True Peak

A standard peak meter only reads the value of each digital sample, but the smooth analog waveform reconstructed from those samples can rise higher in the gaps between them — these are called inter-sample peaks. True-peak metering predicts them by oversampling the signal and reports the actual maximum level, measured in dBTP (decibels true peak). This matters because a master that looks safe on a sample meter can still overshoot when converted to analog or encoded to a lossy format like MP3 or AAC, causing audible distortion on playback. Mastering engineers set a true-peak ceiling with a limiter and leave a small margin below it, so the encoded and converted signal stays clean across every device and streaming codec.