Tutorials Audio

Limiters, Clippers, and True Peak

Intermediate · ~25 min

Overview

Compression controls dynamics across a whole performance. Limiters and clippers handle the very last few dB before a signal hits digital zero. This guide covers both tools and explains true peak. The measurement that determines whether your "safe" master actually stays safe after a streaming platform re-encodes it.

What You Need

A limiter plugin (every DAW includes one)
The site's LUFS File Checker to review the interpolated peak estimate on a finished file

Steps

Understand what a limiter actually does

A limiter is an extremely fast, high-ratio compressor with a hard ceiling, anything above its threshold gets pulled down instantly and transparently (at reasonable settings), making it the standard tool for catching peaks without audible distortion.

Know when a clipper is the better tool

A clipper simply chops off anything above its threshold rather than smoothly reducing gain. This adds a small amount of harmonic distortion (sometimes desirable for perceived loudness/energy) but is less transparent than a limiter. Many modern masters use a clipper for a small amount of peak reduction before a final limiter stage.

Understand true peak vs. sample peak

Sample peak measures only the actual recorded sample values. True peak estimates the reconstructed analog waveform between samples, which can be higher than any individual sample shows. A file that measures "safe" on sample peak can still clip after being converted to a lossy format like MP3 or AAC.

Set a safe true-peak ceiling

-1 dBTP is the widely used safe ceiling for streaming and broadcast delivery. It leaves enough margin that lossy re-encoding on the platform's end is very unlikely to introduce audible clipping.

Verify with a true-peak-capable meter

Run your finished export through a meter that uses a reconstruction filter for true peak. The Infinite Creation checker currently reports an interpolated peak estimate and is not a substitute for formal true-peak acceptance.

Pro Tips

Push a limiter too hard and it starts to audibly pump or distort, if you need more than a few dB of limiting to hit your loudness target, the mix likely needs more work upstream, not more limiting.
A gentle clip-then-limit chain (clip 1-2 dB, then limit the rest) often sounds more natural at a given loudness than limiting alone, since it spreads the peak-reduction work across two gentler stages instead of one aggressive one.
Always check true peak on the actual final export file, not just your DAW's internal meters. Some conversions and dithering steps can shift peak levels slightly.

Knowledge Base

Why True Peak Exists as a Separate Measurement

Digital audio only stores discrete samples, but the actual analog waveform reconstructed on playback is a smooth curve between them. That curve can peak higher than any single sample value, especially with high-frequency content. True peak metering (using oversampling to estimate this reconstructed curve) catches these "inter-sample peaks" that a standard sample-peak meter misses entirely.

Limiter vs. Clipper, Side by Side

Limiter: Smooth gain reduction, more transparent, industry-standard for final peak control.
Clipper: Hard cutoff, adds harmonic distortion, used deliberately in small amounts for extra perceived loudness/energy.

dBTP Targets by Destination

-1 dBTP is a safe general target for most streaming and broadcast delivery. Some broadcast specifications require -2 dBTP or stricter, always check your specific destination's actual requirement rather than assuming a universal number applies everywhere.

Where This Fits

This guide covers one specific part of mixing and mastering. The wider picture. The full mix workflow from gain staging and balance through panning, bus processing, and knowing when to stop, is in Mixing a Full Song: From Rough Levels to Final Bounce, which frames the discipline as a whole and links out to the detailed guides underneath it, including this one. If you are starting from scratch rather than solving a specific problem, read that first and come back here.

FAQ

Q: Why does my file clip after uploading to a streaming platform even though it looked fine locally?
A: Almost always a true-peak problem. The platform's lossy encoding pushed an inter-sample peak over 0 dBFS that your sample-peak meter never showed. Remaster with a proper -1 dBTP ceiling.

Q: Should I use a limiter on every individual track, or just the master?
A: Generally just the master (and occasionally a specific problem track with an unpredictable transient), limiting every individual track adds unnecessary processing and can make the mix feel over-controlled and lifeless.