happytails.ai

Audio limiter

Open Audio limiter on Happytails.ai. This view has the same page content and links, with explicit tool capabilities. Read the processing notes before using a tool.

Tool capabilities

{
  "id": "audio-limiter",
  "category": "media-tools",
  "built": true,
  "requirements": "One recording up to 256 MiB and 5 minutes, because true peak limiting is heavy for a browser; ceiling -20 to 0 dB, look-ahead 0.1 to 20 ms, release 1 to 1,000 ms. WAV is read with every sample intact; other formats are decoded by your browser at 48 kHz. Everything is processed on your device and nothing is uploaded. Download: WAV in the source format or the format you choose, a JSON report and a CSV of limited ranges.",
  "implementation": {
    "fields": [
      {
        "key": "ceiling",
        "label": "Ceiling (dB)",
        "value": "-1",
        "type": "number",
        "min": -20,
        "max": 0,
        "step": 0.1
      },
      {
        "key": "mode",
        "label": "Peak mode",
        "value": "true",
        "type": "select",
        "values": [
          "true",
          "sample"
        ],
        "labels": {
          "true": "Estimated true peak",
          "sample": "Sample peak"
        }
      },
      {
        "key": "lookahead",
        "label": "Look-ahead (ms)",
        "value": "5",
        "type": "number",
        "min": 0.1,
        "max": 20,
        "step": 0.1
      },
      {
        "key": "release",
        "label": "Release (ms)",
        "value": "80",
        "type": "number",
        "min": 1,
        "max": 1000,
        "step": 1
      },
      {
        "key": "encoding",
        "label": "WAV sample format",
        "value": "match",
        "type": "select",
        "values": [
          "match",
          "pcm16",
          "pcm24",
          "float32"
        ],
        "labels": {
          "match": "Same as source",
          "pcm16": "16-bit PCM",
          "pcm24": "24-bit PCM",
          "float32": "32-bit float"
        }
      }
    ],
    "registrationFamily": "audio-dsp-dynamics-filters",
    "presentation": "metrics",
    "files": true,
    "accept": ".wav,.mp3,.m4a,.aac,.flac,.ogg,.oga,.opus,.webm,audio/*",
    "maxFileBytes": 268435456,
    "input": false,
    "inputErrorCode": "AUDIO_DSP_DYNAMICS_FILTERS_TOO_LONG",
    "note": "Runs locally in your browser. Limits one recording up to 5 minutes and 256 MiB.",
    "experience": {
      "automatic": false,
      "single": false,
      "inputMaxLength": 1000000,
      "inputMode": "text",
      "label": "Audio file",
      "placeholder": "Choose a recording",
      "help": "The limiter lowers gain around peaks, with look-ahead and release to smooth the changes. Up to 1,000,000 characters. Review the settings before running.",
      "helpParts": [
        "The limiter lowers gain around peaks, with look-ahead and release to smooth the changes.",
        "Up to 1,000,000 characters.",
        "Review the settings before running."
      ],
      "action": null
    },
    "mode": "explicit",
    "interactive": false
  },
  "execution": "Browser interface",
  "api": null,
  "browser_agent": {
    "supported": true,
    "name": "run_current_tool",
    "discovery": "WebMCP on the human page in a supporting browser",
    "verification": "See audit/API-AUDIT.md; availability is not verification"
  }
}

Page guide

Control recording peaks with a sample-peak or estimated true-peak ceiling, and see where limiting was applied.

How to use Audio limiter
  1. Choose the recording to limit.
  2. Set the ceiling and choose true peak or sample peak mode.
  3. Adjust the look-ahead and release if needed.
  4. Limit, check the limited ranges and download the WAV.

Useful next steps

One recording up to 256 MiB and 5 minutes, because true peak limiting is heavy for a browser; ceiling -20 to 0 dB, look-ahead 0.1 to 20 ms, release 1 to 1,000 ms. WAV is read with every sample intact; other formats are decoded by your browser at 48 kHz. Everything is processed on your device and nothing is uploaded. Download: WAV in the source format or the format you choose, a JSON report and a CSV of limited ranges.

How it works

The limiter looks ahead by the look-ahead time, finds the gain each peak needs to stay under the ceiling and lowers the level smoothly before it arrives. The gain never rises above what a peak requires, and it recovers over the release time. In true peak mode, peak detection uses 4 times oversampling below 96 kHz, 2 times from 96 kHz to below 192 kHz, and the original samples at 192 kHz. The limiter checks the result in up to three passes.

Settings

A ceiling of -1 dB in true peak mode suits most streaming and podcast delivery. Short look-ahead and release keep transients but can distort low notes; longer values sound smoother.

Reading the result

The report gives the largest reduction, the number of limited samples and ranges, and the loudness and peaks after limiting. The CSV lists every limited range in seconds.