Ryan wrote:
..

Could anybody tell me why clipped to hell is bad? I know that it is
but I have problems trying to figure out how I can explain this to
him. Are there really artifacts that happen from this? Someone
suggested I'm too far down the path, but I would say I'm not far
enough down it. I'd really like to learn what this stuff sounds like
and how to identify it. If it really ruins audio, it seems to me the
problems should be rather easy to point out. If someone can't
identify an exact problem, than it must be hypochondria, right?


Squished is different to clipped. Clipped is a total no-no in any digital
system, as the artifacts are unpleasant and unrelated to the musical content
of the clipped signal (unlike some analogue clipping). Squished is a
different story, and is 'in the eyes' (ears) of the producer and/or
mastering engineer (or mixing engineer if that's where it is happening to
excess).

Hyper-compression or over-squishing is a bit like McDonalds - easy to get
addicted to, but the anathema of good music in most cases. Also the exact
opposite of teh wider dynamic range that all these extra bits and Hertz we
are sold are supposedly allowing us.

You have to decide who is calling the musical shots as 'producer'.

geoff