Audio clipping
Also known as: clipped audio, audio distortion, peaking
Harsh distortion that happens when a sound is recorded or mixed louder than the maximum level, flattening the tops of the wave.
Updated
What it means
Every digital recording has a ceiling, 0 dBFS. When a sound is louder than that ceiling, the recorder cannot store the peaks, so it flattens them. The result is clipping: a crunchy, harsh distortion that is especially obvious on voices, impacts and music.
On a waveform, clipped audio looks like a shape with its tops cut off flat against the edge of the track. Clipping during recording is permanent, because the missing information was never captured. Clipping during mixing or export can be fixed by lowering the levels and exporting again, since the original data still exists.
How it works in practice
Leave headroom when recording. Set gain so normal speech peaks around minus 12 dBFS, which leaves room for unexpected shouts. Action sports are full of sudden loud sounds such as screams, impacts and engines.
Some recorders and wireless lavalier kits offer a safety track recorded a few decibels lower, so if the main track clips, the safety track can replace it.
In the mix, watch the master meter. When music, voices and effects stack, the combined peak can clip even if each track is fine on its own. A limiter on the master track catches peaks before export, as described under audio levels.
What to watch out for
Wind can clip a microphone even at moderate gain. Strong buffeting overloads small capsules, so a windscreen protects against clipping as well as rumble.
Declipping tools in audio software can soften mild clipping, but heavily clipped audio is beyond repair. Replace it with music or mute it, and keep the picture.
Do not normalize clipped audio upward. Making a distorted track louder makes the distortion more obvious. Turning gain down after recording does not remove clipping either; it only makes the distortion quieter. Fix it at the source next time with lower gain or a safety track.
How RawClip handles it
RawClip highlights come with music included and every cut synced to the beat, so a clipped camera track does not ruin the result. For spoken parts in other edits, record with sensible headroom.