Tips & Tricks: Gain StagingDecember 15, 2008 How do you get
microphones, instruments, and other gear all to play nicely in
your recording or PA system? We break down the basics of
managing gain to help you get the most out of your system.
Regardless of which microphone you are using, which audio
sources you are recording, or what signal level you are sending
into your recording software, sometimes it can be tricky to get
the levels you want or enough of certain signals. Getting the
levels right. The basic principle here is to figure out the
dynamic range of your source (singer, snare drum, turntable,
sampler, etc.), and then maximize that source’s gain level
without distorting or clipping. From there, you can mix the
levels of different sources using the faders or volume knobs on
each channel. This way, you get the lowest-noise performance and
the highest level of flexibility in your mixer or recording
system. This is called gain staging. Before we go any further,
let’s define some of the terms we’re using: -