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How To Gain Stage Properly in Apple MainStage
How To Gain Stage Properly in Apple MainStage
How To Gain Stage Properly in Apple MainStage
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In the world of audio, gain staging refers to optimizing the level of a signal
from source to output, while minimizing noise and distortion. The
principles of gain staging can be applied to everything from plugging an
iPhone into a PA system to recording vocals for Beyoncs next album.
Proper gain staging is also vital when creating patches in MainStage. In this
post, Ill share a few tips and tricks on how to properly gain stage to
maximize dynamic range and sound quality in Apple MainStage.
First, a brief history on gain staging.
A few decades ago, music was recorded with all-analog signal chains.
Microphones, preamplifiers, and tape machines. No computers. Tape
machines, in particular, were noisy due to their mechanical nature. Thus, it
was imperative to record as hot as possible to overcome the high noise
floor of tape.
According to Wikipedia, the noise floor is the measure of the signal created
from the sum of all the noise sources and unwanted signals within a
measurement system, where noise is defined as any signal other than the
one being monitored.
Whats an audible example of noise floor?
Plug a pair of headphones into your computer, and turn the volume control
all the way up, but DONT PLAY ANY MUSIC1. Depending on how sensitive
your headphones are, you should be able to hear a low-level hiss.
Thats the noise floor.
Now put yourself into the shoes of a recording engineer in the 1970s. Your
task for the day is to record a pianist playing Chopins Ballade in G minor
a piece with a large dynamic range. You decide to capture the performance
using two microphones running through a set of preamplifiers on your
analog console. The resulting signal gets recorded directly onto tape.
Now, heres an image of a digital dBFS meter. As you can see, 0dBFS IS the
maximum level on this meter.
The next step is to ensure all your channel strips are peaking at -6dB. To do
this, make volume adjustments with the master volume control inside the
software instruments and plugins (EXS24, ES2, etc.), and NOT the fader.
I like to take it one step further and establish a new soft maximum for
mixing as well. Moving all my source channel strips, excluding auxiliary
and master variants, down to -6dB and treating this as my new maximum
pretty much erases any possibility of overloading my master outputs.
If you find your patches to be too soft with this gain staging method, just
turn up the volume knob on your audio interface or headphone amp.
Filed Under: Music Technology
Tagged With: MainStage, Mixing
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