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To prevent clipping, find the first point in your audio chain that overloads and lower its gain. Then put OBS’s Limiter last in the relevant filter chain as a final peak ceiling, check the peak meter during loud passages and transitions, and record and listen to a representative test before leaving the stream unattended. A limiter cannot repair audio that was already distorted upstream.
What clipping is—and what the limiter can and cannot do
In digital audio, 0 dBFS is the maximum level represented at the output. OBS notes that it may process signals above 0 dBFS internally using floating-point audio, but the final recorded or streamed signal still needs to stay below 0 dBFS to avoid clipping. The practical goal is a clean signal through the entire route, not merely a meter that looks safe at one point. OBS explains its mixer and signal path in its audio mixer guide.
Distortion can begin in a music file or player, a mixer or interface, an operating-system or application control, an OBS source filter, or the final OBS mix. Once a stage has clipped, turning down a later fader only makes the already-distorted signal quieter. Find the earliest overloaded stage and reduce its gain there; use the limiter downstream to catch remaining peaks, not to fix damaged audio.
Trace the signal from the source to the stream
1. Test the actual broadcast route
Play the content through the same player, devices, routing, OBS scene, and sources used for the 24/7 stream. Include loud tracks, bass-heavy or transient material, station IDs, alerts, crossfades, and source changes if those are part of the broadcast. A quiet passage alone will not reveal the worst peak.
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2. Listen and check levels at each stage
Monitor as early in the chain as you can, then listen through OBS. Check the music player or device output, any mixer or audio interface, system and application volumes, OBS source level, and final mix. If distortion is audible before OBS, lower the source or device gain first. Continue downstream only after the earlier point sounds clean.
In OBS, watch the moving meter bar for peaks while loud material plays. The top peak indicator holds the loudest reading for 20 seconds, which helps catch brief spikes after a track change or alert. The black VU-style indicator is a short-window, loudness-related reading; it is not the peak ceiling. OBS’s mixer guide, dated 2026-04-03, describes these indicators and notes that source types can behave differently, so do not try to force every signal into one color.
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3. Isolate the raw input when diagnosing
OBS’s input indicator is positioned before the volume fader but after source filters. If you need to diagnose the incoming level rather than the processed signal, disable source filters temporarily and compare. Restore the intended filters after checking, then assess the full chain again. OBS’s Audio Mixer Technical Details describes this meter placement.
Set up OBS’s Limiter as a final safety ceiling
- In OBS, open the relevant audio source’s filters and add the Limiter filter.
- Place the Limiter last in that source’s filter chain. OBS specifically recommends this order; a later gain-adding filter could push the signal above the limiter’s ceiling.
- OBS documents a default threshold of -6.00 dB and release of 60 ms. Treat these as software defaults, not universal targets. Start from the default only as a reference, then listen to the actual material and check the resulting peaks and sound.
- Balance source levels and the master mix so the limiter is not being asked to conceal a persistently overdriven signal. If limiting is frequent or audible, reduce gain earlier in the chain and test again.
The Limiter filter documentation, dated 2022-01-12, says it should be the last filter in the chain. See OBS’s Limiter Filter guide. A limiter controls peaks; it is not the same as correcting upstream gain or normalizing integrated loudness.
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Record and audition before leaving the stream unattended
- Record in OBS using the normal scene, playback route, filters, and mix.
- Listen through the start, loudest material, transitions, crossfades, alerts, and source changes you expect during the live broadcast.
- Check that the signal is clean at the earliest point you can monitor and that the final recording stays clean through peaks.
- Make a new test after changing source files, player volume, device or interface routing, scenes, filters, or encoding settings; each can alter the level reaching the output.
This listening check matters because a meter cannot tell you whether distortion was already baked into a source or introduced by a device before OBS. Do not leave a continuous stream unattended until the representative recording sounds clean end to end.
How to interpret OBS’s level figures
OBS’s technical page, dated 2022-02-13, identifies -20 dBFS as its Alignment Level and -9 dBFS as its Permitted Maximum Level. These are OBS meter conventions, not a required average loudness for radio music and not a YouTube live-stream loudness specification. The same page explains that safety margins account for uncertainty in the meter and signal chain.
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OBS also notes that some PPM readings, including its own, may understate peaks by 3 dB, while its peak-hold indicator retains the loudest reading for 20 seconds. Read the particular indicator in its intended context rather than treating every meter number as an exact output ceiling. Nothing in these OBS figures establishes a YouTube-mandated integrated loudness target.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common clipping problems and fixes
- The stream sounds distorted even though the OBS fader is low: Clipping may have happened earlier. Listen at the player or device output and each hardware or software stage; reduce gain at the first distorted point.
- The meter looks safe during quiet sections, but loud tracks crackle: Test the loudest material and watch the 20-second peak hold after peaks, transitions, IDs, and alerts. Adjust the gain feeding the overloaded stage.
- The limiter is enabled, but distortion remains: A limiter cannot undo clipping already present in the source or upstream equipment. Correct that earlier stage, then use the limiter last as a ceiling.
- Adding a filter changes the level after limiting: Check the filter order. Move the Limiter to the end of the chain so a later filter cannot raise the level beyond its ceiling.
- The raw input seems fine, but OBS processing sounds wrong: Compare the signal with source filters disabled, then re-enable them one at a time and listen through the full chain.
- A previous test was clean, but the stream now clips: Repeat the recording and listening test after any change to files, playback level, routing, scene, filters, or encoding.
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