Gain staging
Setting the level at every step of the signal chain so each device receives a signal in its own comfortable range without distortion or excess noise.
Gain staging is the discipline behind a quiet, clean recording: too little level at the input and the noise floor comes up when the signal is amplified later, while too much and the loudest moments clip. The principle is to set each stage so that peaks sit well below the point of distortion, then to do any needed boost or cut in the middle of the chain rather than at the extremes. It applies identically to a bedroom interface and to a large console.
Example: A guitar recording that distorts only on hard strums is usually a gain-staging problem at the interface input rather than a fault in the amplifier.
See also
Related
- PageLevel
- PageInstrument level
- PageLine level
- PageAmp mic placement
- PageAudio interface
- PageAux send
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley