An exemplary sound processor included in a cochlear implant system associated with a patient may 1) identify a loudness level of an audio signal presented to the patient, 2) determine that a stimulation pulse amplitude corresponding to the loudness level is greater than a maximum stimulation pulse amplitude allowed by a compliance voltage associated with a cochlear implant implanted within the patient, and 3) direct, in response to the determination that the stimulation pulse amplitude is greater than a maximum stimulation pulse amplitude allowed by the compliance voltage, the cochlear implant to represent the loudness level to the patient by directing the cochlear implant to generate and apply one or more stimulation pulses to the patient in accordance with at least one of a first encoding scheme that includes pulse density modulation and a second encoding scheme that includes a combination of pulse amplitude modulation and pulse width modulation.
