Gain Reduction vs Normalization (Foundation First > Organising Session > Gain Staging)?

Lexi Keay

7d • General discussion

I've been following the Mixing & Mastering Cheat Sheet Binder Course, with a fresh new project to follow along with.

At the initial Gain Staging step of '12 Steps to Organise Your Session' I have come across a dilemma:

In my DAW (Sonar) I can select all clips and then choose the following effects from the Process menu:

'Gain' - to cut or boost all clips by a specific number of decibels.

'Normalize' - to cut or boost all clips to peak at a specified level of decibels.

My instinct is to use the Gain process so that the loudest clip peaks at the desired maximum level, but the rest of the clips are only adjusted relatively by the same amount, preserving the dynamics of the overall performance (ie quieter verses will still be quieter than loud choruses).

Is there an argument to use the Normalization process instead, making all clips and song-sections peak at the same level and then restoring the performance dynamics at a later stage in the mix?

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Gain Reduction vs Normalization (Foundation First > Organising Session > Gain Staging)?