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Gain Staging Cheatsheet

This document provides guidelines and tips for proper gain staging when mixing audio. The 3 main rules of gain staging are to not clip the mix bus, optimize level into plugins, and keep faders close to zero. Most plugins sound their best when the signal is around -18 dBFS. Common gain staging issues like a clipping mix bus, clipping plugin, or too quiet plugin signal can be fixed by adding gain plugins and adjusting levels accordingly. The document recommends a online mixing course for learning a step-by-step mixing system.

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1K views2 pages

Gain Staging Cheatsheet

This document provides guidelines and tips for proper gain staging when mixing audio. The 3 main rules of gain staging are to not clip the mix bus, optimize level into plugins, and keep faders close to zero. Most plugins sound their best when the signal is around -18 dBFS. Common gain staging issues like a clipping mix bus, clipping plugin, or too quiet plugin signal can be fixed by adding gain plugins and adjusting levels accordingly. The document recommends a online mixing course for learning a step-by-step mixing system.

Uploaded by

IKKVM MVKKI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Gain Staging Cheatsheet

3 Rules Of Gain Staging:

1. Don’t clip the mix bus


2. Optimize level into plugins
3. Keep faders close to zero

And remember—most plugins sound their best when the signal going into them is
around -18 dBFS.

How To Fix Common Gain Staging Issues:

My mix bus is clipping

- Turn down all the tracks in your session using clip gain or gain plugins on the first
insert of every track.

One of my plugins is clipping

- Add a gain plugin before it and turn down the level until the problem is solved.

The signal going into a plugin is too quiet

- Add a gain plugin before it and boost the level to around -18 dBFS.

One of my faders is too low

- Decrease the level of the track using clip gain or a gain plugin. Then bring the
fader up to zero.

For more mixing tips, visit ​BehindTheSpeakers.com​.


Mix By Design is an online training course that will teach you
how to mix like a pro. You’ll discover a simple, step-by-step
system you can use to break through overwhelm, sink into
the creative flow, and make your best mixes yet.

Ready to get on the path to pro mixes?

Click Here To Learn More About Mix By Design

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