The No.1 trick for LOUD mixes - Gain-Stage like a PRO in Cubase
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 14 июл 2024
- On this video, I show you how to gain stage like a PRO in Cubase - the king of Gain Staging amongst all DAWs.
➡️My Gear list: www.thomann.de/gb/thlpg_525xw... Видеоклипы
Nearly 20 years in Cubase, and NOW I learn about the pencil on audio events?
This is embarrassing! I would automate, and then bounce before compression.
This made me happy. Enjoy the new tool! :)
me too
I don't know if it'll make you happier but you are not alone ;-)
me too.. wowwww
@@boogie2266 Add me to this list...haha
It is almost spooky how much i learn from this channel.
👻👻👻 hahaha thanks Michael!
I know, same here!
@@DomSigalas I have a list with all Dom’s awesome lessons so I can rewatch per topic when I need help. 100 times better than any manual!
I cheer every time I hear someone say, "don't use compression to fix things!" That was driven into me when I started in engineering in the late 70s. And on analogue, it was even more important because of noise.
In fact, with the exception of the pencil tool (something I have loved in Cubase), so much of what you talked about comes from the analogue book. We always recorded at as high a level as we could get away with because of noise. The higher the signal, the lower the noise - simple. So, in theory, everything on the 24 track was the same level, more or less. At mix time, the first thing I used to do was put all the faders at zero/unity the whole way down the desk, then do a very rough mix using the channel gain knobs. (And for those who haven't played with a desk, the input gain is attached to the input amp on the channel circuit - it is the first stop from the tape machine).
I much preferred using PPM meters (they are easier to watch because of their slower release and fewer fussy markings). I would end up with a mix that was just a little bit low, but all the faders were still level. As a note, I almost never had to turn anything up - always down.
The other thing we did (pre automation) was to bounce things like vocals and ride the fader constantly as we did so - the manual version if what who you did with the pencil tool. Sometimes on Cubase I use a plugin called Vocal Rider to achieve a similar result. Very useful!
The platform might be digital and computerised now, but you have stuck wonderfully to those old analogue rules that were developed over decades, often because of the limitations of the equipment, but also because people had the same ears as you and wanted lovely, clean mixes.
Faders at Zero; use input gains to get close as you can to a mix. It makes so much sense I can't believe we did it so wrong all this time live and in the studio. Even the individual monitor mixes (live especially) are so easy to dial in from that starting point 'cause they are also even as can be. I hate wedges on stage - sound companies don't know how to EQ them, they're Mono and the mix you get is atrocious - if you hear anything at all. In-Ears and your own Tablet to mix on is the only way to go. Front of House? - a lot of incompetent braggards are out there who shouldn't be, who don't understand Balance, EQ, and least of all, FX. Thankfully, there are a few who set a standard for what sound should and can be. Faders at Zero and ride those gains - you'll never look back - except to shake your head and laugh at how stupid you were mixing with some faders set near minus infinity. And no more blowing up the board!!! Everything lit up as Red-light extreme as it will go all the time on every channel, sub, and output is not the way to go - not good. Trim.
Cancel
Reply
OMG the pencil thing.... you killed me
+1
The pencil thing made me cry about the hours I spent editing vocals using pre-gain envelope and the overall even clip gain. I only wish it were more obvious that this feature exists in Cubase.
Bloody hell Mr Sigalas, I'm astounded! You have produced the ultimate guide to Gain-Staging in one brilliantly concise, no nonsense YT session in under 18 minutes. Absolute genius work Dom, I just wish I'd found you sooner!!!!
Yeah fantastic studf
I know! He's terrific isn't he?
30yrs in Cubase and the pencil tool made me feel like a fool. It even ryhmes. Thank you!
Same - I've gotten pretty smug with these "like a pro" videos finding that I'm doing everything in them, but this one made me feel like an amateur for sure
I recently used this gain staging technique this week on a recording of an original song of mine and it totally transformed the song. The final result was a revelation. It wasn't that difficult to implement either. No more recording "hot" from now on.
Fuck me, I've been using Cubase for about 15 years and I had absolutely no idea the pen tool did that, absolute fucking game changer!! Kudos to you mate!
Dom, your explanations and every detail and tip you provide are exceptional! I can't wait for your next video! 😃
Hey Dom. I'm really glad that I found your channel. You can't imagine what I already learned by watching your videos within the last two weeks since I found you. I wish I had more time to test out all of your tips by myself. Keep up the good work!
WOW, using the pencil to smooth out the audio is brilliant, Dom I did not know about that. Thank you so much for sharing this tip.
Please don’t ask if we want a video about the thing you don’t fully explain, PLEASE JUST DO IT, WE NEED MORE TUTORIALS OF CUBASE 10.5 AND MAKE THE CUBASE COMMUNITY GROW ❤️
The pencil trick is just AWESOME! I was automating all the breaths for years, now I know how to do it in the right way! Thanks Dom!
I'm absolutely inspired by your obvious passion for helping people understand how to use this product AND put them on the path to creating their own music.
This video changed lives! 800 pages cubase manual no wonder this man is a genius!
Dom, this advice is absolute gold. Thank you!
You teach in such a way that anyone can easily get it. Cheers hope to get more tutorials on mixing.
On of the best of Dom's tutorials. This might be the most important thing I've learned so far. I'm totally comfortable building a solid gain foundation for each mix now. Dom, I knew a couple of the concepts you taught (headroom at -18 or -12, for example) but I had no idea of the order these moves should come in, or "where" these moves existed in the signal chain (like knowing that pencil adjustments should come before fader automation, etc.). It makes total sense now ... but it might have taken me months, even years, to figure it out through experience on my own. Really appreciate this lesson. Immediately, immediately helpful and impactful.
A really useful quick reference video for understanding gainstaging in Cubase. As always, really clearly and dynamically explained! Thanks a million!
Just from watching a couple of your vids yesterday and today, i’m learning a lot and my mixes are rewarding me for it. You are the man!
Even though I'm a long-time Cubase professional, I always look forward to learning new tips and tricks, and I'm usually amazed at how I could have lived without them before. Thanks for helping to elevate all our Cubase games.
Just found your channel. Learning so much already and I’ve been using Cubase since it was first released! In fact I started with Steinberg 24 on an Atari ST. This video was fantastic. I have always just pulled the channel fader down. Using these tips I’m sure will make a big difference to my control over the final mix. Trouble is now I want to watch all your other videos which is stopping me actually recording music. Thank you for the videos and your time making them.
Again, such a clear and easy tutorial and showing pros and cons of working on gains. Thanks!!
Thank you for your Cubase shares Dom!
Holy crap, Dom! THANK YOU! Gain staging has been eluding me a bit and this was the most concise and straightforward explanation I have seen. I actually have a workable process now, especially within Cubase.
Dom, you are such a good teacher, I have learned so much from you, and truth be told, one is never too old to learn new things! The way you deliver your teachings on this channel, and with so much passion, is simply sublime!
I've been active in the audio industry in Belgium since 1993, I have done editing, mixing, mastering and composing music for fiction series, and I have been a Cubase aficionado (also Nuendo) and user since 1999. Now I also teach Cubase (and sadly also Adobe Audition) in high school in Belgium. But the way you are making these youtube tutorials and videos, really helps me at delivering my teaching methods to my pupils. I am much older than you, but then again, I consider you as my role model, to teach my young audio padawans in school. ;-)
I'm a big fan of yours, and I also redirect my pupils to go and watch (and ding your notification bell and subscribe to your channel) all your videos on RUclips here. Normally I have to make my own videos to explain stuff to them, so they can watch them again, but with a knowledge-source like you, I can let them watch all of your videos and hope they absorb as much as they can. It really helps me out.
Continue your good work, I will continue watching everything you deliver.
Greetings,
Miguel
Watching this video again to do gain-staging better. Brilliant video! Thanks!
You have so many great tips for Cubase!
I can't get over how good the Pencil on "Gain" for audio samples is.......thanks so much!
This pencil feature has been available for a long time... Cubase is best!
Awesome, I was a "just turn the fader down" guy, until now. Thank you.
🤟🏼🤟🏼🤟🏼😀😃😃
Probably the most concise explanation on the subject in the dozen vids I just watched. Excellent work!
Your hints are like gems. Thank you very much!
We can also make an automation of the Pre-Gain section to ensure that volume is balanced before hitting any plugin! :)
Ok so I just found this precious tutorial after I just my gain staging my song with that old bad methods. Let me cry my tears out above peak level 😂
That pencil tool tip is otherworldly. Your tutorials are a cut above the rest always leaving feeling like it was worth the watch. Fantastic channel !!
Wooow that pencil trick is incredible!! I can't wait to play with it. Feels like I level up every time I watch one of your videos, Dom. Thank you so much, man!
The loudness war!!!! :D you almost 20k man congratz !!
That's indeed great news for celebration! 😃
There is a small trap by using "PreGain" (not only this one), maybe just when you are not used to it. For instance I had the Noise Gate in the Channel Strip in use and lowered now the PreGain. The Noise Gate of course had to be adjusted in the threshold. First I was wondering why there was no longer any sound after lowering the PRE gain...so if Gain Staging on a already started project, be aware of the impact
This video is an eye opener. Thanks for teaching the methods. I'm really grateful to you😊
Wow, Dom what a great content you provide in your videos. You've inspired me to get Cubase Pro 10 and that has really upped my game. And now, learning about pencil editing makes a great addition to my bag of tricks. I always dreamed of having that kind of control in gain staging and editing without using automation and clip gaining but did not know that trick until now. A big THANK YOU goes your way. Rock onward.
Cubase needs an optional feature to automatically pull the pre gain down to whatever predetermined level you have set. (-6,-12-18 or whatever you want.) That way, when you drop in a vst or sample, cubase would automatically adjust the pre gain to your desired setting while leaving the fader at zero. Doesn't seem like it would be that hard to implement it. Would save us a ton of time.
yes i was thinking the same as i watched the vid
it would be hard to implement as Cubase can't decide whether it should be -6 or -18. Sometimes you have over a hundred tracks and your levels are too hot, sometimes you have just ten tracks and you're ok with the recorded levels. And if you work professionally uour levels are never too hot, as they should always be recorded not hotter than -18 dB TPFS.
Amazing tutorial, thank you Dom!
A question: You mentioned that you like to have -12dB on the master while mixing.
How do you achieve that this remains more or less constant while adding more and more tracks during production? (And why -12?)
Thank you Dom!!! I always watch your tutorials, still can't believe I never saw this one before.
I just needed to say: THANK YOU! You have no idea how much you're helping us (you and Chris Selim), always providing us with GREAT contributions.
Cheers, man!
Thank you Dom again for an awesome Cubase features video - finally this is what this great DAW deserves...
The pencil tool is a good idea but needs to be reworked, it is a pain to use, e.g. the points are so tiny, it is practically impossible to hit them again in case you want to edit the curve. You should be able to edit them like automation, with Bézier curves and proper tools. It is a long time since I used Ableton Live, but the clip envelopes there were sooo much easier to use. And that was ten years ago.
Could be a great tool, as of now I rarely ever use it because it’s a pita. It is usually faster to automate the pre gain.
Very true!
I love using the pencil tool, but you are correct. We do need a way to be able to zoom in on the points to make them bigger and easier to work with.
Wow, talk about information that you can immediately apply to improve your work. This was gold. Thank you.
Didn't know about the pencil trick! It was great to get an explanation on gain staging, since as a beginner, it has been an area with quite a lot of a struggle for me. Thanks for a great video!
Trick #2 was an absolute stunner. I never knew this existed and I will try it now with a mix given to me. May be a life saver for the vocals. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for all the great tips Dom, you help me a lot with the production and those small details!
Man! This is great content! Thank you so much! We just started to deep work with new track and has problems with gain of the mix. Now i understand why. Your channel is so great!
WOW!!! So many tips and tricks in this great video. Thanks Dom
Dom, your videos are gold! I never get bored watching and learning from you! Thank you!
Excellent explanation... Thank you! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Dom, I have no words to say that this video is fantastic, and your explanation even better. Clear, honest, concised, incredible. Cubase is a fantastic DAW, and deserves great teachers as you are. I learnt a lot about gain stagin in 17 minutes ! All fantastic, from the 1st minut ti the last. I am unable ti highlight only one oart of the video. You are helping to grow all the Cubase community users. Congratulations. I will keep this video in a safe place as the "bible" of gain staging, and of sure, I will revisited more than once, and I will share to other colleagues.
Brilliant as always. Thank you, master.
Like all your tutorials, insightful, clear, and enjoyable...thanks Dom !
Excellent tips here Dom!! Thanks for simplifying Gain Staging.😎
Even though I am a Reaper user, your videos always help me a lot. They're so universal despite they're Cubase focused. Thank you.
The more of Dom's videos I watch, the more I'm convinced he is the Jesus of music production in Cubase. Absolute godsend! Thank you Dom!
Thanks a lot, dear Dom!
This is great. I was taught at college to drop all the faders to start for analogue mixing but this solution for DAW is brilliant
Almost always something new learned in your videos, thanks Dom!
thanks Dom, very appropriate for my journey/learning at the moment........appreciated.
Cubase roles all the other daws out there since the very beginning. Thank you Dom !
Thank you for this detail about "The Event Based Volume Envelope" it means a lot for me, I didn't know that.
That's life saving!!! Thanks Dom.
Excellent video, as usual. Thanks a lot, Dom. A pleasure to learn from you!
Wow!! Thank you Dom!!
Really excellent video about a critical step in mixing. Thank you so much!
OMG !.. this is the best video of gain staging ever... thankk youuu
You really made my day. Been going through this challenge for a long time now, thanks a million Dom
Thank you for this! I've been tracking for years and never knew about pre-gain - saved it to my archived vids!
As usual, your Cubase videos teach me so much more than just how to use Cubase - but how to be a better mixer / producer for my projects. Mahalo, friend.
Thank you Dom.
Priceless tips, once again. I've been using pre gain and clip adjustments but didn't know about the volume envelope stuff.
Keep up the good work!
Alex
only been using and learning for a year, but you've saved me so much time - future time! Dom you are Invaluable! I constantly go to your channel to learn new things!
Glad it helped Dan!
This really taught me how to understand gain staging. TY so much for this.
I love all of your videos! Great teacher! Thank you!
The cubase videos you create is often so helpful. Including this one here 👌💪 ❤
Thank you for these advices! Finally I can improve my workspeed in my favourite DAW! :)
You're a free king lifesaver man, I can't tell you how much of a difference your channel makes for me!
Great course again!
Answering my questions about those different faders etc.
How did I not know about the pencil? A morning of watching your videos I've learnt more about Cubase than what I've picked up along the way using it every day for 15 years! Thank you!
Best explanation I’ve seen of this. Thank you :)
Great lesson Dom! Absolutely correct!
I'm new with Cubase LE 13. Thanks a lot for your help. Cubase releases the dream you want !
Yes Sir!
I did'nt Know that ! very exciting
Thanks a lot
Dom, you are a true audiohero! Thanx a lot for your sharing your knowledge and the compassionate teaching.
My pleasure!
Dom U are the Wiz of Cubase - THX a freaking lot.!!
The pencil even works in 5! This is brilliant! Cheers, Brother!
yup! knew these and I agree completely with you!
Thanks so much for doing this. It lifted the fog on gain staging for me.
Explained and illustrated very well! Thank you! \m/ \m/
You are an amazing teacher, you make everything seem so easy! This is a gamechanger and saves alot of time
Awesome stuff and - as many of you - I didn't know about the pencil tool either. After more than 20 years of working with Cubase! So thank you Dom!
As far as I can see, it is very useful and it will be part of my workflow from now on.👍
Top shelf advice - thanks Dom!
Thank you so much Dom, huge tip this pencil !
Fantastic explanation - many thanks!
wow..this week i learned so much, watching your videos while do my boresome job, i ordered a cc121 and am really enjoying to start my cubase now :)
Aw man, there's something new to learn in Cubase every day. Thanks for this Dom!
This is one of the best tutorials that I've ever seen! Thanks Dom.