Gain staging in Sonar
Home > Home Recording Forum > Recording Techniques > Gain staging in Sonar
Posted on Jan 25, 2008 02:42 pm
sourberry
Member Since: Jan 21, 2008
I have read almost all the posts here on Gain Staging. Correct me if I am wrong:
The first stage in the signal chain should be set to the highest gain setting. Ever other stage after will only reduce or attentuate this signal.
So I set my ASIO fader level on my soundcard to full. Then I set my soft synth volume to full, and then I attenuate or reduce these levels via the track fader.
I have 3 questions:
1)Does each channel strip in Sonar, or for that matter any software sequencer, have a amplifier built in. I only say this because I read on this forum that Trim is the same as Gain. And sure enough each channel srip in Sonar has a trim control.
2)Does the Master Buss volume need to always be set at 0DB (Unity Gain)? Is this because the Master Buss levels actually add gain? Is the Master Buss part of the gain staging? If so, is it the last in the Gain staging chain?
3)Also while mixing, do the levels of each track need to hit -6 or -4 db, or is it the Master Buss levels that need to hit -6 or -4 db?
Thank you guys. This is the best forum ever!
[ Back to Top ]
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Jan 25, 2008 03:31 pm I think that a good rule of thumb for gain staging is to get a good, strong signal at each stage. This is an effort to keep our signal to noise ratio at an acceptible level. If our signal is too weak, we have to turn up the gain, which also turns up any noise in the signal. This is especially true of preamps (especially budget preamps like most of us hobbyists use). Relatively small amounts of noise can really become noticeable when its stacked on track after track.
I would look at it more from a practical angle than a numerical angle. At your first gain stage (probably your preamp), make sure that the loudest sound it could pick up would occasionally barely peak in the red (but certainly don't allow it to go over 0 dB).
As far as each track in a project, I don't worry much about where they're at. I generally keep them pretty low, like you say at -4 to -6 at their peaks or even lower if I have a lot of tracks. When all of these tracks are summed on to the master bus they'll usually keep it dancing above -3 dB.
For the master bus, I pretty much always keep it at 0 dB. There's usually a limiter on there as well, set to -.3 dB or so just to keep it from clipping.
Well that's my amateur opinion anyways. Remember that if it sounds good, it is good!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 27, 2008 07:04 pm Honest truth here is that gain staging is much more important in the outside of the DAW. Meaning any hardware in the signal chain should follow some pretty tight gain staging rules.
Once in the DAW you can apply it the same way, but its effects are not nearly as bad.
A quick refresher is as follows.
The first stage in the signal chain should have its output as high as possible without clipping or causing undue noise.
EAch following stage will have its level slightly decreased to keep the signal under control Use the input of any plug to control the incoming level to avoid having to boos the output level higher then the preceding stage.
Your busses and master channels may be an acception to that rule though.
Jan 29, 2008 07:32 pm Thanks guys.So if I understand correctly:
My sound cards ASIO volume control will be the first gain stage. So I should put this to 100 %? (I MIGHT BE CONFUSED HERE: THIS MIGHT BE THE SOUND CARD L/R OUTPUT VOLUME. NOT THE FIRST STAGE BUT THE LAST. correct?)
Second stage should be my Vsti synth. I should put this on full as well.
Third stage: should be my channel fader for that vsti synth. Here I should attenuate the volume to keep from going into the red and subsequently clipping.
Fourth stage: and this is the exception to the rule. I should put the Master Buss level at 0 db or unity gain. And if the signal still clips or goes in the red I should attenuate with my channel fader for the synth.
Five: My soundcard MASTER VOLUME. This shoudn't matter. I should put this at a comfortable level, correct.
Six: The last stage is my powered speaker volume. Again, I should put this to a comfortable monitoring level?
Am I correct in these assumptions?
