safesnd(x, fs)

function safesnd(x, fs)
% Simple function to prevent massive clipping and possible hearing damage
% in case the audio algorithm you were working on happens to be unstable 
% or has too much gain. 
%
% This is not a limiter; it just scales back the entire signal if 
% necessary to ensure that the maximum peak value is no more than +/-1.0. 
% If the peak input level exceeded 1.0, safesnd() displays the amount of 
% playback level reduction in dB.
%
% INPUTS
% x:    Audio input signal (one or more channels)
% fs:   Sample rate (Hz)
%
% Calls sound(). 
% This should be safer than sound(), but no warranties are provided; 
% use or modify at your own risk. Note that it is generally not a good 
% idea to debug your audio algorithms using headphones!
% 
% You may need to modify this if you use a bit depth other than 16 or
% channel configurations other than mono or stereo.

maxx = abs(max(max(x)));

if maxx < 1
    maxx = 1;
else
    disp(' ');
    disp(['The playback level has been reduced by ' num2str(db(maxx)) ' dB.']);
    disp(' ');
end

sound(x/maxx, fs, 16);