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Gain
Gain controls signal level at the input or processing stage of the signal path.
Level relevance: introduced at Nat 3; tagged for every later level where the same concept remains useful.
Explanation
Gain refers to the level of a signal as it enters or passes through a stage in the signal path. During recording, input gain is adjusted so the source is captured clearly without clipping. In production, gain staging helps keep levels healthy throughout the project. Good gain control leads to cleaner recordings and more predictable mixing.
Topics
RecordingSignal pathLevels
Curriculum statussupporting vocabulary
Review statusdraft
Related terms
Signal path
The signal path is the route audio takes from the source to the recording or playback system.
View termClipping
Clipping happens when a signal is too loud and the peaks are cut off, causing distortion.
View termNormalisation
Normalisation raises or lowers a file’s level so its highest peak reaches a chosen target.
View term