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To stop clipping on a radio stream, find the first stage that is overloading—such as the automation player, mixer, audio interface, or OBS—and lower its gain. In OBS, watch the source and final-mix meters during the loudest representative audio, then add the Limiter filter last in the chain as a safety ceiling. Test the full path before going live: YouTube’s codec and bitrate settings affect delivery, but they cannot repair distortion already baked into the audio.
What clipping is—and where to look for it
Digital clipping happens when audio exceeds the system’s maximum level, 0 dBFS. The result can sound harsh, crackly, or flattened. OBS says streamed and recorded audio should remain below 0 dBFS to avoid clipping distortion; the important diagnostic is to find the earliest point where the signal becomes excessive, rather than relying only on the final stream meter. See the OBS Audio Mixer Technical Details.
A signal clipped by a radio player, mixer, interface, or earlier software stage stays distorted even if a later fader turns it down. Correct gain upstream first, then use OBS processing to control the stream mix.
Lower gain at the first overloaded stage
- Play representative material. Include the loudest music, station IDs, transitions, and any live microphone segments. A quiet song alone is not a sufficient test.
- Check the radio source and mixer. Watch the automation or player output, mixer channel levels, and master output. Reduce the gain at the earliest device or stage that is already overloading. OBS identifies physical mixer controls and audio-interface configuration as upstream places to set levels.
- Check the interface input. If the mixer or player feeds an audio interface, inspect its input level while the loud material plays. Lower input gain there if the interface is being driven too hard.
- Inspect OBS source meters and the final mix. Watch the relevant source meter as well as the overall mix. Check whether filters or faders are adding excessive gain. OBS notes that its input-level indicator is after filters, so temporarily disabling filters can help you inspect the incoming level; consult the OBS meter guidance.
- Repeat after each adjustment. Use the same loud segment and confirm that the signal remains below the digital ceiling throughout the chain.
Do not treat a meter reading just below the ceiling as generous headroom. OBS notes that its PPM may indicate a peak 3 dB higher than the displayed reading, so leave margin rather than aiming as close as possible to 0 dBFS.
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Add OBS’s Limiter as a final safety net
In OBS, open the audio source’s Filters, add a Limiter, and place it last in that source’s filter chain. The limiter is designed to prevent peaks above its threshold from causing clipping and distortion. OBS documents a default threshold of -6.00 dB and a release of 60 ms. Those are software defaults, not a universal radio loudness target. See the OBS Limiter Filter documentation.
A lower threshold can provide more peak margin, but if the limiter is triggered frequently it may make the audio sound squeezed or uneven. If it is working constantly, reduce gain earlier in the chain instead. A limiter cannot undo clipping that has already happened in hardware or earlier software.
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Preflight the complete stream path
- Use the real routing and similar program material. Test the same player, mixer, interface, OBS sources, filters, and output you plan to use live.
- Listen to the encoder output. Check OBS’s output and, if available, a local recording or archive. If both are distorted, trace source routing and gain through the chain.
- Compare with playback. If the local or encoder audio sounds clean but the YouTube playback does not, investigate the outbound connection and platform path rather than immediately lowering every source.
- Monitor during the broadcast. Keep an operator watching stream health and listening, especially at transitions and the loudest segments. YouTube recommends representative pretests and ongoing monitoring in its live encoder guidance and streaming tips.
Set YouTube audio delivery options separately
For stereo audio using YouTube’s documented RTMP/RTMPS live encoder guidance, use a supported codec, a 44.1 kHz sample rate, and a 128 Kbps audio bitrate. YouTube lists AAC or MP3 as supported codecs. These are delivery and compatibility settings, not clipping controls: changing bitrate or sample rate does not restore audio already distorted by excessive gain. Check YouTube’s current encoder settings guidance when configuring your encoder.
Troubleshoot persistent distortion
- Distortion is present in the player or mixer output: reduce gain at that source or stage before it reaches the next device.
- The source is clean, but the interface input distorts: lower the interface input gain and retest the loudest material.
- Individual OBS sources are clean, but the mix distorts: check source faders, filters, and the combined mix. Keep the Limiter last in its filter chain and avoid relying on frequent limiting.
- OBS output or a local archive is already distorted: trace the routed audio sources and encoder output, then retest the full signal path. YouTube’s live-stream troubleshooting guide advises checking the encoder output or archive when investigating poor stream sound.
- Local and encoder audio sound clean, but YouTube playback does not: investigate the outbound connection and platform path, and check stream health rather than assuming the source gain is the cause.
- The problem appears only on loud songs, IDs, or microphone segments: use those exact passages for testing and adjust the earliest stage that overloads; an average level can conceal brief peaks.
A hardware compressor or limiter can provide peak control before audio reaches the computer when a station specifically needs it, but it is optional. The documented sources do not establish that an extra processor is necessary or identify a model to recommend. It also cannot repair clipping that happened earlier in the chain.
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