Is gain staging worth it?
Gain staging is one of the most fundamentally important elements in creating a professional-sounding mix. Without proper gain staging, your mix may suffer from unwanted distortion or excessive noise. In this blog, we’ll explain the basics of gain staging and how it can be used to improve the sound of your productions.
Is gain staging necessary in Daw?
While the DAW has fundamentally changed the way we make records, proper gain staging is no less critical to good recording techniques. The user-friendly, forgiving design of computer audio programs can make it all too easy to overlook a poorly thought-out signal chain, and the consequences can sneak up and bite you.
What gain should you record at?
-18dB
You should record vocals at an average of -18dB for 24-bit resolution. The loudest parts of the recording should peak at -10dB and be lowest at -24dB. This is to keep an even balance on the level of the vocals without distortion.
Can you gain stage after recording?
A gain stage is any point in the audio signal path where we can adjust the overall level of a track. For instance, this could be with a fader or with the output controls of plugins like compressors and EQs.
What is a good gain level?
So when you’re recording it’s best to set your levels conservatively. A good rule of thumb is to equate -18dBFS with the analog standard of 0dBVU. If you keep your peaks hitting not much above -10dBFS, and keep the average level around -18dBFS you should have a signal that’s right in that sweet spot.
What is gain structure?
Gain structure generally refers to setting proper input gain to achieve the best signal to noise ratio. Optimum gain is not just turning it up until it’s in the red as a lighting guy once told me!
What is gain staging in mixing?
Gain staging, or gain structuring, is the act of setting the gain for each amplification stage (gain stage) in a sound system to achieve a target system volume that minimizes noise and distortion. Said another way, proper gain staging allows your sound system to achieve the best signal-to-noise ratio.