Let's be clear. Are you saying that it's possible to clip the converters and then remedy the situation with a limiter plugin? I ask because that's what it looks like you're saying in the below post, responding to a comment about setting recording levels.
If you're reading those peaks on a meter that's downstream of a limiter plugin, you don't know if the hardware is clipping.
and you cannot say it is
Which doesn't mean it isn't. It doesn't appear that your technique ensures that the converters don't clip. It does look like your method could easily make you more likely to clip the converters and not see it on the meters.
What meter are you using to set the -6 to -8 level?
Mine doesn't either, but if you clip it at 0 dBFS and then turn it down 8 dB afterward, you end up with a clipped signal with - 8dBFS peaks.
Yes , your maths checks out. How is mine?
Correct, you'll have a clipped signal with -9 dBFS peaks. See the pic I posted above. Peaking and clipping are different things.
Were you at -6 to -8 peaks before the limiter?
Because I care about how authentic the track sounds. Obviouslty clipping is better when limited.
Which you cannot do with a software based limiter...
Using that plugin with those settings actually causes clipping if the signal goes over the threshold. It's literally called a Limiter/Clipper. The flat tops of the waveform it produces are exactly the same as the flat tops of the waveform produced by hitting a converter too hard. And it's entirely possible to clip the converter then get more clipping with that plugin. You're not "limiting" the amount of clipping, you're practically guaranteeing that clipping occurs.
