Before you touch faders, EQs, or master volume, there's one thing that will make or break your sound: gain.
Think of gain as the entry ticket your microphone signal needs to get into the sound system. Get it right, and your sound will be clean, clear, and strong. Get it wrong, and you're battling noise, distortion, or — you guessed it — feedback.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

• Understand what gain is and where it fits in the sound signal chain

• Set the correct gain level for a microphone on your mixer

• Identify the problems caused by too little or too much gain

• Apply consistent gain staging habits across different mixers

What Is Gain, Really?

Gain is the initial volume boost that happens between your microphone and the rest of your sound system.
Your signal path looks something like this:

Mic → Preamp (Gain) → Fader → Master → Speaker

If your gain is set too low, you’ll end up boosting the fader and speaker to compensate — and that’s how unwanted noise (like hiss or hum) sneaks in.
Too high, and your mic distorts — like an electric guitar. Cool for rock. Not so much for a vocal soloist.

There’s a sweet spot, and it’s easier to find than you think.

How to Set Proper Gain 

Whether you're using a fancy digital mixer or an analog board, the method is going to be very similar:

1. Select your mic channel
   Make sure you're adjusting the gain for the right mic.

2. Speak at a normal performance level
   Don’t whisper. Don’t yell. Use your real-world voice level.

3. Watch the signal meter
   On the X32, turn the gain knob until your input signal peaks around -9dB. 
   This leaves room for natural volume spikes without clipping into distortion.

4. Set your channel fader to 0 (aka “unity”)
   This gives you the most accurate, responsive control over the sound level.

5. Bring up the master
   Now the whole system is working with you, not fighting your settings.

6. Adjust the amp or the speaker for the room
   You should now have a clean signal from the mic all the way to the end. That's a good place to adjust the actual volume heard in the room. 

Why This Matters

Your gain setting is step one in every signal path. Every adjustment that follows is built on that foundation. If your gain is wrong, you’re just putting fancy EQ and reverb on a bad signal.

By setting gain correctly, you:

• Reduce the chance of feedback

• Prevent distortion and noise

• Make your system sound clearer with less effort