How To Stop Audio Clipping

We’ve all seen that terrifying red light that comes on when something in our mixing session gets too loud, and to an audio tech, it’s one of the most annoying things we deal with. But to understand how to stop audio from clipping, you have to understand what clipping is in the first place. 

Here's the key to this conversation: all audio gear is designed to process audio within a certain range of gain or volume, and the term “clipping” is used when an audio source exceeds its maximum volume limit.  

In analog applications, this can actually be used as an effect and is often done on purpose. You can create a certain amount of pleasing distortion the harder you push that signal to its limits.

However, in the digital world, clipping is something you want to avoid. This is because when a digital signal gets too loud, the computer will actually cut the top of the sine wave off. It actually mutes the source above that volume threshold, and that process does not have a pleasing sound.

So with that understanding, let’s circle back to the question: how do we stop a signal from clipping?

Simple. We lower the signal level back into the acceptable working range of the gear we’re working with. The problem is that sometimes the dynamics of the signal are too big to keep in that range. This is when we use tools like compressors or limiters to keep the signal in check. These tools automatically reduce the level when it approaches the threshold and keep the signal from clipping. 

So to sum up, the simple answer is “turn your source down." The more complex answer is to set your gain to the level your gear is optimized for and then use compression to control the dynamic range of your source.

Simple concept, but challenging to execute well.

Hope this helps!

- Schuyler