problem
Clipping can be useful, but clipped transients stop sounding powerful when the shape disappears.
Transient clipping happens when fast peaks are flattened by a clipper, limiter, converter, or overloaded stage. It can make drums feel louder at first.
Pushed too far, the same move turns attack into grit, makes cymbals splashy, and leaves the master feeling smaller after loudness matching.
A transient is not just level. Its shape tells the ear where the hit starts. Hard clipping changes that shape and adds harmonics that can crowd the mix.
If several processors shave the same hit, the damage accumulates before the final limiter ever sees it.
Use clipping deliberately on sources or buses where it improves density, then loudness-match the result against the clean version.
Watch peak, true peak, and short-term loudness so added level does not trick you into accepting brittle transients.