Audio clipping tool detection and correction

[ClicK]

I want to request a tool and visualizer that can detect if audio is clipping and adjust preamp to the negative value that it needs to avoid it or just by checking the visualizer, adjust it manually when playing music for example.

This could be helpful to see how much headroom i have when trying to add more bass and avoid distortion. Just like the apo EQ with peace GUI on windows. 

The tool will be a different option than the limiter that only avoids clipping but don't adjust preamp and can't see by how much the audio is being clipped.

Edited June 9, 2023 by ClicK

[maxmp]

@ClicK currently there is a “prevent clipping” option already there (Limit), though yes, some indication may be useful. Thanks for the request.

[StickySli]

But this limit feature what does it do exactly? Is it like some maximum gain feature that sets the preamplification gain automatically without having to worry about it? Like, if my EQ is flat and i have 6dB bass boost, does this limit set the preamplifier to -6dB? If not, then I'd say this is a quite poor user interface and design. 

The way I would have designed this feature is by capping the maximum preamplifier gain at the EQ's  + tone control maximum peak gain. Like, the headroom gain would't even be necessary with this feature being properly implemented.

[andrewilley]

The Limiter simply detects when the user's chosen EQ settings, along with the live signal from the currently playing audio file, would cause the audio to peak so high it could cause clipping distortion. If that happens, which would generally be with content that has been encoded to peak at 100% digital maximum levels, the gain will be temporarily reduced to prevent over-saturation occurring. Internally during processing this is unlikely to occur (the EQ subsystem uses 64-bit floating point, which gives a huge headroom) but sooner or later the signal needs to be converted back down to regular modes for output, which is where the trouble could occur at specific loud points in certain tracks.   

To avoid the need to use a Limiter at all, it's a good idea to turn the Preamp value down a bit to compensate for any excessive Boosts you apply in the EQ system. At the end of the day it's up to the user to manage would they consider to be acceptable processing behaviour.

Also (in your music player software) the ReplayGain system is very helpful, as it is designed to target the output level for all songs to a considerably lower value than 100% digital maximum (the spec suggests -14dB) so even heavy EQ boosts are unlikely to cause oversaturation.

Andre