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. 

[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!