Audio & playback
Audio distortion and clipping in video: find it, fix it
Short answer
Clipping happens when the signal is pushed past the maximum digital level, 0 dBFS, so the tops of the waveform are cut flat and sound harsh. Check the file's peak with ffmpeg's volumedetect: a max_volume at or very near 0.0 dB means it likely clipped. If the clipping was recorded, it cannot be fully repaired; if it happened in the mix or export, lower the level and export again with a limiter and a true-peak ceiling around -1 dB.
Key takeaways
- Clipped samples are lost information: a de-clipper can soften the harshness but cannot restore the original.
- Distortion that exists in the original recording means re-recording or accepting the damage.
- Distortion that appears only in the exported or uploaded file points at the mix, a lossy re-encode of a hot signal, or normalization.
- Spotify recommends a true peak below -1 dB, and below -2 dB when the master is louder than -14 LUFS, to avoid distortion in encoding.
Find your case
| What you see | What it usually means | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Harsh, crackling peaks in loud speech or music | Recorded too hot, so peaks were clipped at the source | Check the original; re-record if clipped there (step 1) |
| Clean in the editor, distorted after export | Sum of tracks above 0 dBFS or a lossy encode of a hot signal | Lower the master and add a limiter (step 3) |
| Distorted only on one platform | That platform's processing reacts to a loud master | Export lower, true peak under -1 dB (step 4) |
| Sounds muffled and crunchy, not just loud | Over-compression or a bad low-bitrate encode | Export AAC at 192 kbps or higher (step 4) |
Fix it step by step
Look at the original
Open the original recording and zoom into the loudest parts. Flat-topped peaks that touch the ceiling mean it clipped at the source. If the original is clean, the damage happens later.
Measure with ffmpeg
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -af volumedetect -vn -f null -prints mean_volume and max_volume. A max_volume of 0.0 dB, or higher than -1 dB on a loud file, is a warning sign.Lower the mix before the limiter
Pull the master down by 3 to 6 dB and add a limiter with a ceiling of -1 dB. Do not stack gain on gain: each boost before the limiter makes the limiter work harder and sound pumpier.
Export with headroom
Spotify recommends true peak below -1 dB and, if the master is louder than -14 LUFS, below -2 dB to avoid extra distortion in encoding. For video, export AAC at 192 kbps or higher.
Recheck after upload
Play the posted version on a phone speaker. If it is clean there and only distorted on your headphones at high volume, the file is fine and the playback chain is not.
Where each kind of distortion comes from
| Where it appears | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| In the raw recording | Mic gain or loud source | Re-record at a lower gain; keep peaks around -12 dB |
| After mixing tracks | Tracks summed above 0 dBFS | Lower the bus and use a limiter |
| After export | Hot signal in a lossy encode | Leave -1 to -2 dB of true-peak headroom |
| After upload only | Platform re-encode of a loud master | Export a bit quieter; compare on the app |
Frequently asked questions
What is clipping in audio?
A signal pushed past 0 dBFS, the maximum digital level. The waveform tops are cut flat, which sounds harsh.
Can I fix clipped audio?
A de-clipper plug-in can soften it, but the cut-off peaks are gone. If the recording clipped, re-record; if it clipped in the mix, remix lower.
Why is my audio distorted only after I upload?
A hot master is more prone to extra distortion when encoded for streaming. Spotify's guidance is a true peak below -1 dB, and -2 dB if the master is louder than -14 LUFS.
What true peak should I export to?
Below -1 dBTP is the common safe ceiling; Spotify's published figure is below -1 dB, or below -2 dB for masters louder than -14 LUFS.
Sources
- Spotify for Artists: Loudness normalization on Spotify (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- ITU-R BS.1770: Algorithms to measure audio programme loudness and true-peak audio level (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- FFmpeg Filters Documentation: loudnorm and volumedetect (official, checked 2026-10-06)
Reviewed 2026-10-06. Steps not attributed to a source are general video practice or computed above.