Definition
True Peak is a measurement of the absolute maximum amplitude of an audio signal, accounting for inter-sample peaks. While standard peak meters only measure the value of digital samples, True Peak reconstructs the analog waveform to detect peaks that occur between samples.
The “Inter-Sample” Problem
Digital audio is a series of “dots” (samples). A standard meter only reads the dots. If your meter shows 0.0 dBFS, the actual analog curve between those dots may be peaking at +1.0 or +2.0 dB.
When streaming platforms (Spotify, YouTube) convert your WAV file into a lossy format like MP3 or OGG, the conversion process often results in clipping and digital distortion if these hidden peaks aren’t managed. This sounds like a harsh “fuzz” in the high frequencies of your master.
Technical Fixes
- Safety Ceiling: Set your mastering limiter output ceiling to -1.0 dBTP. This provides the necessary “headroom” for lossy encoding.
- Oversampling: Use a limiter with at least 4x oversampling to increase the accuracy of the True Peak detection during the mixing process.
- Genre Adjustment: If targeting high loudness (above -9 LUFS), consider a lower ceiling of -2.0 dBTP, as high-energy signals are more prone to inter-sample artifacts.
Stop hidden clipping. > Your standard DAW meter might be lying to you. Drop your track into the CheckMyMix Analyzer to detect True Peak overs and ensure your master survives the trip to streaming platforms cleanly.
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