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Limit loud audio peaks in a video

Review loud peaks, preview protection, set the ceiling, then export.

How it works

ImportChoose source
EditSet the change
PreviewReview result
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InputMP4, WebM, MOV and M4V videoOutputMP4 or WebM video

MP4 · WebM · MOV · M4VChoose a videoCatch loud audio peaks.

One shout, one door slam or one clipped consonant is enough to distort an otherwise clean soundtrack, or to force you to keep the whole video quieter than it should be. A limiter sets a hard ceiling that nothing crosses. This tool finds the peaks in your audio, previews the protection, and exports a track that cannot overshoot.

A ceiling, not a tone control

A limiter is a compressor with an extreme ratio acting only at the top of the range: below the ceiling the audio passes through untouched, and above it nothing gets out. That is what makes it a safety device rather than a sound-shaping one. It should engage occasionally, on genuine peaks, not continuously — a limiter working all the time is doing a compressor’s job badly, flattening the material and adding audible pumping. If it is always active, lower the level going in or compress properly first.

Where to set the ceiling

Leaving about a decibel of headroom below the digital maximum is the usual practice, and there is a specific reason for it. Lossy encoding — the MP3 or AAC that your video will end up as — can produce reconstructed peaks slightly higher than the samples it was given, so audio limited exactly to the maximum can clip after encoding even though the file itself looked clean. A ceiling around −1 dB absorbs that, and platforms that re-encode your upload give you a second reason to keep the margin.

Questions, answered

What ceiling should I use?

About −1 dB below the maximum. Lossy encoding can push reconstructed peaks slightly above the original samples, and that margin stops the result clipping after conversion.

How is a limiter different from a compressor?

A compressor gradually reduces dynamic range across the whole track. A limiter acts only at the ceiling, letting everything below pass untouched and stopping anything above.

Can a limiter fix audio that is already distorted?

No. Clipping in the recording is permanent damage, and limiting afterwards only prevents new peaks. It cannot restore what was cut off.

My limiter is working constantly — is that a problem?

Yes. Continuous limiting flattens the audio and can pump audibly. Reduce the incoming level or use a compressor to control the dynamics, and let the limiter catch only occasional peaks.

When should I apply the limiter?

Last, after noise reduction, EQ, compression and normalising. It is the final safety stage before export.

Limit loud audio peaks in a video

A ceiling, not a tone control

Where to set the ceiling

Questions, answered

Useful next steps