Gain staging again

[charles kasler]

is there any difference between adjusting  track volume with the gain control at the top of the channel strip as opposed to using clip gain automation? Thanks!

[OutrageProductions]

I don't remember if Mike covers your specific query, but worth a watch.

 

[Gswitz]

Clip gain is different from track gain. 

You cannot automate track gain. 

Some talented folks use clip gain to feed audio into compressors rather than automate faders on the other side of the compressor. 

The main reason I use track gain or bus gain is adjust the level without risking input clipping. For example, set guitar gain so it will not clip them turn up track gain so it is a little hotter going into thu.

Really, the most common is turning down Bus gains so tracks don't clip busses as they merge together. 

Mixes often inch hotter and eventually clip a bus. Rather than run around notching tracks down, I reduce the bus gain 1db. No more clipping. 

Noel confirmed that this doesn't just hide a clip, it avoids it. 

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by Gswitz

[Gswitz]

Charles, you are choosing to display your birthday. I think this is not necessary. I would hide that bit if personally identifiable information. 

[Lord Tim]

Clip and track gain are really there to get your levels correct *before* you start mixing.

If you don't plan to add any other effects later, then yes - both can be used to adjust levels and mix with, but the main way you should be doing it is with the track volume controls, which you can automate.

You'd typically use clip gain to even out levels before it hits your track effects. For example, if you had a vocal track which is really dynamic, rather than having a really clamped down compressor to catch all of the big differences in levels, you'd use clip gain automation to balance the levels in the clip first before it even gets to your track effects.

Track gain is really there as an overall "get the levels right before it goes to effects and mixing" so it's hitting your effects at the correct level. So imagine the clip gain as being there to balance stuff out, and the track gain as the way to get those final levels right before it hits the track for mixing.

And then yeah, you'd mix with the actual volume control.

But like I said, if you're not running any track effects, a lot of this is fairly interchangeable. I'd suggest it's still good practice to get used to how these things are "designed to work" though, before you break the rules.

[Craig Anderton]

One of my favorite clip gain applications is altering the level going into an amp sim. It's like having a drive control (higher gain = more amp sim saturation, lower gain = less saturation). Bringing up gain over the course of a clip adds drama because the distortion increases as well, which emphasizes the sense of dynamics.

[charles kasler]

Thanks everyone!