Just because you’re a few decibels above the noise floor doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. Your dynamic range represents the volumes in which your signal is free from noise and isn’t clipped and distorting, but there’s a caveat as always. You can look at it as a mathematical equation:ĭistortion Ceiling – Noise Floor = Dynamic Range At the bottom is the natural noise floor of electronics and background sounds that creep into your signal, and at the top is your distortion ceiling. They both concern and are the boundaries of what is called the dynamic range of your signal. We can wrap the first two points up in one discussion. Let’s look at each so we know why we’re doing this, and then we’ll discuss the technical numbers (the part that confuses people who do try to solve this problem). To understand what levels you really need to be aiming at, we need to discuss the three main reasons for having so many gain stages in the first place: You should be looking at averages, because the goal is to fill every computer bit with as much digital information as possible while operating at the levels in which your gear performs best. You shouldn’t be worrying about peaks or maximums.
That’s not how this works or how to gauge it. Amateurs are telling each other where the peaks of their amplitudes should be hitting at a maximum, mainly because DAWs use sample-peak metering. There’s a lot of bad information out there that keeps getting repeated. They’ll hear a grainy version of what you intended, and whether they realize why or not, they’ll know it doesn’t sound like the other professional records they enjoy so much. When you record with levels too low or too high, it’s like creating a tiny image and then zooming in during normalization, mastering, and when your listeners turn up the volume. Your goal is to create a large sound stage full of details. Here is an example describing this process: You can stand back and tell what the picture printed on the puzzle is, but if you move closer you’ll see gaping holes in the image. If your gain structure is too low, you undermine your ability to finish the puzzle by leaving pieces of the puzzle in the box. They all are meant to work in harmony so each piece of equipment in the signal chain receives the signal at the correct volume to maintain the highest resolution possible. This includes trim knobs, input and output gain controls whether in a plugin or hardware, your mixer faders, the volume controls on your instruments, and more. So what’s a gain stage? It’s every point at which you can adjust the amplitude of your signal. Gain staging is the process of setting each gain stage to the proper levels to achieve a maximum quality, both in the analog or digital realm. Let’s jump right into it with… What is Gain Staging? I’ll explain what it is you’re missing with great visual analogy so you know what to listen for, because it’s subtle, but it’s the difference between an amateur garage band and a pristine professional result. To get this, you really need to understand the difference between gain and volume, which we’ve covered in our Gain vs. If you apply the information here to your next tracking and mixing session, you will, without a doubt, notice a difference. Today we’re going to cover this topic in it’s fullest extent. Too little gain is like saying “I know 4k Blu-Ray is a thing now but I’d rather sound like a VHS tape.”Īnd that’s the real crime, the situation most people find themselves in because they aren’t aware of this critical balance between gain and resolution. Too much and you’re clipping and distorting. Your gain matters at every step, from the preamplifier, equalizer, compressor, converters, and even when printing the mix for your album release. It’s either done right or you’ve compromised your ability to have the highest quality song at the end of the day. It’s hard to blame musicians for not having a perfect gain stage… Most have never even heard of this aspect of signal processing.