Brickwall Limiter
Definition
A limiter configured to prevent any signal from exceeding a defined ceiling under any circumstances. Unlike a standard limiter, a brickwall limiter applies extreme, instant gain reduction to guarantee the output never exceeds the set maximum — at the cost of potential transient distortion at high settings.
In Simple Terms
A limiter that absolutely, unconditionally prevents audio from exceeding a set ceiling. Nothing gets through above that line — period. It's the last safety net in mastering before your file goes out to the world.
In Practice
A brickwall limiter set to -0.3 dBTP is the final processor in a mastering chain, ensuring the delivered file meets platform true peak requirements with absolute certainty.
Common Confusion
A "brickwall" guarantee is only as good as the limiter's true peak detection. A standard sample-peak brickwall limiter at 0.0 dBFS can still produce intersample peaks above 0 dBTP after lossy encoding. For streaming delivery, the brickwall must be a true-peak-aware limiter set below 0 dBTP — typically -1.0 dBTP for safety.
Sources & Verification
- ITU-R BS.1770-4 — Algorithms to measure audio programme loudness and true-peak audio levelInternational Telecommunication Union, 2015
- Nielsen, S. & Lund, T. — 0 dBFS+ Levels in Digital MasteringAES 117th Convention, 2003
Last verified: 2026-05-05