Gain, a.k.a. Trim, is a volume control for each channel of a mixing console. The Gain knob controls the volume being input into the channel, not the amount of volume output through the channel. Different types of input devices, from mp3 players to guitars to vocal microphones all have different volume levels that are input into the mixing console. The job of the Gain/Trim knob is to control those levels so the faders can best control the volume output.
Setting the gain for each channel can be done using channel meters within each channel, on the high-end mixers, or the volume meter located on the mixer via use of the Solo/PFL button. The PFL/SOLO button acts as a controller over which channel is being monitored in the volume meter.
Set The Gain:
- Select a channel for setting a level, let’s say a vocal microphone in channel #4.
- Have the singer sing a verse or two of a song they will be singing that day – and sing at their normal level.
- With the PFL button pressed and the Gain knob set at zero, start turning the Gain knob up. The fader should be set at 0.
- Stop turning the Gain knob when the volume meter is showing 2-3 green bars.
- Tell the singer to go up in volume.
- Turn the knob back if the meter goes into the red.
- Expect it to stay green with an occasional yellow.
- You don’t want to be on the edge of green/yellow as when you add in other channels, every 3 channels increase the overall volume level.
Now, with the fader at the 0 indicator, you will have the best control over the vocal volume.
Using this method, it’s possible to set all fader’s to the 0 mark and have equal volume levels for all channels. That doesn’t mean the mix is finished, it just means the volume levels are in a good range.
*An exception. Depending on your setup, #4 might not work in your situtation. If you set the gain using #4 but it’s not loud enough, then keep increasing the gain until it is loud enough. Let your ears make the right decision.
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One question..if you do not use a gain knob (it’s set to 0) on a mixing console do you still benefit from the preamps (color-sound) or does this totally bypass the preamp on a console and you’re just going with the signal true AD/DA on a digital console.. When you record for example synths, the synth has master volume and when you hit the console with the strong signal (loud volume) is ussually allready close to red levels- you can do that I mean.. Is it wise to combine the 50/50 approachx so that you mix the signal with external and internal etc.
thank you for your comment..
Bojan, you aren’t bypassing the preamp when you send it greater volume. All you’re doing is sending the channel a greater base volume in which case you are loosing control and you get signal bleed. When I have my inputs coming in and my gain at 0, then I shouldn’t hear anything bleeding through the channel. if I do, I’ll either hit the PAD button or see if I can have the source turn down their output such as with keys or acoustic guitar onboard amps.
I use a yamaha mg16/4 mixing console. When i do the above settings, it causes feedback in my monitor, so where should the monitor be set in relation to these settings. The monitor uses an auxilliary channel.
This might be due to the location of your microphones to the monitors. Make sure the monitor isn’t too close to a microphone.
usually when i set everything, i out faders for the channels and the master to the ’0′mark and do what you said above. Sometime back when i discovered this feedback issue, what i do is to reduce the monitor (powered speaker) levels to close to ’0′ bearing in mind that it is the praise and worship that needs the monitor more than others.So, i make sure they can still hear themselves. After a month of struggling with these, i leave every channel to ’10′ on the faders and leave the main at zero. Then yesterday, after refreshing by looking at your post, i resorted to setting the channel faders and main fader to zero and reduced potential feedback settings such as gains and monitor. So what i did for the monitor is that though it is usually at ’12noon’ mark at the main monitor setting on the mixer, while it is at ’9 0 clock’ level on each channel fader and ’7 0 clock’ level at the back of the monitor (powered speaker). Then amazingly, there was no feedback as usually happened. So, what i want to know is whether the settings for the monitor both on the mixer and behind the monitor were ideal or not.
I feel so dumb asking this, but where should my master volume slider be at when setting gain structures this way?
Adam, no worries…your master volume fader should be at the zero position (about 2/3′s or 3/4′s the way up).
Hello there. I was always lead to believe that when you pushed up a Chanel slider above the o that it increased the gain / trim on the Chanel .
Is this fact , true or false
It has been a major factor in how I set up my mix thru the years.
Regards
Paul
The gain/trim control controls the amount of the signal coming in. When you initially set gain, that’s why it’s best to set the fader at 0. Any time you are increasing or decreasing the fader from 0, you are using the electronic circuitry to alter the signal.
While I agree this is a great approach to analog gain setting, does it translate to digital console as well??? The highest gain setting a few meters shy of clipping would allow for more data to be translated and transmitted to the digital world, thus producing a more natural sound. So in that scenario, gain setting is more a visual task vs a listening task. This was a statement made to me years ago by a Yamaha rep, I’m curious, is it true???
That’s an interesting concept but no. Both analog and digital mixers use analog preamp’s and the gain is altered before the sound is digitized. I’m going to contact a friend and see if it was ever that way in early digital mixers. I would think not but “ya never now.”
Bart, I did a bit of research (thanks to David McLain from CCI Solutions) and found the Yamaha rep was closer to right than I thought.
The preamp section is analog, not digital, so yes, you want to give it a good strong signal, and it will “allow for more data to be translated
and transmitted to the digital world,” but the biggest advantage is in signal-to-noise ratio, naturally. But we’re looking for the BEST level, not the HIGHEST level. In other words, establishing a good gain structure RESULTS in a clear strong data-packed digital signal. BEST and HIGHEST being two different things.
@DukeDejong say from his experience, “The sweet spot for gain on M7 and LS9 is between -18 and -12 dB.”
Great, simple and coherent. The KISS method of mixing is always the best.
I have found however, that as the service progresses, the singers vocal cords “warm up” and the levels start creeping up leading to the black art simultaneously cutting gain, boosting monitor sends and pulling down faders all without disrupting the service. I always direct my singers to make punchy sssss sounds during the sound check alternating with a few lines of singing an upbeat song. I set my gain to 0 vu on the meters, set the monitor and house levels and we are off and running. I’ve always found that if all faders are near unity you are golden, plenty of range for boost or cut and a lot headroon for the signal chain.
Nice article. Keep up the good work.
Touching gain after it's set….naughty, naughty. :) I've done it a handful of times myself but usually limit that to someone changing their amp volume.