Digital Headroom, Digital Clipping & The Brickwall Peak Limiter
In integer digital audio (such as 16-bit or 24-bit fixed-point WAV files), 0 dBFS (Decibels relative to Full Scale) represents the absolute maximum voltage level that can be represented mathematically. Any audio sample boosted beyond 0 dBFS cannot be stored, causing the waveform peaks to be squared off (truncated) into harsh odd-harmonic distortion.
$$ ext{Gain}_{ ext{linear}} = 10^{ rac{\Delta ext{dB}}{20}}$$
Conversion between Decibel Gain boost and Linear Amplitude Multiplier
A boost of +6 dB doubles the linear sound pressure amplitude (\(200\%\)), while a boost of +20 dB amplifies the signal by 10 times (\(1000\%\)).
To prevent digital overs, our in-line DynamicsCompressorNode engages automatically as a brickwall peak limiter:
- Threshold: -0.5 dBFS (preserving a safety margin against streaming lossy encoding overs)
- Ratio: 20:1 (brickwall attenuation)
- Attack: 3 milliseconds (instant response catching fast percussion transients)
- Release: 80 milliseconds (smooth, transparent recovery without audible pumping)