Gain Staging Explained #mixingtips

[Librarising]

Noise floor isn’t nearly as large of a concern with digital recording in a DAW as it was with tape. The hiss was a byproduct of the analog medium and engineers would regularly push levels into soft clipping (“tape saturation”). Digital recording has kind of the opposite phenomenon: there isn’t really a “noise floor” (hiss), but pushing into digital distortion sounds pretty objectively bad (think: dial-up tone). Avoiding clipping is infinitely more important in digital recording than worrying about a noise floor.

[HeckaS]

Sometimes, clipping gives a desired sonic effect.

[YouthfulAdvisor]

Very valuable information. I remember having hiss on my masters and had to figure out that I was indeed gain staging too quietly.

[shan]

A little clipping is good to get that analog sound

[markuskopter]

I'd rather say that gain staging stops right at the volume fader, which only sets the relative level compared to other elements in the mix.

Your full video, because it's way more detailed, explains the process very well, but in this shortened form it may confuse those learning how to mix.

[michaelragan]

Add a gain plugin at the beginning of your chain on each track to gain stage, keeps faders at zero to make automation easier 😊

[Adsterr]

Gain is different from track volume, dont use track volume but gain volume instead, use a plugin to check how loud your instruments are too

[ClementBaudoin]

What if i like that hissing sound and it's actually an artistic choice to leave him there ?

[doggydolittle]

I think ive been gain stageing my tracks too loud they all slap 🔥

[gabrielthesingingpilot]

Can you put your external mic preamp gain to the max setting and then record into a 32-bit float recorder, then just bring the volume down below 0dbfs? Wouldn't that produce the lowest noise floor and no clipping?

[metaldefender]

Thank god I don't have these problems.

[SaltSpirits]

Clipping isn’t musical? Bro has never heard Dariacore volumes 1-3 before