This causes the relative differences in amplitude between different parts of the signal not being what they should be.Ĭlipping in the original file or when applying an overall target dB level most often occurs because of the DSP engineering techniques applied to the file. For example in a system using 16-bit signed integers, 32767 is the largest positive value that can be represented, and if during processing the amplitude of the signal is doubled, sample values of, for instance, 32000 should become 64000, but instead they are truncated to the maximum, 32767. In digital signal processing, clipping occurs when the signal is restricted by the range of a chosen representation for the signal. Along with distortion, clipping can damage a speaker's tweeter (the part that plays high frequencies) via overheating. Analog clipping is a form of waveform distortion that occurs when an amplifier is over-driven and attempts to deliver an output voltage or current beyond its maximum capability. To prevent clipping when applying an overall target dB level for the standard loudness, it's best to use a relatively low level than a high one. Music players, that support it, can use this "replay gain" information to automatically nudge the volume up or down as required. Link below to an article on the "Loudness War".Ī random play through a music collection can have significant volume changes with every other track played! Tired of manually adjusting volume while listening to a playlist? There is a solution to this annoyance: within each audio file, information can be stored about what volume change would be required to play each track or album at a standard loudness. Volume differences between songs have always existed, but digital mastering has taken this to new heights. Therefore, the loudness of a given album has more to do with the year of issue or the whim of the producer than anything else. This is because once this peak amplitude is reached, perceived loudness can be further increased through signal-processing techniques such as dynamic range compression and equalization. (Keeping your songs playing at close to the same overall volume)Īlthough music is encoded to a digital format with a clearly defined maximum peak amplitude, and although most recordings are normalized to utilize this peak amplitude, not all recordings sound equally loud.