How To Properly Do Gain Staging in Logic Pro X

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Streaming has actively changed the way we produce music, in this case, driven by the Loudness Correction used by the likes of Spotify and iTunes that actively turns down overcooked masters. Put simply, choice is being put back in our hands — we can choose between our music is pushed to the limits or an alternative where we give the arrangement room to breathe without fear the listener hears a dramatically quieter mix.

One of the big problems of the Loudness Wars was a tendency to work consistently up to 0dBFS — in other words, pushing everything in the mix, even the mix itself, as close to the top of the meter scale as possible. Of course, this methodology is a guaranteed route to producing a loud mix , but even in the case of more compressed music styles like EDM, for example the lack of sonic headroom makes for a confined and restricted working environment.

As a result, many engineers are returning to a mixing and production workflow that values dynamic range and headroom — the art of Gain Staging, in other words. Assemble a collection of these loops into a composition, therefore, and before you know it, the Master fader is clipping red. A simple sign of bad Gain Staging, therefore, is either a Master Fader, or individual channel faders, dramatically attenuated below their unity position.

Put simply, Gain Staging is all about allowing Headroom in your mix, both on a track-by-track basis, but also in subsequent buses and, of course, the main stereo bus. The walkthrough illustrates a number of contrasting solutions you can take in Logic Pro X so as to actively Gain Stage your mix correctly. Of course, the inevitable question for those that enjoy their music sounding hyped or compressed, is that whether good Gain Staging results in productions that lack edge? In the long run, therefore, something as relatively innocuous as Gain Staging could be the workflow change that makes all the difference!

Good metering is essential for effective Gain Staging, so try placing an instance of the Level Meter plug-in across the main bus. Adjust the threshold to your preferred working level, which is usually dB.

Once instantiated, lowered the Gain control paying attention to the levels on the Pre-Fade channel meters. Arguably the most elegant solution for Audio Tracks is the Region-based Gain control, which adjusts Gain on a region-by-region basis.

If you got a lot of tracks to correct, Logic includes a handy tool for setting region gain. The regions are then adjusted to dB on a per-track basis, rather than as individual regions. Opinion varies on what the optimal levels are for good mixing, but most solutions fall between dBFS and dBFS, and you can also take different views of whether this is average or peak levels. With the tracks correctly Gain Staged to dB, you can piece together a mix with plenty of headroom.

You might even want to add-in the Loudness meter to see how dynamic or not your mix is. On the Compressor, for example, avoid overcooking the Make-Up control post-compression. If you use Auto Gain — which automatically compensates the output level in respect to the gain reduction applied — use the dB choice rather than 0dB option, which could seriously compromise your headroom!

Likewise, if you use EQ, ensure you check your eventually levels, especially if the setting is additive. The Gain control on the right-hand side can be apply any level adjustment after the equalisation has been applied. When it come to the use of Bus faders, try to preserve good Gain Staging practice.

The newly created VCA 1 fader — found on the right-hand side of the mixer — can be used as a gain control between the channel faders and the input of the bus, preserving the overall headroom. Your mastering engineer will enjoy the extra headroom! However, if you want to export mixes for auditioning purposes that peak at 0dBFS, consider using the Normalize feature as part of the Bounce dialogue box.

For more Logic tutorials and workshops, check here. Apple Logic Pro Production. Tone Empire Firechild compressor review: The vari-mu king gets convolved.

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[Proper gain staging logic pro x free

 
At this point, your mix is well balanced and the level on the master bus is close enough to 0dBFS without clipping.

 
 

Proper gain staging logic pro x free. How to use gain staging in Logic Pro X

 
 
Buy PDF version. Functional cookies Functional cookies Always active The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Gain staging was also needed to make sure that the level going into each hardware unit was optimal. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Music Production. The regions are then adjusted to dB on a per-track basis, rather than as individual regions.