Your recording sounds distorted. The audio is crunchy, harsh, or outright painful to listen to. When you open the file in an editor, the waveform peaks are chopped flat instead of rounded. This is clipping — and it happens when the audio signal is louder than what your recording equipment can handle.
Clipping is one of the most common audio problems, and in most cases it is entirely preventable. This guide covers what causes it, how to stop it before it happens, and what you can do to salvage a recording that already has clipping damage.
What Clipping Looks Like
Open a clipped recording in a waveform editor like Audacity. Instead of smooth, rounded peaks and valleys, you will see flat tops and flat bottoms — the waveform hits the maximum level and stays there, as if someone took a pair of scissors to every peak.
A good way to think about it: normal audio looks like rolling hills. Clipped audio looks like a brick wall. The louder the original signal, the more of the waveform gets shaved off, and the worse the distortion sounds.
What Causes Clipping
Clipping occurs when the audio signal exceeds the maximum level your recording device can capture. Several things can push a signal past that limit:
Input level too high. The microphone or line input volume on your computer is turned up higher than the incoming signal requires. This is the most common cause.
Source too loud. The phone volume is set too high, or the audio source is outputting a strong line-level signal into a sensitive mic-level input. Hardware adapters like RECAP S2 output line-level audio, which is significantly hotter than what a typical mic input expects.
Microphone Boost enabled. Many computers have a Microphone Boost setting that adds extra gain on top of the input volume. This can push an otherwise acceptable signal well over the limit.
Multiple gain stages. Every device in the audio chain — the phone, the adapter, the computer — can add its own gain. These compound. A signal that is slightly hot at one stage becomes severely clipped after passing through two or three stages of amplification.
How to Prevent Clipping Before Recording
Prevention is always more effective than repair. A few adjustments before you hit record will save you from dealing with damaged audio later.
Lower the input volume on your computer. This is the single most effective fix. Open your system’s sound settings and reduce the recording input level. For a detailed walkthrough, see our microphone volume guide.
Disable Microphone Boost. On Windows, go to Sound settings, open the Recording tab, right-click your input device, select Properties, then go to the Levels tab. If Microphone Boost is enabled, set it to 0 dB.
Lower the phone volume slightly. If the audio source itself is too loud, reducing the volume at the source is the cleanest fix.
If using RECAP S2: The adapter outputs clean line-level audio, which is hotter than mic-level. Start with your computer’s input volume at 40-50% and adjust from there. For full setup instructions, see our computer recording guide.
Do a test recording. Before an important call, make a short test call and check the levels. Look at the waveform — if the peaks are hitting the top, lower the input. Aim for peaks around -6 dB, which gives you headroom without sacrificing quality. Adjust and repeat until the levels look clean.
How to Fix Clipping After Recording
If you already have a clipped recording, there are tools that can help — but set your expectations appropriately. Mild clipping can be improved. Severe clipping causes permanent data loss that no software can fully reverse.
Clip Fix (Audacity)
Go to Effect > Clip Fix. This effect examines the flat-topped peaks and interpolates what the original waveform probably looked like, reconstructing the missing curve. It works best on recordings with mild, occasional clipping.
Recommended settings: set the threshold to around 95% of maximum amplitude, and reduce the amplitude slightly to leave room for the restored peaks. Preview the result before applying — if the audio still sounds harsh, the clipping may be too severe for this approach.
Limiter for Future Recordings (Audacity)
While not a fix for existing clipping, applying a limiter during recording or as a post-processing step prevents future clipping. Go to Effect > Limiter, set it to “hard limit” at -1 dB. This catches peaks just before they hit the ceiling and holds them below the clipping threshold.
The Honest Truth About Severe Clipping
When peaks are flat-lined for extended stretches, the original audio data is gone. Software can guess at what was there, but the result is an approximation at best. If the recording is critical, professional audio restoration services may be able to improve it marginally, but even they cannot recreate data that was never captured. The takeaway: always get the levels right before you record.
Clipping vs. Other Distortion
Not all audio problems are clipping. Here is how to tell the difference:
Crackling or popping is usually caused by buffer underruns, a bad cable, or an incompatible audio device. The waveform will show sharp spikes rather than flat-topped peaks. This is a hardware or driver issue, not a level issue.
Muffled or underwater sound typically indicates a sample rate mismatch or the wrong input device being selected. Check that your recording software is using the correct input and that the sample rate matches your device’s settings.
Constant buzz or hum points to electrical interference or a ground loop. This shows up as a steady wave pattern overlaid on your audio, usually at 50 Hz or 60 Hz. It is unrelated to signal level.
If you are unsure which problem you are dealing with, see our software guide for recording setup recommendations that help avoid all of these issues.
Tips for RECAP S2 Users
RECAP S2 outputs clean, consistent line-level audio. If you hear clipping in your recordings, the issue is almost always on the computer side — the input gain is set too high for a line-level signal.
Start with your computer’s input volume at 40-50%. Make a test call and check the waveform. Adjust until the peaks sit around -6 dB — loud enough to be clear, with enough headroom to avoid clipping on louder moments.
If your computer only has a mic input and no dedicated line input, the signal may be too hot even at the lowest volume setting. In this case, a USB audio adapter with a line-level input will solve the problem cleanly. See our adapter guide for tested recommendations.
FAQ
Can I fix badly clipped audio? Mildly clipped audio can be improved with tools like Audacity’s Clip Fix effect, which estimates and reconstructs the missing peaks. Severely clipped audio — where the waveform is flat-lined for long stretches — is permanently damaged. The original data was never captured, so no software can fully restore it.
Is clipping the same as peaking? No. Peaking means the signal is approaching maximum level. Clipping means it exceeded the maximum and was cut off. A signal can peak without clipping, and brief peaks near 0 dB are normal. Clipping is what happens when the signal tries to go beyond what the system can represent — that is when distortion occurs.