True Peak: Is –1 dBTP Really Important?
Delivering masters at –1 dBTP has become a common recommendation for streaming platforms.
In some cases, platforms even suggest –2 dBTP for very loud masters.
But why does this margin matter — especially when many releases are still delivered peaking at 0 dBFS?
Sample Peak vs True Peak: A Common Misunderstanding
A master peaking at 0 dBFS isn’t necessarily safe.
Due to intersample peaks, the reconstructed analog waveform can exceed 0 dBFS — and therefore 0 dBTP — even when the digital samples themselves do not clip.
In other words:
Many masters hitting 0 dBFS are already technically clipping… even before encoding.
Lossless Playback: Usually Not a Major Issue
In WAV or FLAC playback, this rarely causes audible problems:
Modern DACs handle intersample peaks well
Audible clipping in lossless playback is uncommon
So this isn’t where the main risk lies.
The Real Problem: Lossy Encoding
The real issue begins with lossy codecs, such as:
AAC
Ogg Vorbis
MP3
Streaming platforms transcode your master into these formats.
During encoding, the codec reconstructs the signal, which can:
Create new intersample peaks
Generate peaks higher than the source
With a 0 dBFS master, this increases the risk of:
Added distortion
Harshness
Reduced punch
Loss of clarity
A clean master can end up sounding worse after upload.
Loudness War vs Best Practices
So why are many masters still delivered at 0 dBTP?
👉 The loudness war.
Every 0.1 dB can feel competitive, so limiters often get pushed to the edge — sometimes at the expense of streaming translation.
My Delivery Approach
To balance quality and real-world use cases:
🎧 –1 dBFS / –1 dBTP → Streaming platforms
💿 0 dBFS → CD & DJs (e.g., Beatport, which doesn’t normalize)
Conclusion
Yes — the audible difference between a lossy encode from a –1 dBFS source vs 0 dBFS is often subtle.
But mastering is a craft of subtlety.
And ensuring a master translates optimally across all playback platforms is a core part of the mastering engineer’s role.
Si tu veux, je peux te le formatter en HTML WordPress direct (copier-coller prêt à publier).