-time processing and offline bouncing. This allows you to work in real-time with a lower hit to your CPU but render/bounce with extreme oversampling.
OVERSAMPLING TYPE
Linear Phase
Perfectly aligns the phase response between the wet and dry signals, ensuring clean and accurate parallel processing.
Ideal when using the parallel mixer within Orange Clip.
Comes with a negligible amount of pre-ringing, which is unlikely to be audible in most scenarios.
Minimum Phase
Optimized for transient response, delivering a slightly more natural feel in low-frequency transients.
Introduces a slight high-frequency phase shift, which can sometimes enhance certain material.
Both options are high-quality, mastering-grade implementations, and the sonic differences are subtle. We included both so you can choose the best option for your needs—but don’t overthink it. Stick with the default, make some hits, and let Gold Clip work its magic.
ANTI-OVERSHOOT TECHNOLOGY
Beyond the oversampling type and rate, Orange Clip incorporates advanced anti-overshoot technology. Our anti-overshoot technology ensures your audio remains below 0.0 dBFS at all times, preventing any peaks from shooting above the clip ceiling after downsampling.
Oversampling is a dense and often over-debated topic. We chose to make our oversampling as robust as possible, while still keeping it simple. Nerd out and try all the options or just leave it at its default and let it do its thing.
Tag @SchwabeDigital in an Instagram story and show us how you are using Orange Clip—we’ll repost!
Be well,
Ryan Schwabe
Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum mixing & mastering engineer
Founder of Schwabe Digital
