Why Your Mix Clips on Streaming Platforms

Diagnose and fix this common mixing problem — with specific, actionable steps.

True Peak vs. Sample Peak

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.

How Codecs Create Clipping

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.

Preventing Streaming Clipping

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.

Setting Up True Peak Limiting

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.