What is Gain Staging?Gain staging is the practice of optimising signal gain at each stage in the recording process. The goal is to maximise signal strength and quality while minimising unwanted distortion and noise. You’ll typically adjust the signal gain using a Gain knob.
Most stages in a recording chain contain amplifiers; in digital systems, these may be algorithms but should still be considered amplifiers. Whenever an amplifier adjusts the level of a signal, it will introduce some distortion and noise. Good gain staging, then, is all about minimising this distortion and noise when it isn’t wanted, and controlling it where it is wanted.
How do we apply proper gain staging?
The amount of boost (amplification) and reduction (attenuation) applied to a signal is determined by an amplifier’s gain control, but there will usually be a ‘unity gain’ position where no amplification or attenuation is applied. Whenever possible, a gain control should be set in this unity position.
If the signal arriving at an input stage is too strong or weak, it should be attenuated or amplified via the output gain stage of the previous processor/component in the chain. If there’s no previous processor/component, such as when setting up a preamp’s input gain, then go ahead and adjust the gain on the input amp.
Similarly, if the signal arriving at an output stage is too strong or weak, look to remedy this using that same device’s input gain stage. If that gain is set correctly, then go ahead and adjust the output gain stage as needed.
At all points, when adjusting the gain, we are aiming for a strong signal that does not cause digital clipping.
How does gain staging relate to DAW-based recording?
When working in a DAW, any external sounds you capture will arrive via your audio interface’s preamp and AD converters. Even if you’re using an external preamp or channel strip, the signal will still arrive at your interface’s converters sooner or later. However it gets there, it’s crucial to give the converters as strong a signal as possible without causing clipping.
Similarly, when working with sources generated from within the DAW, such as plugin instruments, you should set the instrument’s output level so that its signal is strong but not clipping or overloading. Also, the input signal fed to send effects should be strong, as should its output.
From here, the same rules apply as they do in analogue recording: The only thing you should be using to balance a signal within the overall mix is the channel’s output fader.
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