Two common causes of audio distortion in live streams and how can they be prevented?

• A. Background noise from HVAC.
• B. Peaking from high input levels and poor gain staging; prevent with proper gain staging, compression, and limiting.
• C. Distortion is caused by the internet speed only.
• D. You should always record at low volume to avoid distortion.

Answer: (B)

Distortion in live streams typically comes from driving the audio signal too hot and from poor gain staging across the chain. When input levels are too high, the waveform clips at the ceiling, producing harsh, obvious distortion. Proper gain staging means setting levels at each stage (mic/DI, interface, mixer, and encoder) so the signal stays in a healthy range with sufficient headroom, not peaking into red.

To prevent this, use a compressor to tame dynamic swings so loud parts don’t slam the input, and apply a limiter to cap any unexpected peaks before they hit the conversion process. Monitoring meters and listening checks help you keep peaks well below the clipping point, maintaining clean, transparent audio.

Other options miss the mechanism: background HVAC noise adds unwanted noise but isn’t the same as clipping distortion; internet speed affects connection stability and stream quality, not the waveform distortion; recording at low volume won’t prevent distortion and can degrade overall clarity.