Clipping happens when the signal exceeds the maximum level a digital file can hold. It sounds like crackle or harshness on loud passages and shows as flattened waveform peaks.
Fixing it
- Lower the ceiling on your master limiter (a true-peak ceiling of about −1 dBTP is common).
- Reduce input gain into the limiter rather than driving it harder.
- Check individual tracks for clipping before the master bus.
- Re-export and listen on headphones at a moderate volume.
Platforms normalise loudness, so an over-limited master gains nothing — it only sounds worse.
