If you are using the term “gained staging” as a verb, you might be overthinking it. Like, “I gained staged this, and then I gained staged that.” If “gained staged” were a proper verb, it would just mean to set sensible levels, and I’d argue that that’s something most engineers just do without a prescription. Kind of like being on time.
“This morning, I untimed my alarm, and then I untimed myself to school. At the end of the day, I untimed home, untimed.” You don’t need to be that scientific about it. If you’re clipping your meter at any point, “Hey, Goldilocks, this porridge, it’s too hot.” Turn down whatever’s feeding it.
Plus, a little bit more in case you didn’t turn it down enough. “Hey, Goldilocks, if this porridge is too cold, then you’re gonna have to turn it up later.” Every analog thing you own generates a little bit of its own noise. You’ve recorded that noise too, and inevitably when you crank it up later, you’re turning up that noise as well.
When it comes time to mix, even in digital where there’s no noise, and practically infinite headroom before clipping, your main tool as a storyteller is level. The power you wield to tell your listeners a story is pretty much equal to the distance between where your fader lives and how high it can go. And for that, you get to decide for yourself what is just right.
But remember, if everything is maxed out because you recorded it too low, that distance is tiny, and you can’t be a very effective storyteller. Either way, your signal isn’t ever gain staged. That’s not a thing.
Gain staging is something you adhere to. It’s best practice. So maybe think twice before you use gain stage as a verb.
And if this video was helpful, share it with somebody who belongs in a class like this.
