Good Work Practice

Gain Staging and Pre-Mix

(Photo Credits: Rupert Neve)

For those who record and mix audio there have recently been two articles in Sound on Sound worth checking out. In an age of countless home studios, routine can sometimes be hard earned. If you do digital recordings and prepare multitracks for mix, these are well recommended readings!


•  The first article is found in the September 2013 issue (and online with an SOS user). It is on the topic of gain structure and it is useful for anyone who is recording audio. Even, (or even especially) if you've been doing it for a while. Article: ‘Gain Staging In Your DAW.’

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What do you do before you mix? Are you so restless that recording and mix merges into a big mash? I know I used to be! The second article is on the pre-mix stage. You'll find it in SOS' December 2013 issue or online with a user account. It covers so much ground that I recommend you take note of just a few work-practices and implement them, then go back and read it again. Article: ‘The Pre-mix: Ten Steps To A Better Mix.’ Someone has also done a nice summary of the article on this blog.