{"id":45895,"date":"2023-06-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/?p=45895"},"modified":"2023-08-03T14:24:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T19:24:47","slug":"understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"produ-1447314217\" class=\"produ-leaderboard-placement produ-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;margin-bottom: 30px!important;\"><script async=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\/tag\/js\/gpt.js\"><\/script>\n<script> var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || [];<\/script>\n<div id=\"gpt-ad-7888699870052-0\">\n  <script>\n\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {\n\t\t\t\tgoogletag.defineSlot( '\/21927241144\/728x90-Leaderboard', [728,90], 'gpt-ad-7888699870052-0' )\n\t\t.addService(googletag.pubads());\n\t\t\t\twindow.advadsGamEmptySlotsTimers = window.advadsGamEmptySlotsTimers || {};\n\t\tconst timers                     = window.advadsGamEmptySlotsTimers;\n\n\t\ttimers['gpt-ad-7888699870052-0'] = setTimeout( function () {\n\t\t\tconst id = 'gpt-ad-7888699870052-0';\n\t\t\tdocument.dispatchEvent( new CustomEvent( 'aagam_empty_slot', {detail: id} ) );\n\t\t\tdelete ( timers[id] );\n\t\t}, 1000 );\n\n\t\tif ( typeof window.advadsGamHasEmptySlotListener === 'undefined' ) {\n\t\t\tgoogletag.pubads().addEventListener( 'slotRequested', function ( ev ) {\n\t\t\t\tconst id = ev.slot.getSlotElementId();\n\t\t\t\tif ( typeof timers[id] === 'undefined' ) {\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tclearTimeout( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\ttimers[id] = setTimeout( function () {\n\t\t\t\t\tdocument.dispatchEvent( new CustomEvent( 'aagam_empty_slot', {detail: id} ) );\n\t\t\t\t\tdelete ( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\t}, 2500 );\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t\tgoogletag.pubads().addEventListener( 'slotResponseReceived', function ( ev ) {\n\t\t\t\tconst id = ev.slot.getSlotElementId();\n\t\t\t\tif ( typeof timers[id] !== 'undefined' ) {\n\t\t\t\t\tclearTimeout( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\t\tdelete ( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tif ( ! ev.slot.getResponseInformation() ) {\n\t\t\t\t\tdocument.dispatchEvent( new CustomEvent( 'aagam_empty_slot', {detail: id} ) );\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t\twindow.advadsGamHasEmptySlotListener = true;\n\t\t}\n\n\t\tgoogletag.enableServices();\n\t\tgoogletag.display( 'gpt-ad-7888699870052-0' );\n\t} );\n  <\/script>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><p>Many of us have wondered, what is the difference between gain vs. volume. Even though the terms sometimes seem to be used interchangeably, there are some fundamental difference. The most important distinction between gain and volume is how, or more precisely \u201cwhere,\u201d they factor into the signal path.<\/p>\n<h3>Gain<\/h3>\n<p>We see it all over the place: on <a href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/top-virtual-amp-sims\/\">guitar amplifiers<\/a>, channel strips (real or digital), preamps, audio interfaces, etc. And we know that turning up the gain generally results in a volume increase. So how does it differ from volume?<\/p>\n<p>Gain refers to the level of something at the\u00a0<em>input\u00a0<\/em>stage, before it\u2019s been processed. A microphone preamp\u2019s gain or \u201ctrim\u201d control, for example, turns up the <em>input<\/em> signal of the microphone to a recordable level. On a guitar amplifier, the gain or \u201cdrive\u201d control similarly controls how strong the signal hitting the preamp stage is. While gain does increase volume, it\u2019s a fundamentally different concept.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes gain and volume are used interchangeably, and this is where some confusion occurs. On a compressor plugin, for example, the &#8220;makeup gain&#8221; function is really just an output volume knob by another name.<\/p>\n<p>SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/how-to-use-a-compressor\/\">HOW TO USE A COMPRESSOR<\/a><br \/>\nSEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/sonnox-inflator-review\/\">Sonnox Inflator Review: Loudness without Compromise<\/a><br \/>\nSEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/neural-dsp-quad-cortex\/\">Neural DSP Quad Cortex<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To further muddy things up, &#8220;gain&#8221; also refers to &#8220;distortion.&#8221; Distortion was quite literally born by overdriving a guitar amp with gain so that the speakers broke up.<\/p>\n<h3>Volume<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45897 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2.jpg\" alt=\"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume_2\" width=\"500\" height=\"750\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-50x75.jpg 50w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-180x270.jpg 180w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-150x225.jpg 150w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-113x170.jpg 113w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-280x420.jpg 280w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-233x350.jpg 233w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-40x60.jpg 40w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-12x18.jpg 12w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-160x240.jpg 160w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-360x540.jpg 360w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-11x16.jpg 11w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-404x606.jpg 404w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-9x14.jpg 9w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-227x340.jpg 227w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-7x10.jpg 7w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-17x26.jpg 17w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-6x9.jpg 6w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-467x700.jpg 467w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-14x21.jpg 14w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-385x578.jpg 385w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_2-20x30.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If gain is reserved to describe the input level on a source, then volume is the measurable <em>output\u00a0<\/em>level of a signal, after processing. Volume is typically measured in dB SPL and can be boiled down to the loudness we actually hear.<\/p>\n<p>Mixing in your DAW, every track is routed to a master stereo channel, or perhaps a mix bus if you&#8217;ve created one. How loud the output of the master is can be called \u201cvolume!\u201d Using a simple real-world example, the volume knob in your car turns up the stereo. Easy!<\/p>\n<p>You can see, then, that gain and volume are really quite different\u2014even though we tend to substitute them for one another.<\/p>\n<h3>Gain and Volume: What is Gain Staging?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen youtube\">\n<div class=\"container-lazyload preview-lazyload container-youtube js-lazyload--not-loaded\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p7336oHMAbY\" class=\"lazy-load-youtube preview-lazyload preview-youtube\" data-video-title=\"Gain Staging Explained - 3 things you need to know  - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro\" title=\"Play video &quot;Gain Staging Explained - 3 things you need to know  - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro&quot;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p7336oHMAbY<\/a><noscript>Video can&#8217;t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p7336oHMAbY\" title=\"Gain Staging Explained - 3 things you need to know  - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro\">Gain Staging Explained &#8211; 3 things you need to know  &#8211; Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p7336oHMAbY)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A gain stage is any point in the audio signal path where we can adjust the overall level of a track. For instance, this could be with a fader or with the output controls of plugins like compressors and EQs. <a href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/gain-stage-tracks-before-mixing\/\">Gain staging<\/a>, then, is the process of managing levels in each part of the signal path so that we don\u2019t introduce any unwanted noise or distortion.<\/p>\n<p>Before digital recording, <a href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/gain-staging-modern-recording\/\">gain staging<\/a> meant something completely different than it does now. Recording to tape meant printing super hot to have a signal well above the noise floor\/hiss of analogue machines. Of course, when modern digital recording was first introduced, some of this mindset carried over. It was thought that printing hot digitally would prevent any degradation of the signal during the conversion process. These days, converter quality has proven that just isn\u2019t the case!<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Gain Staging Tips<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>We Don\u2019t Have to Print \u201cHot\u201d Anymore!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>24-bit resolution has made the notion of printing hot a total misnomer. Without getting too technical about the 1\u2019s and 0\u2019s responsible for 24-bit resolution, tracking at 24-bit provides <em>plenty<\/em> of headroom to get above the noise floor, while still staying far away from clipping your converter.<\/p>\n<p>Each \u201cbit\u201d in 24-bit resolution amounts to 6 dB of headroom. 24 x 6 = 144 dB of dynamic range! That\u2019s a massive amount of headroom; you then simply have to record a strong enough signal to get above the incredibly low noise floor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start at Unity (Faders at 0 dB)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<p>When you\u2019re recording, keep your faders at unity audio gain! This is the default position almost every DAW. Faders have the most resolution right in the middle, so keeping them at unity is the optimal position.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve probably noticed that the there are numbered markings between the fader and the track meter. These numbers represent the amount of dBs that the signal is being attenuated when you move the fader.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll see how the distance between -10 and +10 dB is nearly half the length of the fader, and the other half goes from -10 all the way down to\u00a0infinity. The actual dB adjustments you make as you pull the fader get smaller the further down the meter you get.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Give Yourself Plenty of Headroom<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Think about it like this. If you track a signal that\u2019s too hot and have to pull the fader down to -20 or more, you aren\u2019t giving yourself enough room to make incremental adjustments to the level. This would be a problem on a lead vocal, for example, where you might want to automate\/ride fader levels for more control over the vocal\u2019s dynamics.<\/p>\n<p>So, you\u2019ll always want to start recording with the faders at unity so you can accurately monitor how much headroom you\u2019ve actually got. And if you go in too hot, you\u2019ll have less control later on!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Avoid Clipping Individual Tracks or the Mix Bus<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45898 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3.png\" alt=\"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume_3\" width=\"800\" height=\"473\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3.png 800w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-600x355.png 600w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-768x454.png 768w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-80x47.png 80w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-320x189.png 320w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-288x170.png 288w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-254x150.png 254w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-770x455.png 770w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-40x24.png 40w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-160x95.png 160w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-20x12.png 20w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-640x378.png 640w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-714x422.png 714w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-575x340.png 575w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-17x10.png 17w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-507x300.png 507w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-15x9.png 15w, https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume_3-385x228.png 385w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You might find yourself mixing a song with peaks every few seconds or so that clip the mix bus\/master fader. Gain and volume both come into play here. Clipping occurs at the output stage (volume), but it&#8217;s possible tracks were recorded too hot at the input stage (gain).<\/p>\n<p>The easiest solution is to grab all of the faders and turn them down! This is simply done in Pro Tools by selected the \u201cALL\u201d group and pulling a fader, or if you&#8217;re <a href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/logic-pro-x-tutorial\/\">mixing in Logic Pro X<\/a> by selecting all the tracks you wish to turn down and again pulling a fader. The same operation is similarly accomplished in any of the other major DAWs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t Pull the Master Fader Down<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A 10 dB decrease is usually more than enough to prevent clipping the mix buss\/master fader. Be sure to keep your stereo bus at unity, which is its optimum position! You create headroom by adjusting the levels of tracks feeding the mix bus, not by attenuating the mix bus itself.<\/p>\n<p>Giving yourself that extra 10 or so dB of headroom will allow you to do common mixing tasks like adding parallel buses for compression, adding effects sends, and more. Every track in your mix is adding some signal or \u201cnoise,\u201d and they are all being summed to 2 channels at your mix bus\/master fader. All of that signal adds up, so be sure you\u2019re not clipping and have plenty of headroom <em>before<\/em> you start mixing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gain Staging: Setting Levels<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen youtube\">\n<div class=\"container-lazyload preview-lazyload container-youtube js-lazyload--not-loaded\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9x37RIYWHyA\" class=\"lazy-load-youtube preview-lazyload preview-youtube\" data-video-title=\"Do you gain stage tracks before mixing? | FAQ Friday - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro\" title=\"Play video &quot;Do you gain stage tracks before mixing? | FAQ Friday - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro&quot;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9x37RIYWHyA<\/a><noscript>Video can&#8217;t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9x37RIYWHyA\" title=\"Do you gain stage tracks before mixing? | FAQ Friday - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro\">Do you gain stage tracks before mixing? | FAQ Friday &#8211; Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9x37RIYWHyA)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With default 24-bit digital recording resolution, the need to \u201cprint hot\u201d is no longer necessary. The noise floor is so low that it doesn\u2019t take much to get a good signal-to-noise ratio.<\/p>\n<p>Remember to keep the faders at unity gain when tracking. There are many theories on what a \u201cproper\u201d recording level is, but if your signal is averaging somewhere around -18 dB and peaking around -10 dB, you\u2019ll have a nice, solid signal.<\/p>\n<p>A tip is to turn up the mic pre till you see it clip at the highest peaks, then back it down by about 15 to 20 dB. This ensures you\u2019ll have a healthy signal with enough headroom to handle those peaks in the source material.<\/p>\n<p>If you keep gain staging in mind throughout the tracking process, when it comes time to mix you\u2019ll already be ahead of the game. Some mixers I know almost never move a fader when working with material they tracked themselves, instead relying on plugin outputs to balance levels.<\/p>\n<p>Proper gain staging\u2014and understanding the differences between audio gain and volume\u2014will make your life easier!<\/p>\n<h3>Recap: Gain vs. Volume<\/h3>\n<p>Although gain and volume may be used interchangeably, they have technical differences that are very important to understand when it comes to getting the right mix.<\/p>\n<p>Volume is the actual <em>loudness of the outpu<\/em>t on the channel. It controls the loudness &#8211; but not the tone of the audio.<\/p>\n<p>Gain is the<em> loudness of the input <\/em>on the channel. It controls the tone &#8211; but does not affect the loudness.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this article helped to clarify the subtle differences between gain and volume!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many of us have wondered, what is the difference between gain vs. volume. Even though the terms sometimes seem to be used interchangeably, there are some fundamental difference. The most important distinction between gain and volume is how, or more precisely \u201cwhere,\u201d they factor into the signal path. Gain We see it all over the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":45896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[198],"class_list":["post-45895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio-engineering","tag-home-recording"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume - Produce Like A Pro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"? Gain and volume are terms we often see used interchageably. There are fundamental differences, however, in where they occur in the signal path.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume - Produce Like A Pro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"? Gain and volume are terms we often see used interchageably. There are fundamental differences, however, in where they occur in the signal path.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Produce Like A Pro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/producelikeapro\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-02T05:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-03T19:24:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Max McAllister\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Max McAllister\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Max McAllister\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/40bc28b388bae90e4904ff19e718d404\"},\"headline\":\"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-02T05:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-03T19:24:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/\"},\"wordCount\":1405,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Home Recording\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Audio Engineering\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/\",\"name\":\"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume - Produce Like A Pro\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-02T05:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-03T19:24:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"? Gain and volume are terms we often see used interchageably. There are fundamental differences, however, in where they occur in the signal path.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Audio Engineering\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/category\/audio-engineering\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Produce Like A Pro\",\"description\":\"Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Create radio worthy and professional sounding music in your home studio.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Produce Like A Pro\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/PLAP-Logo-Small.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/PLAP-Logo-Small.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":192,\"caption\":\"Produce Like A Pro\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/producelikeapro\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/producelikeapro\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/WarrenHuartRecording\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/40bc28b388bae90e4904ff19e718d404\",\"name\":\"Max McAllister\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8bc1fc482f9364a2924c7a19a5befbf3fcb77b267ab68840b81a6651bc27f31e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8bc1fc482f9364a2924c7a19a5befbf3fcb77b267ab68840b81a6651bc27f31e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Max McAllister\"},\"description\":\"Max is a Los Angeles-based writer, musician, and engineer at the Brewery Recording Studio.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maxwell-mcallister-816842124\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/maxturbator\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/author\/maxwell\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume - Produce Like A Pro","description":"? Gain and volume are terms we often see used interchageably. There are fundamental differences, however, in where they occur in the signal path.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume - Produce Like A Pro","og_description":"? Gain and volume are terms we often see used interchageably. There are fundamental differences, however, in where they occur in the signal path.","og_url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/","og_site_name":"Produce Like A Pro","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/producelikeapro\/","article_published_time":"2023-06-02T05:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-03T19:24:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Max McAllister","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Max McAllister","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/"},"author":{"name":"Max McAllister","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/40bc28b388bae90e4904ff19e718d404"},"headline":"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume","datePublished":"2023-06-02T05:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-03T19:24:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/"},"wordCount":1405,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg","keywords":["Home Recording"],"articleSection":["Audio Engineering"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/","url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/","name":"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume - Produce Like A Pro","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg","datePublished":"2023-06-02T05:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-03T19:24:47+00:00","description":"? Gain and volume are terms we often see used interchageably. There are fundamental differences, however, in where they occur in the signal path.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Understanding-the-Difference-Between-Gain-and-Volume-.jpg","width":960,"height":720,"caption":"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/understanding-the-difference-between-gain-and-volume\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Audio Engineering","item":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/category\/audio-engineering\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/","name":"Produce Like A Pro","description":"Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Create radio worthy and professional sounding music in your home studio.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Produce Like A Pro","url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/PLAP-Logo-Small.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/PLAP-Logo-Small.jpg","width":192,"height":192,"caption":"Produce Like A Pro"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/producelikeapro\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/producelikeapro\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/WarrenHuartRecording"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/40bc28b388bae90e4904ff19e718d404","name":"Max McAllister","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8bc1fc482f9364a2924c7a19a5befbf3fcb77b267ab68840b81a6651bc27f31e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8bc1fc482f9364a2924c7a19a5befbf3fcb77b267ab68840b81a6651bc27f31e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Max McAllister"},"description":"Max is a Los Angeles-based writer, musician, and engineer at the Brewery Recording Studio.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maxwell-mcallister-816842124\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/maxturbator"],"url":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/author\/maxwell\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45895"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51859,"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45895\/revisions\/51859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}