Proppa

Gain Staging... THE SAUCE

Added 2023-01-27 17:56:13 +0000 UTC

Alright alright alrighhhttt. So I wanted to do this as a video but I figured I'd do it as a text post. I think it'll be a lot easier for you guys to pull the information this way.

This is a resource I've offered to my students in all of my time teaching lessons, finally opening it up to my Patreon subs!

These numbers are a general target area of where I keep all of my sounds in my mix pre-master. Keep in mind, everyone is different. Everyone likes to choose sounds with different characteristics, and use plugins in different ways. So if anything, this is more of a guide than a rule set. 10000% use your ears and best judgement before going strictly off of these numbers.

With that said, here's my gain staging list!

Kick: -11dB to -10dB
Clap: -13dB to -11dB
Basses (w/out sub): -16dB to -13dB
Sub Layer: -17dB to -15dB
Basses (w/sub): -16dB to -13dB
Main Lead Synths: -16dB to -11dB depending on the sound
Support Synths/Pads: -20dB to -14dB depending on the sound
Ambience: -24dB to -18dB
Lead Vocals: -12dB to -10db
Support Vocals: -16dB to -14dB
Full Vocal Stem (Lead + Support): -11dB to -9.5dB louder = more popular style tracks
Hats: -14dB to -12dB
Shakers/Tambourines: -20dB to -14dB
Support percussion (extra claps, snares, congas, etc.): -22dB to -15dB
FX: -25dB to -14dB depending on sound
BUS/Group Output - Synth/Bass: No more than -8dB overall
BUS/Group Output - Tops: No more than -11 overall

As I said before, definitely take this with a grain of salt. However, this is how I've structured my gains for the last 2 years and it hasn't let me down!

Love ya'll!