gain plugin?

[jamie rustic]

hello:

in working with different projects i frequently receive tracks that are recorded very hot or with little signal level (e.g., <25dbfs). i understand that many plugins, including waves, etc., are calibrated for approx. -18dbfs for optimal use.

this leads me to a question- is there a gain plugin in reaper that i can use to optimize the track level before it hits any processing plugins? many other daws either have a gain control at the input of the channel to allow optimization or have a plugin that does the same thing.

does anyone know how this can be done in reaper?

thanks, jr

[prezbass]

I would HIGHLY suggest checking out the Mono/Stereo tools by Sleepy Time. Very cool, very simple plugin to help with proper gain staging. Can't imagine life without them.

http://bedroomproducersblog.com/2014...eepy-time-dsp/

[bezusheist]

There is a JS Volume plug in, or you could just normalize the track/item to any level you want.

[crimsonmerry]

You can also drag the clip gain (shift)up or down.

[drichard]

There is a small set of free plugins by HOFA that include a gain/pan plug that is extrremely useful. In addition to setting gain I sometimes use it to pan my stereo field prior to feeding a stereo reverb or delay. It's handy and it's free.

Klanghelm has an inexpensive meter plugin that allows you to set gain. Bluecat also has a simple gain plugin with three types of control: mono, stereo, or dual mono. It's part of their free plugin package that includes a few other nice things.

Originally Posted by jamie rustic

hello:

in working with different projects i frequently receive tracks that are recorded very hot or with little signal level (e.g., <25dbfs). i understand that many plugins, including waves, etc., are calibrated for approx. -18dbfs for optimal use.

this leads me to a question- is there a gain plugin in reaper that i can use to optimize the track level before it hits any processing plugins? many other daws either have a gain control at the input of the channel to allow optimization or have a plugin that does the same thing.

does anyone know how this can be done in reaper?

thanks, jr

[mschnell]

I suppose "Normalize" the track(s) is what you want to do. This is just a single key stroke in Reaper (see the User Guide).

In a Reaper (like most software DAWs) there is no need to set the volume to some value below 0 dB ("headroom"), as, due to floating point calculation, there is no clipping.

-Michael

[jamie rustic]

wow- thanks for taking the time, all.

i dont think normalization is the solution i need. im really trying to get audio into fx plugins with the gain that the plugin is optimized for. for waves i believe that is -18dbfs which could be raising or lowering the gain of the recorded clip. while i could normalize and get adjacent to 0dbfs its too hot for the plugin, as i understand it.

i really appreciate the plugin suite info, im looking at all of them right now. thanks!

crimsonmerry: one question- can you explain gain dragging, please? i think i understand what that will do, but it isnt a skill i have used (at least in reaper).

thanks! jr

[ashcat_lt]

Any plugin that is sensitive to input level SHOULD have an input gain parameter of its own. Waves, though...shrug...

There are about seventeen different places to adjust volume before you get to the insert FX, starting with take volume which should be just a line at the top of the take that you can't usually see until you pull it down. I wouldn't know how to raise that above unity, though. I know it can be done. You can right click and go to item properties and there's a slider.

The JS Volume Adjustment plug is super efficient and works just fine for this kind of thing, but you do have to watch out for the Max Volume parameter. That is a hard clipping limit that comes after the gain adjustment. For best results, especially when adding gain, whack that up as high as it goes so that it never actually clips, and then deal with any overs that happen somewhere further along with something more polite.

[Twangothan]

See also the thread on Generl Discussions on tbe Hornet plug which is designed to do what you want.

[jamie rustic]

thanks all, great help.

jr

[Judders]

With SWS extensions you can normalise to a specified RMS level, if you want it automated.

Or, if you're looking for a faux-analogue workflow into Waves gear emulations, use the input gain knob on the plugin and switch the plugin metering to input.

If you really want a dedicated plugin, then VUMT by Klanghelm gives you VU or PPM style metering and gain control: https://klanghelm.com/contents/products/VUMT/VUMT.php

[SwampDonkey]

I use Satson and VUMT, they are wonderful for that very thing

[jamie rustic]

thanks all for your time- great help.
jr