What is Gain Staging?
If you’re producing music, mixing tracks, or just trying to get a clean and professional sound, you’ve probably come across the term gain staging. But what exactly does it mean, and why is it such a big deal?
Gain staging is all about managing the volume of your audio signal at every step of the recording and mixing process. From your microphone or instrument input all the way to the final output, it’s important to keep levels under control.
Think of it like passing water through a series of pipes. If there’s too much pressure, something might burst. If there’s too little, nothing flows properly. It’s the same with audio—you want the signal strong enough to avoid noise, but not so loud that it clips or distorts.
Why is Gain Staging Important?
Here are a few reasons why gain staging is essential in any production or mixing setup:
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It keeps your sound clean by preventing distortion and noise.
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It makes your mix easier to balance because every track is sitting at a healthy level.
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Plugins (especially analog-style ones) often work best when levels are set properly, usually around -18 dBFS.
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It gives you enough headroom to mix dynamically without everything sounding crushed or overly loud.
What Levels Should You Aim For?
A safe general rule is to have your individual tracks peak somewhere between -6 dBFS and -12 dBFS during mixing. This gives you plenty of headroom while still keeping your signal strong and clear.
How to Do Proper Gain Staging
Here’s a simple process you can follow in most DAWs:
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Start with clean recordings. Make sure your input levels aren’t too hot or too low.
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Use clip gain or input trim to adjust levels before plugins are applied.
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Keep an eye on your plugin chains—each one should receive a signal that’s not too loud or too quiet.
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If available, use a VU meter plugin to help monitor levels more accurately, especially with analog emulations.
Common Mistakes
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Pushing up the gain too late in the chain just to make something louder.
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Ignoring level changes inside plugins.
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Believing that louder always sounds better. In reality, balanced levels almost always lead to a better final result.
Final Thoughts
Gain staging isn’t the most exciting part of audio production, but it’s one of the most important. Getting your levels right from the beginning will save you a lot of trouble later—and it makes everything sound better in the end.
If you’re unsure about your gain staging or want help with your mix, feel free to get in touch. I offer mixing, mastering, and audio consulting services—check them out in the shop or send me a message.
