- Limiting
Limiting: Any process by which a specified characteristic (usually amplitude) of the
output of a device is prevented from exceeding a predetermined value.Limiting can refer to non-linear
clipping , in which a signal is passed through normally but "sheared off" when it would normally exceed a certain threshold. It can also refer to a type of variable-gainaudio level compression , in which the gain of an amplifier is changed very quickly to prevent the signal from going over a certain amplitude.*"Hard limiting" ("clipping") is a limiting action in which there is
**(a) over the permitteddynamic range , negligible variation in the expected characteristic of the output signal, and
**(b) a steady-state signal, at the maximum permitted level, for the duration of each period when the output would otherwise be required to exceed the permitted dynamic range in order to correspond to thetransfer function of the device.
*"Soft limiting" is limiting in which the transfer function of a device is a function of its instantaneous or integrated output level. The outputwaveform is therefore distorted, but not clipped.See also
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Limiter
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