What Is Audio Clipping?
Audio clipping is a form of waveform distortion. This type of distortion occurs when your amplifier (or any other gain modifying tool) is overdriven. Your amp being overdriven means that it tries to produce a higher voltage level than it is designed for.
Once your amplifier is pushed to produce signals beyond its power range, your amp’s power supply cannot stretch enough to produce the sound that it is not supposed to. Instead, the amp cuts or ”clips” the amount of power it is not designed to process. Your natural soundwave sound morphs into the ”square wave sound” since the top of the signal has been clipped.
Just as clipping can happen in the analog world, in a similar vein, it can also happen in the digital realm. If the input section of your digital system is overloaded to a point 0 decibels full scale (0dbFS), that means that we have run out of headroom.
That means that all of the information that your wave is carrying goes over your floor and ceiling and can not be assigned to your digital ones and zeroes. That results in a square wave-like shape, which in sonic terms produces distortion. In this case, the distortion is digital.

The degree to which the audio clipping occurs will define what shape would the output signal be. The more ”squarish” the signal looks, the more extreme forms of distortion you will get.
All of the staples of modern guitar playing, such as overdrive, distortion, and fuzz effects, are the result of a similar process.
What does audio clipping do?
Clipping causes distortion and exceeds an amplifier’s volume output capacity. Audio clipping happens when we overload an amplifier with a signal that exceeds its maximum power output capacity. When we amplify an audio signal beyond its host device’s limitations, it causes the waveform to distort.
This occurrence is generally counterproductive to mixing situations and can occur in a variety of ways. Most amps and other audio playback devices feature an output meter that allows you to gauge how much power signal playback generates. The meter will generally show you readings in decibels, with the peak being at 0 dB. DAWs such as Ableton or Logic will show you a red signal bar when your volume output exceeds 0 dB.
You’ll often hear some unpleasant pops or clicks if something clips in your mix. It may also sound as if the audio breaks up or has a noticeable reduction in output quality.
Most mixing engineers and producers aim to achieve a mix that has depth, clarity, and spatial dynamics. If you push any instrument or track’s volume to a clipping point, it will destroy your overall mix and won’t be enjoyable to listeners. If forced to extreme levels, audio clipping can damage a speaker or piece of audio equipment by causing it to overheat.
Why is my track clipping?
Clipping is created from an excessive gain level in your mix or incorrect usage of audio effects like eq or compression. Overamplification of a signal can vastly reduce its clarity and will negatively affect other areas of your mix.
There are a few stages in a signal path from input to output, and each of these can cause audio clipping just by being too loud. Clipping can occur in any stage of this signal path, not only the master output channel or speaker. Imagine yourself as a guitarist trying to record over a new track in the studio. Your signal chain might look something like this:
Guitar – Pedal Chain – Amplifier – Preamp – Interface – PC/DAW – Speakers
There are volume parameters for every stage of the signal path above. You may have a pedal in your effects chain with its output too loud or the gain on your preamps dialed in too high. Sometimes your monitors or speakers may be operating at an excessive output level.
Let’s look at a digital situation where we could cause clipping. Many engineers wonder why their master output clips, even if their tracks are below 0 dB. Most tend to oversee that routing signals with the same shape and frequency range will cause a louder overall amplification.
Another common cause for clipping in audio production is effects processing. Some people may use a stock effect or plugin in their DAW without completely understanding how it affects a signal, including its amplification. Plugins and other effects usually come with a master output dial or control to help prevent clipping during processing.
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