File failed QC: Max Peak or PPM

If your QC report shows Max Peak 1 (dBFS) or Max Peak 2 (dBFS) in red, the loudest point in your audio is above the maximum peak level allowed.

Max Peak – reading the QC report

• The value next to Max Peak 1 (dBFS) or Max Peak 2 (dBFS) is the highest peak level found in the uploaded file, not the limit. For example, 0.000 means the audio reaches 0 dBFS, the maximum a digital file can hold.
• 1 and 2 are the two audio channels (left and right).
• Some older reports show this check as PPM 1 (dBFS). It means the same thing.

Max Peak – what it means

Peak level is the single highest point in the audio waveform, measured in dBFS. It is different from Audio Loudness, which measures the average, and from Max True Peak, which also catches peaks between digital samples.

Peak level is an older way of measuring audio, but some countries still set a maximum. For example, Spain's maximum is -10 dBFS. There is no lower limit for this check.

Max Peak – likely cause

This is usually a file fault. Common causes:

• A loud moment (music hit, sound effect) goes over the peak limit.
• The mix was made for a country without a peak limit, or with a higher one.
• The audio was normalised to a loudness target without a peak limiter.

Max Peak – fix

1. Click View Specs on your ad to see the peak limit for your file.
2. Bring the loudest moments below the limit, for example with a peak limiter or by lowering the level of that section or the whole mix.
3. Check that Audio Loudness is still on target, re-export using the matching Export Guide, and upload the file again.

Max Peak – when to contact Customer Success

• You’ve exported the file using the specification shown by the View Specs link for the ad in your campaign, but it still fails this check.