Intersample peaks might sound like one of those technical nightmares you’d rather avoid, but they’ve become more relevant over the last couple of decades. Before the turn of the century, most people weren’t even aware of them. However, as music got louder and more compressed during the infamous loudness war, we started running into this problem more often.

Luckily, that era is slowly fading out, with streaming and modern broadcasting pushing for more dynamic music.

These days, we can enjoy tracks with a bit more breathing room, but it turns out 0 dBFS (the supposed ceiling in digital audio) isn’t always the true limit. Intersample peaks occur when the analog signal, after digital conversion, exceeds the digital maximum. Thankfully, many DAWs now include “true peak” metering and limiting to prevent this, and we’re seeing a return to more headroom, meaning fewer chances for intersample peaks.

The lesson? Digital audio doesn’t stop playing tricks once it’s converted to analog. There could be more issues like this that we’ve overlooked. In this blog, we’ll dive into what intersample peaks are and why they matter. But first, let’s go over a bit of how digital audio works!

Digital Audio Basics

We’ve come a long way since the olden days of analog, when everything was purely physical and continuous. Now we’re working in the digital realm, which, compared to the entire history of music production, is still kind of the new kid on the block.

While digital audio has given us a lot of benefits, such as multi-track production, easy edits, and endless plugins, the meters in our DAWs don’t always give us the full picture, especially when it comes to true peak levels.

In the digital world, there’s an absolute limit to how loud a sound can be, known as 0 dBFS . If a peak tries to go beyond that point, it gets ruthlessly chopped off in a process called digital clipping. This isn't the good kind of distortion you'd imagine - distortion, crackles, all the stuff you don’t want in your final mix.

The tricky part is, that while sound in the real world continues on and on, digital systems have to “measure” or sample that sound. They take snapshots of the analog sound (which is smooth and continuous) and convert it into digital data using a process called analog-to-digital conversion . This is where sample rate comes in, which defines how many times per second the sound is measured.

Once the DAW has enough samples, it pieces them together to recreate the sound, giving us a visual representation in the form of a waveform. That waveform, however, is made up of a bunch of sharp, thin peaks that don’t always reflect the smoothness of real sound. And if you push the volume too far, those peaks can lead to digital clipping, causing your track to sound harsh or distorted.

So, while digital gives us a ton of control, it also comes with some challenges, like making sure those intersample peaks don’t mess with our mix!

Why We Have Intersample Peaks

You might be thinking, “If we’ve got a digital ceiling, why should we worry about anything?” It seems like slapping on a limiter and cranking the volume to 0 dBFS should be the end of it, right? Well, the thing is that pushing your music right up to the ceiling might give you loudness, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better.

The real issue pops up when your digital signal needs to be converted back into analog. See, the analog-to-digital converter (A/D converter) in your system can only take snapshots of the sound at a fixed sample rate, meaning it’s measuring at specific points in time. It’s not continuous. So, while we’re capturing most of the audio signal, there’s always a chance that something spikes between those samples.

And here’s where it gets tricky: the digital domain doesn’t actually “see” what’s happening between those points. It’s just showing us a nice visualization based on the samples it’s collected. When the digital signal is converted back to analog, the curve between those samples gets reconstructed. That’s when those intersample peaks sneak in, creating peaks higher than what the digital signal originally showed.

In other words, those peaks might be lurking in the space between the snapshots, and when everything gets converted back to analog, the real-world signal can end up louder than you expected - pushing you past the supposed digital ceiling. That’s where the problem lies!

How We Can Avoid Intersample Peaks

So how do we avoid having inter-sample peaks occur? The best approach is to give your mix a bit of breathing room. Don’t push your audio recording to the absolute limit. Just leaving a little space for those inter-sample peaks to pop up without ruining your track can make all the difference. Even something as small as 0.2 dB of headroom can do wonders. Seriously, it’s that tiny margin that can save your mix from sounding distorted when it’s played back on different systems.

Thankfully, we have some excellent tools these days that can help you dial this in perfectly. Most limiters now offer true peak limiting, meaning they’re designed to catch inter-sample peaks before they become a problem.

Tools like FabFilter’s Pro-L2 , and Waves’ L2 Ultramaximizer have true peak meters and let you set a true peak ceiling and keep everything in check. So, when you set your limiter to -0.2 dB, it’s making sure even those hidden inter-sameple peaks don’t go rogue and cause distortion.

Now, you might be wondering: do I really need to worry about inter-sample peaks, and when do they actually become an issue? The answer depends on a few things.

If you’re mixing for high-quality systems, such as professional sound systems or hi-fi setups, these inter-sample peaks are less of a problem. High-end gear is better equipped to handle the conversion process between the digital domain and analog, so the chances of your mix breaking apart are lower.

The trouble starts when your music is played back on smaller, lower-quality devices , such as cheap earbuds, low-end car stereos, or your phone’s built-in speaker. These devices don’t handle conversion as smoothly, so inter-sample peaks can sound distorted.

You can have the same issue when your WAV or AIFF files get converted to lower-quality formats like MP3 or AAC . Compression algorithms in these formats can boost inter-sample peaks even more, and what started out as a minor peak in your high-quality mix can suddenly become a more obvious problem in the compressed version.

And here’s something else to think about: if your music is going to multiple destinations (like streaming services, radio, or different formats), there’s a higher chance that intersample peaks will cause trouble.

Each time your mix is converted for a new platform or format, it’s like playing telephone. The more steps in the process, the more likely the signal can degrade.

Final Thoughts

With all of that said, intersample peaks are not the end of the world. Many modern commercial mixes have them, and they’re still doing just fine.

So, while it’s worth having a good true peak meter and applying true peak limiting to keep each inter-sample peak in check, don’t lose sleep over it. With a little extra headroom and the right tools, you can keep your music sounding as it should.