Clipping

Clipping is the distortion that occurs when a signal exceeds the maximum level a system can represent — the waveform's peaks are squared off, adding a harsh, crackling character.

Digital clipping at 0 dBFS is abrupt and unpleasant, and it is essentially irreversible: the information above the ceiling was never stored. Prevention is headroom at record time; 'de-clip' restoration tools only approximate.

Clipped speech also transcribes worse — the distortion lands in the consonant detail recognizers rely on.

Related terms

HeadroomHeadroom is the safety margin between your audio's peaks and the maximum level the system can handle before cl… dBFS (decibels relative to full scale)dBFS measures digital audio level against the maximum a file can represent: 0 dBFS is the ceiling, and every s… Speech enhancementSpeech enhancement cleans a voice recording — suppressing noise, reducing reverb, restoring clarity — using mo…