Audacity: Using Master Effects and Limiters

Demo summary

The demonstration shows how to apply a limiter to the master bus in Audacity to prevent clipping across all tracks simultaneously.

Apply a limiter to the master bus for pretty much any audio project you are working on
Use a limiter to ensure audio does not reach the 0 dB mark to avoid distortion

“before it's been much more difficult to do this, but now what we can do, we can add our limiter”

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8:101:04Copying smart clips between Audacity sessionsA demonstration of copying an audio segment from one project and pasting it into another as a 'smart clip' to retain editing flexibility.Audacity· AI Audio Editor
10:001:53Applying real-time effects in AudacityThe narrator shows how to add live, non-destructive effects like EQ, compression, and reverb to a track while monitoring the output and visual response.Audacity· AI Audio Editor
11:550:53Using Master Effects and LimitersCurrentThe demonstration shows how to apply a limiter to the master bus in Audacity to prevent clipping across all tracks simultaneously.Audacity· AI Mastering
12:521:00Time stretching and pitch shifting clipsThe narrator demonstrates using the Alt/Option key to drag the edge of a clip for time stretching and using keyboard shortcuts to shift pitch independently.Audacity· AI Audio Editor
13:550:30Switching timeline to beats and measuresA walkthrough of changing the timeline ruler from seconds to musical beats and measures and enabling the snap-to-grid feature.Audacity· AI Audio Editor
Watch “What's New In Audacity 2026 (Audacity Accelerator Update)” →

11:220:24Final normalization and ACX checkThe user performs a final normalization to -3 dB and runs the ACX Check plugin to verify that the peak, RMS, and noise floor meet professional standards.Master Editor
15:230:37Final normalization and ACX checkThe final step shows re-normalizing the audio to -3 dB and using the ACX Check tool to verify that the peak, RMS, and noise floor levels are within professional limits.Master Editor
11:550:53Using Master Effects and LimitersCurrentThe demonstration shows how to apply a limiter to the master bus in Audacity to prevent clipping across all tracks simultaneously.Joe at Claricast
20:032:17Use the Limiter effectA demonstration of applying the Limiter effect to smooth out loud spikes and increase the overall vibrancy of the audio.Dewi Jenkins
12:091:30Verify processed audio in AudacityThe processed file is dragged back into Audacity and re-analyzed with the ACX Check tool to confirm that all parameters (Peak, RMS, and Noise Floor) now pass.Mike Teaches Audacity