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Le batteur parlait fort quand l'enregistrement a saturé.

Le batteur parlait fort quand l'enregistrement a saturé.
The drummer was speaking loud when the recording clipped.
From Lesson 382:Adjectives as adverbs (coûter cher, parler fort)·French

Questions & Answers about Le batteur parlait fort quand l'enregistrement a saturé.

Why is it fort instead of fortement here?
In French, certain adjectives are used directly as adverbs with specific verbs. With verbs like parler (to speak) or crier (to shout), we use fort to mean loudly. The word fortement exists, but it is mostly used for abstract intensity, such as being strongly opposed to an idea (fortement opposé).
If the drummer were female (la batteuse), would we say parlait forte?
No, it remains exactly as parlait fort. When an adjective is used as an adverb to modify a verb, it is invariable. This means it never takes an -e or an -s to agree with the subject's gender or number.
Why are two different past tenses used here (parlait and a saturé)?
This shows how the imparfait and passé composé work together in a single sentence. The imparfait (parlait) sets the scene with an ongoing background action (the drummer was speaking). The passé composé (a saturé) acts as the sudden, completed event that happened during that ongoing action (the audio clipped).
Is saturé the normal word for audio clipping?
Yes, in audio and music contexts, saturer is the standard verb for a signal clipping, peaking, or distorting. Outside of music, you can also use it metaphorically to express that you are completely overwhelmed or fed up, as in je sature.

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