The TRUTH About Proper Gain Staging in Your Mix (Gain Staging Simplified!)

It seems like every audio channel out there wants you to believe that you can get better mixes simply by using proper "gain staging."

This is a total MYTH! It drives me crazy when I see all the hype around "gain staging" online, so I finally had to make this video.

Here's the truth behind some of the myths and misinformation about gain staging, PLUS a real-time demonstration of the dead simple way I handle gain staging in my mixes.

Watch this video to FREE YOURSELF from pointless time-wasting activities and start focusing on what actually makes your mixes better!

☛ Watch to the end of the video for your link to download my book for free!

[adamhurst]

Gain staging ITB actually does improve mix quality when going through plugins. I have tested this thoroughly and is especially true for eqing. If you are doing drastic boosts with EQ for creative sound design purposes, you get a much cleaner result if the incoming signal is quiet. My mixes sound more full when utilizing gain staging during the signal chain. If a signal is too hot and causing inharmonic distortion within the plugin, the sum of all the distortion will be great when the full mix hits the limiter to bring the volume back up.

I use a lot of Acustica Audio plugins and I can definitely say that there is a big difference in clarity and fullness of my mixes when I use gain staging mixing techniques especially going into these plugins.

I believe it is also genre dependent too. Do some experiments yourself and see if it A: improves your mix. B: improves your workflow

[darrellroseborough]

Hey Jordan, on my current journey in the world of recording I finally ran across a video that just makes since. It’s a million videos about how vital gain staging will make your mixes sound more professional. But after hearing some of your finished products I became more convinced that the gain staging rhetoric bs must be mythical after all. Actually I’ve been mixing this way since I got into the game and everyone thought I was doing this major gain staging thing. All I was really doing was the same method you’re doing in this video and the mixes turned out quite exciting. I’m not recording rock or metal but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply your teachings to other genres. Thanks for all you do for the recording community. Keep up the great work Jordan. As the late great movie critics Siskel and Ebert would say two thumbs

[randyroderick]

I feel like I can finally enjoy mixing and life in general after watching this video 😂 thanks!

[robm]

This just took away so much underlying stress in regards to leveling and gain staging you're the best J, truly, thank you for this (years of stress gone). Keeping being you, you're appreciated out here :)

[djdanger]

When the meter is going from green and just pushing into the yellow you're set. Exactly how I've always always recorded and mixed. Great vid.

[galahadskeys]

At last! A voice of reason! My background is from mixing with tape when it was all about signal to noise and getting the most out of gear with instabilities. I've been working with DAWs in the way that you describe in the video for many years but have recently doubted myself thanks to all of the gain staging videos out there. I can now go back to mixing with confidence.

[jenniferlowpass]

Great to hear, that somebody has a different approach to this topic as most guys on YT. I agree on the recording part and your point on fader resolution is also a great opinion... but I realy disagree on the part that GS doesen't make any differents between a "amatuer" and a "pro" mix and is not that important.
Not saying that you have to gain all your tracks to -18dBVU or somthing is the key.. but allmost every time I've worked with "hobby-producers" mixing their own stuff, the problem was no understanding of GS.
The "just turn down the masterfader" approach often leads to a - turn everything on channels up, turn the master down and slap a limiter on thing. (Protools is a special thing there; Most other DAWs got prefader inserts on the masterfader!)
Example: most software synths put out a level near 0dBFS so one cant hear the bass and drums anymore - turn everything up past 0, masterfader down - but then it has to be louder to bounce it - limiter on... and the result is a wobbly bass mess.
I think it's your experience with GS (and floatingpoint calculation.. not everybody knows how to abuse it in a positive way) wherefore you don't need to think about it and get hot levels sounding right.. and tbh you said that you know the level just hitting the yellow is how you want it - that's the essence of every "pros" GS approach.. -> Gaining all tracks (or Group Inputs like eg Joey Sturgis) to a more or less fixed level with a sort of input gain, so your 2Bus isn't exploding and buscompression/limiting doesn't turn out into a basketball like sound. ..so I don't think you're busting any myths there..
Summarized I like your approach on this topic because it is mostly a convenience thing how you like your levels and faders with floatpoint DAWs nowadays and you're not telling that it's a must to gain to a strict level X/Y! But I find it necessary to understand what GS is about and not just leave it as nonsense. Then you can make your own thing out of it and thats the key, in my opinion.

[pco]

You've probably saved me hours of wasting time fussing about hard rules with numbers. I intuitively knew this but it helps to hear it from others like you. Thanks Jordan!

[whosrichpurnell]

I think many aspiring mixers get into this side of audio because of how cerebral it can be. And while there are technicalities in mixing, it’s good to remember that it’s nothing precious and to approach the mix pragmatically vs theoretically

[r.d.]

I think the point that people are trying to make with the emphasis on gain staging, is that for people who are recording and mixing their own music. And if you have proper gain staging from the beginning it just streamlines the process, and save you a lot of time and headaches...

[gamalieltalho]

This is the most relavant, honest truth about Gain staging. What everyone else says doesn't not make sense. I'm subscribing and following you now! Good stuff!!👍🏽

[darrellroseborough]

This is why your channel is so educating without all the can't do this don't do that bullshit. quiet as kept this is exactly the way I've been going about. I was getting so much push back that my music would suffer if I wasn't doing this exact scientific method that's all over the YouTubers channels. I thought engineering was a unique individual creating their own sound. Hardcore you're spitting the true gospel keep up the great work and thanks for all you do for the recording fam. I've been a scriber since I ran into this specific video. anyone searching for any other video dealing with gain staging just STOP IT!! this guy can't put it any simpler. Gain staging isn't a big deal afterwards.

[Metalbass]

I've been playing guitar and bass for more than three decades, with planty of live performance and professional studio time, but I'm new to home recording, so i needed this. Thanks!

[procrast]

you are a doctor, curing my mixing diseases
thank you bro, i love your 'make it simple' way of mixing

[YouDave]

This is so timely for me. I am diving in deeper in my transition from anolog mixing mindset to Daw mindset. This resonates well with me. Thanks for the clarity and transparency!

[rmchamberlain]

4:34 take the hint from the programmers! 0VU = (+4dBu or -10dBv) = 1kHz Sine wav @ ref voltage = -18dBFS = 85dbSPL(A) @ 1m unless you have a high end ADC which specificly declares a higher maximum input voltage and you can set the calibration voltage to -20dBFS or some other standardized reference level.

The correct way to think about gain structure is that all devices in your signal path should clip at the same time. To maximize the S/N ratio, the system designer should choose equipment which supports the same maximum input and output level with similar nominal operating level AND headroom. For example, a "Pro" preamp often has a max output level of +26dBu and outputs a balanced signal at +4dBu. If one drives the input of a converter which also has a maximum input level of +26dBu with a nominal operating level of +4dBu over a balanced line, the correct equipment has been selected. If the ADC only handles a max input level of +18dBu the additional output range of the preamp has to be attenuated and this compromises the dynamic range of the system. Now consider an ADC which supports a max input level of +26dBu with a nominal level of +4dBu. The nominal level is far below the maximum range which allows a much more precise level of measurement over the voltages than can be achieved when operating closer to the max limits. The same is true with a converter which accepts a max input level of +18dBu and this (and because of number of additional design improvements) is one large reason why more expensive converters typically sound better than cheap converters and its also exactly the same reason DAW engineers should record with more headroom, especially on cheaper digital gear. Anyone using a 24 bit converter has zero reason to record with less headroom than the manufacturer anticipated. Only people recording directly to 16bit mediums should even consider the effects of quantization distortion (when low voltages are inaccurately sampled due to a lack of resolution in the digtal scale). The best thing a novice engineer can get out of this is (in extremely general terms) that an audio system designer should always choose equipment with the same operating capabilities throughout the entire system and that the weakest link defines the system's capabilities.

[Leedguitar]

Great video that makes 100% real world sense. I’m newer to home recording but had a few studio experiences 20+ years ago and things have changed greatly. Wonderful video, cheers!

[chrissypoodle]

All good info on gain staging. Only issue with using the 'all' selection to pull down the faders is this will effect the level going to sub groups and your mix buss. Therefore your won't have the same relationship when you pull down the faders.

[adamwasthefirstman]

100% with you. When I'm setting my inputs, I just increase them until it sounds good and that's usually a good bit before clipping. If you start off reasonably, there's no reason not to just track things the way you want to hear them. Say you're laying down drums while everyone else is essentially laying down scratch tracks. When it comes time to track everything else, if you recorded the drums hot because that was the sweet spot on the pres, all you have to do is simply turn them down. What a concept. I definitely worried way too much about it for a couple years and am pretty sure it stunted my growth.

[tatman]

Gain staging isn't quality as far as I've ever heard of. It's more for workflow and the chance to speed the mix up at the end of the process and therefore maybe making more money. Your general message is spot on, blown way out of proportion. I prefer your way, set your inputs correctly before you track your finals. At the same time, I still use gain staging if I see a Track that looks like it's not setting around relatively the same level. If they're all close or somewhat similar, I don't even bother. Great video. I think this is the 3rd video I've seen from you now. Your putting some great advice out there.