To stop clipping, reduce the signal at the first point where it overloads, then add an OBS limiter as the last audio filter to catch remaining peaks. A limiter cannot repair distortion that has already happened upstream. Test the loudest thunder passage in OBS and in a recording before leaving the stream unattended.
Find where the clipping starts
Clipping occurs when a digital signal exceeds 0 dBFS, the maximum representable full-scale level. OBS notes that its internal floating-point processing can exceed 0 dBFS internally, but the final stream or recording still needs to remain below that limit to avoid clipping distortion. See the OBS Project’s audio mixer documentation.
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- Identify the audio source. In OBS, find the mixer channel carrying the thunder and rain loop. Play the loudest storm passage and watch its meter. The peak-hold marker retains the highest reading for 20 seconds, so you can check the peak after the transient passes.
- Listen before OBS. Monitor the source or device output, if available. If the thunder already sounds distorted there, the problem is upstream of OBS. OBS recommends checking the audio at its source and again through OBS monitoring; see Monitoring Audio.
- Lower the earliest overloaded stage. Depending on the setup, adjust the file or player level, interface or mixer gain, operating-system level, or application level. Then listen and watch the signal as it reaches OBS. Pulling down an OBS fader later in the chain will make an already-clipped input quieter, but it will not restore its waveform.
- Check the OBS output and recording. Once the upstream signal is clean, verify that the final OBS signal stays below 0 dBFS. The OBS meter documentation gives -9 dBFS as the permitted maximum reference for its sample peak meter, allowing for meter and alignment uncertainty. Treat that as a meter reference, not an average-loudness target.
Your exact gain adjustment depends on where the overload begins; without knowing the file level, player, device and routing, there is no single safe gain value for every storm recording.
Set up an OBS limiter for thunder peaks
Once the input is clean, a limiter can catch brief peaks that remain. OBS says the limiter prevents peaks above 0 dB and should be the last filter in the chain. Its documented default threshold is -6 dB and its default release is 60 ms; these are starting values to evaluate, not guaranteed settings for every recording. See the OBS Project’s Limiter Filter documentation.
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- In OBS, open the audio source’s filter controls from the mixer and add a Limiter filter.
- Place the limiter last in that source’s filter chain, after any other filters that affect the signal.
- Begin by evaluating the documented -6 dB threshold and 60 ms release defaults against the loudest thunder passage. Listen for flattened thunder transients, pumping, or other unwanted changes and adjust using the actual recording.
- Record a representative passage and listen back. Meter readings alone do not establish that the result sounds natural or that the delivered recording is clean.
A limiter only catches peaks reaching it. If the audio was distorted by a player, interface or other earlier stage, correct that stage first.
When to use compression or an expander
Compression is optional for ambient rain and thunder. It reduces signal above a threshold and can control broader loudness swings, but aggressive compression can flatten the thunder dynamics that make a storm sound natural. OBS’s documented compressor defaults include a -18.00 dB threshold, 6 ms attack and 60 ms release; these are filter defaults, not recommended storm-audio targets. The OBS Compressor Filter documentation describes its controls.
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If you use compression, place it near the beginning of the chain and compare the sound with the compressor bypassed. Keep it only if it helps the overall dynamics without making the loud passages feel unnaturally restrained.
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An expander can reduce low-level unwanted computer noise, but it does not fix clipping. OBS places it after compression and other effects, and before the limiter. Set its threshold carefully: a high threshold can attenuate quiet, wanted rain. See the OBS Project’s Expander Filter documentation.
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| Control | Use it for | Placement and limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Source or device gain | Prevent overload where it begins. | Adjust early. A later level reduction cannot repair distortion already introduced. |
| Compressor | Control broader loudness changes above a threshold. | Usually near the beginning of the chain. Too much compression can flatten thunder. |
| Expander | Reduce low-level unwanted noise. | After compression and other effects, before the limiter. A mis-set threshold can suppress quiet rain. |
| Limiter | Catch brief remaining peaks. | Last in the filter chain. It cannot undo upstream clipping. |
Verify the stream before leaving it unattended
Make a representative OBS recording and listen to the loudest thunder, not just the quieter sections. Compare it with the source so you can hear whether the processing has introduced distortion or flattened the transients. OBS’s guidance on audio monitoring recommends checking at the source and through OBS, then reviewing a recorded session before going live.
- Repeat the test after replacing the loop, changing gain or filters, or rerouting audio.
- Use headphones if they help you hear the monitored signal or inspect the recording. They are a diagnostic aid, not a clipping fix.
- Do not treat a meter reading or limiter as a substitute for listening to the delivered recording.
Troubleshooting common clipping problems
The source sounds distorted before it reaches OBS
Reduce the level at the player, file playback, interface, mixer, operating system or application stage responsible for the overload. Then listen again at the OBS input. Lowering only a later OBS fader cannot remove distortion already present.
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The OBS meter reaches its peak during thunder
Watch the peak-hold marker while the loudest passage plays, then lower the earliest stage that is too hot. Add or adjust the limiter at the end of the filter chain to catch residual peaks, and verify the result in a recording.
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The limiter or compressor may be acting too heavily. Revisit the actual loudest passage, compare with filters bypassed, and adjust or remove compression if it is reducing the storm’s natural dynamics. Do not use a limiter to conceal an upstream overload.
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Quiet rain disappears after adding an expander
The expander threshold may be too high for the wanted rain level. Lower or remove the expander, then check the quietest wanted sections as well as the loudest thunder.
The meter looks safe, but the recording still sounds wrong
Listen to the recording itself and check the signal at earlier points in the chain. A final meter cannot tell you whether a source was already distorted before reaching OBS.
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