Leit Audio UnClip: Free Plugin Rebuilds Clipped Peaks

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Leit Audio has released UnClip, a free automatic restoration plugin designed to repair short peaks damaged by hard digital clipping. The plugin is available in VST3 and AU formats for macOS and Windows. It targets a common problem in audio production: clipped waveforms that remain distorted even after reducing the level.

What Is UnClip?

Hard clipping flattens the top or bottom of a waveform. Turning the file down afterward only reduces its level; the flattened waveform and the distortion it created remain. UnClip detects those clipped areas and reconstructs a plausible continuation of the waveform through the damaged samples. Unlike a detector that assumes clipping must occur at 0 dBFS, UnClip looks for the shape of hard clipping itself. This allows it to recognize material that was clipped first and then turned down or otherwise processed afterward.

How It Works

Repair is selective. UnClip uses the clean waveform around each damaged area as context, but only samples identified as clipped are replaced. There is no threshold, sensitivity, or repair amount to set. The interface has one main control: Output, which provides up to 24 dB of attenuation after reconstruction. Repaired peaks can rise above the original clipping ceiling, so the control can be used to create headroom before further processing or export.

UnClip is intended for editing, restoration, and mixing of recorded audio with short accidental overloads. It is not a limiter and does not prevent clipping, and it is not designed as a general-purpose distortion remover. Therefore, its scope is specific but effective for its intended use case.

Features

  • Automatic reconstruction of short hard-clipped peaks.
  • Detects clipping even after the damaged audio has been turned down.
  • Replaces only samples identified as clipped.
  • Uses surrounding clean audio as context for reconstruction.
  • No threshold, sensitivity, or repair amount control.
  • Output trim from -24 to 0 dB.
  • Mono and stereo operation.
  • Stereo channels analyzed and repaired independently.
  • Host-linked, latency-matched bypass.
  • Approximately 99.5 ms reported latency at 44.1 and 48 kHz.
  • Internal double-precision processing.

Availability

UnClip is free to download and use. A free Leit Audio account is required for downloads. The plugin is available now from the Leit Audio website. As a free tool, it offers a practical solution for engineers and producers dealing with clipped recordings, especially when the clipping is not at the maximum level.

Pros

  • Automatically reconstructs short hard-clipped peaks without manual settings
  • Detects clipping even after the audio has been turned down
  • Selective repair using surrounding clean audio as context

Cons

  • Not designed for general-purpose distortion removal
  • Introduces approximately 99.5 ms latency, which may require compensation

More info: Leit Audio | UnClip