Scooter B
New member
Questions on Gain Staging.
(Blue Bear you have been a good source so far and anyone else out there)
(Forgive me if this has been covered in a previous thread just point me in the right direction.)
If I understand gain staging properly you generally want your cleanest/purest signal boosted at the earliest point possible with you best pre-amp possible. Seems simple enough in theory and the goal here is to keep the noise floor to a minimum.
Now my question. My 4-track manual (Yamaha MT4X cassette) recomends keeping the input faders at the 7 - 8 range. With my various budget pre's; two Sans Amp Models and an ART Tube Pac I can easily get enough clean gain (for DI bass, guitar and drum machine) with my input faders at 4 - 6 and just start to peg the meters... or I can preset the input faders at the recomended 7 - 8 range and get the same level on my meters by backing off on;
1) the output of the preamp,
2) the pre gain,
3) and/or the output level on the drum machine.
I know the amout of pre gain will or can color the sound and is a matter of taste/ desired effect etc. And I am NOT using the built in pre's for anything.
But what is the best rule of thumb on priority between keeping your input faders at a recomended range (ie 7 - 8) versus using your preamp output with your input faders at a less than recomended (ie 4 - 6)? I do not hear an obvious diffrence between the two options when I am tracking but I have a feeling there will be a difference in the two options by time you bounce, add effects and mix.
(Blue Bear you have been a good source so far and anyone else out there)
(Forgive me if this has been covered in a previous thread just point me in the right direction.)
If I understand gain staging properly you generally want your cleanest/purest signal boosted at the earliest point possible with you best pre-amp possible. Seems simple enough in theory and the goal here is to keep the noise floor to a minimum.
Now my question. My 4-track manual (Yamaha MT4X cassette) recomends keeping the input faders at the 7 - 8 range. With my various budget pre's; two Sans Amp Models and an ART Tube Pac I can easily get enough clean gain (for DI bass, guitar and drum machine) with my input faders at 4 - 6 and just start to peg the meters... or I can preset the input faders at the recomended 7 - 8 range and get the same level on my meters by backing off on;
1) the output of the preamp,
2) the pre gain,
3) and/or the output level on the drum machine.
I know the amout of pre gain will or can color the sound and is a matter of taste/ desired effect etc. And I am NOT using the built in pre's for anything.
But what is the best rule of thumb on priority between keeping your input faders at a recomended range (ie 7 - 8) versus using your preamp output with your input faders at a less than recomended (ie 4 - 6)? I do not hear an obvious diffrence between the two options when I am tracking but I have a feeling there will be a difference in the two options by time you bounce, add effects and mix.