A clipper is a type of audio processing equipment that is used to remove the peaks from a signal, whereas a limiter is used to prevent the levels from exceeding a certain point. A clipper will reduce the level of the loudest passages in a signal, while a limiter will stop those peaks from becoming excessively loud. There are several different types of clipping algorithms that can be used. Still, they all essentially work by detecting when the waveform exceeds a certain threshold and then cutting off the tops or bottoms of the waveforms. This can result in some audio distortion, but it can also be used to create some interesting sonic effects.