How to Use OBS Limiter to Prevent Audio Clipping

Audio clipping can ruin a livestream by causing harsh, distorted sounds when your volume gets too loud. This guide provides a straightforward tutorial on how to configure the built-in Limiter filter in OBS Studio, ensuring your stream’s audio stays clear, professional, and safely below the critical 0dB threshold.

Step 1: Open the Filters Menu for Your Audio Source

1. Launch OBS Studio.
2. Locate the Audio Mixer dock (usually at the bottom center of the screen).
3. Find the audio source you want to limit (such as your Microphone or Desktop Audio).
4. Click the three vertical dots (or gear icon in older versions) next to that audio source and select Filters.

Step 2: Add the Limiter Filter

1. In the top-left corner of the Filters window, click the + (plus) icon at the bottom of the “Audio/Video Filters” pane.
2. Select Limiter from the dropdown list.
3. Give the filter a name (e.g., “Safety Limiter”) and click OK.

Step 3: Configure the Limiter Settings

You will see two primary sliders in the Limiter interface: Threshold and Release.

• Threshold: This is the maximum volume level the audio source is allowed to reach.
  • To guarantee your stream never clips, set this between -1.0 dB and -2.0 dB.
  • Note: While 0.0 dB is technically the absolute limit, setting the threshold to -1.0 dB or -2.0 dB provides a safety buffer. This prevents “intersample clipping,” which can occur when digital audio signals are converted back to analog on your viewers’ speakers or headphones.
• Release: This determines how quickly the filter stops compressing the audio after the volume drops back below your threshold.
  • Set this to 60 ms (the default setting). This duration is fast enough to restore your natural volume quickly, but slow enough to avoid audible “pumping” or distortion artifacts.

Step 4: Verify and Test

1. Close the Filters window.
2. Speak loudly or play a loud sound source through your mic.
3. Watch the green/yellow/red volume meter in the OBS Audio Mixer.
4. The colored bar should move dynamically, but it should physically stop and “flatten” at the threshold you set (e.g., -1.0 dB), never touching the absolute right end of the meter.