Diagnose and fix this common mixing problem — with specific, actionable steps.
Most clipping advice is theory. Here is what the measurements actually look like. Across 66 distinct finished mixes uploaded by real users to MixDiagnose, deduplicated by content and read from our analysis database:
A large share of the finished mixes we measure sit within 0.3 dB of full scale. That is the exact condition that produces clipping on streaming even when your DAW meter never went red — and it is not a beginner mistake. These are finished mixes, sent by people who cared enough to have them measured.
The number nobody warns you about is the loudness column: the median upload measures −13.52 LUFS, about −0.5 dB below the −14 LUFS that streaming platforms normalize to. So the typical problem is not a mix that is too loud. It is a mix that is pinned at the top of the scale and quiet in average loudness at the same time — which is what happens when a limiter is doing work the mix should have done in the arrangement and gain staging.
Note the last figure honestly: of the 66 mixes we have measured, 3% exceeded 0 dBFS on the sample peak, and the rest are close enough that a codec's inter-sample peaks push them over.
Sample: 66 mixes from 25 users — small, and stated as such. Figures are regenerated from the database by scripts/corpus_stats.py, never typed by hand.
Your mix might show 0 dBFS on your DAW's peak meter and seem fine — but it's still clipping on streaming platforms. This happens because of inter-sample peaks. When a digital audio signal is converted back to analog or re-encoded to a lossy format (AAC, Ogg Vorbis), the reconstruction process can produce peaks between samples that exceed 0 dBFS. Your sample peak meter doesn't see these, but the listener hears them as distortion.
True peak meters measure inter-sample peaks by oversampling the signal and reconstructing the analog waveform. A true peak meter might show +0.5 dBTP or +1 dBTP even when your sample peak meter shows 0 dBFS. This is why streaming platforms specify true peak limits: Spotify recommends -1 dBTP, Apple Music requires -1 dBTP, and YouTube recommends -1 dBTP. If your true peak exceeds these, the platform may attenuate or clip your audio.
Lossy encoding (AAC, Ogg Vorbis, Opus) alters the audio signal to reduce data. This process can change peak levels — a signal that peaks at -0.3 dBFS before encoding might peak at +0.5 dBTP after encoding. The codec doesn't know about your headroom; it just processes the signal, and peaks can shift upward. If you've left no headroom, those shifted peaks clip.
This is why mastering engineers recommend -1 dBTP as the absolute ceiling. This 1 dB of headroom gives the codec room to operate without creating inter-sample peaks that clip. If your mix peaks at exactly -0.1 dBFS with no true peak headroom, you're virtually guaranteed clipping on at least one streaming platform.
Use a true peak limiter on your master bus (or have your mastering engineer do this). Set the ceiling to -1.0 dBTP or lower. This ensures that even after codec encoding, no inter-sample peaks exceed 0 dBFS. A true peak limiter uses oversampling to detect and limit inter-sample peaks, not just sample peaks.
If you're mixing (not mastering), ensure your mix peaks no higher than -3 dBFS. This gives the mastering engineer plenty of headroom to apply true peak limiting. If your mix peaks at 0 dBFS, you've already limited it and introduced potential inter-sample peaks. Use a LUFS checker or true peak meter to verify your levels. MixDiagnose analyzes your true peak, sample peak, and headroom to tell you if your mix will clip on streaming platforms.
True peak limiting is the final safety net. On your master bus, place a true peak limiter as the last plugin in the chain. Set the output ceiling to -1.0 dBTP. This ensures that no inter-sample peak exceeds -1 dBTP, giving codecs 1 dB of headroom to work with. The limiter should be transparent — if you're hearing it work, you're pushing too hard.
If you're not mastering your own mix, ensure your mix peaks no higher than -3 dBFS and has no true peak issues. The mastering engineer will apply true peak limiting. But if your mix already has inter-sample peaks above 0 dBTP (which can happen even if sample peaks are below 0 dBFS), those peaks are already distorting. Use a true peak meter to check. MixDiagnose reports both sample peak and true peak so you can verify your mix is clean.
Why does my mix clip on Spotify when it doesn't clip in my DAW?
Because your DAW shows sample peak and Spotify checks true peak. Inter-sample peaks occur between your samples — the DAW meter literally cannot see them. When Spotify re-encodes to Ogg Vorbis, the reconstructed waveform can exceed 0 dBFS even when every sample in your file sits below it. That excess is what you hear as clipping.
What true peak level should I master to?
−1.0 dBTP is the safe ceiling for every major platform. Spotify recommends −1 dBTP, Apple Music requires it, and YouTube recommends it. Moving your limiter ceiling from 0 dBFS to −1.0 dBTP is the single change that prevents codec-induced clipping.
How common is clipping in finished mixes?
Measured on the sample peak, none of the 66 distinct finished mixes uploaded to MixDiagnose exceeded 0 dBFS — but 18 of them (27%) measure exactly 0.0 dBFS, pinned to the digital ceiling with zero headroom. That distinction matters: sample peak cannot see inter-sample peaks, so a mix sitting on the ceiling looks clean in every DAW meter and still clips on a lossy codec. And 41% sat within 0.3 dB of full scale. The median upload also measured −13.52 LUFS, about −0.5 dB below the streaming normalization target: pinned at the top of the scale while quiet on average, which is the signature of a limiter doing the mix's job.
Does a limiter at 0 dBFS prevent streaming clipping?
No. Limiting to 0 dBFS controls sample peaks but does nothing about inter-sample peaks, which is what actually clips on streaming. The limiter must oversample to catch peaks that fall between samples.
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