Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Reconstruction filters can overshoot the highest stored value in a digital file. The figure is taken from iZotope, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Peaks between samples can exceed digital zero

Reconstruction filters can overshoot the highest stored value in a digital file A digital master can measure below zero decibels full scale sample by sample and still clip, because the curve rebuilt between samples overshoots. These intersample peaks reach converters and lossy encoders that decode the file. Mastering meters therefore oversample the signal to estimate true peak before a limiter is set. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

iZotope

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More facts like this

A vinyl side trades loudness for playing timeFitting more minutes on a disc means narrower grooves and a quieter cut Records got measurably louder and flatterHeavy compression raised average level while squashing peaks Mastering for vinyl cuts a physical grooveA lathe engraves a lacquer disc that is plated and pressed Streaming services turn loud masters downSpotify plays most tracks at about minus 14 LUFS, so a hotter master gains nothing The loudness war flattened CD masters for two decadesEngineers squeezed peaks with compressors so their records would sound louder Vinyl cutters fold deep bass into monoOut-of-phase low frequencies would throw the stylus out of the groove

Tags: mastering, digital, clipping

Peaks between samples can exceed digital zero: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Reconstruction filters can overshoot the highest stored value in a digital file. The figure is taken from iZotope, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.