True Peak

True peak is the real maximum level of an audio waveform including the peaks that occur between digital samples, measured in dBTP (decibels true peak). Standard sample peak meters only read values at sample points, so a signal can read just under 0 dBFS yet overshoot when reconstructed for playback, causing distortion in converters or after lossy encoding. True-peak metering oversamples to catch those inter-sample peaks. For delivery this matters because broadcast and streaming specs set a true-peak ceiling, commonly minus 1 dBTP, alongside their LUFS loudness target. A mixer uses a true-peak limiter on the master so the program meets both the loudness number and stays under the dBTP ceiling, ensuring it will not clip once it is encoded to AAC or MP3 and played back on consumer devices.