Blog #26: Understanding Clip Gain

When it comes to audio editing, there’s a powerful tool that sometimes flies under the radar: clip gain.

If you’re unfamiliar, clip gain might sound a bit technical, but it’s actually quite simple - and once you get the hang of it, it can become a game-changer in your production workflow.

What is Clip Gain?

Let’s make this really simple. A “clip” is just a fancy term for a particular piece of digital audio. It could be a vocal recording, a drum hit, or a guitar riff - basically, any chunk of sound that you’re working with in your DAW. The “gain” refers to the recorded volume level of that individual clip.

So, clip gain is simply the volume control for a specific piece of audio, separate from the overall track volume. This allows you to adjust the loudness of individual parts within a track without affecting the entire mix - without touching the channel fader.?

Why You Should Love Clip Gain

Why would you use clip gain instead of traditional volume automation??

The answer lies in its precision and efficiency (sometimes). Clip gain is useful when you want to control the level of audio going into a plugin, rather than tweaking the output after the fact.

It’s similar to a concept known as top-down mixing or “backwards mixing,” where you apply processing on the mix bus and then mix into it. Clip gain, however, works on a more granular level - on individual tracks or even specific clips within a track.?

For example: instead of automating the input and output of a compressor throughout a very dynamic part, you could use clip gain to control the input levels of the audio before it hits the compressor, minimising the need for automation on both sides.?

This can give you finer control over the dynamics of your mix before you’ve even touched any automation.

Perfect for Vocal and Dialogue Editing

One of my favourite uses of clip gain is in vocal and dialogue editing. Vocals can be incredibly dynamic, with some parts being much louder or softer than others. Clip gain allows you to manually adjust these levels with ease.

For instance, you can use clip gain to turn down sibilants (those sharp “s” sounds) that can be harsh or overpowering. It’s also great for controlling how loud breaths are between phrases. Instead of relying on automation or a compressor to even out these differences, clip gain lets you make those adjustments directly on the audio clip itself.?

Going back to the example of compression again: using clip gain to reduce breaths and sibilants can be a great way to minimise how much the compressor may react to those voice noises - as you may want them present, but maybe not as compressed as the rest of the vocal parts.?

Drums and Dynamics

It’s not just vocals that can benefit from clip gain. It’s a fantastic tool for drum editing as well. Imagine you have a snare track with ghost notes - those subtle, quieter hits. Using clip gain, you can easily adjust the level of these ghost notes without affecting the main snare hits. This helps maintain the dynamics and energy of the drum track.

Saturation

Another cool use is controlling harmonic density when using saturation. If you’re pushing a track with saturation or distortion, you can use clip gain to adjust the input level before it hits the plugin. This can result in a smoother, more controlled and musical result, especially when working with instruments that have a wide dynamic range. Because we all know that it doesn’t take much to take saturation from a nice hum to a full blown distortion.

The Trade-Off: Time and Effort

I’m not gonna lie. Using clip gain is a manual process. Unlike some automated tools, you’ll need to go in and make the edits yourself. This can be time-consuming, especially on longer projects with lots of dynamic changes. However, the payoff is (in my opinion and experience) always worth it. The level of control and precision you get with clip gain can take your mix to the next level, making it sound more polished and professional.

Clip Gain vs. Automation

When deciding between clip gain and automation for controlling volume, it's essential to know their strengths: clip gain allows precise, pre-plugin adjustments to individual audio clips, making it ideal for tasks like leveling vocal sibilants or managing drum dynamics.

Automation, while a broader tool that can also control other parameters, is better for creating dynamic volume changes across a track; such as smooth transitions or overall level adjustments - like having an overall quieter dynamic for a verse vs a louder chorus.

Together, they complement each other, with clip gain setting the foundation and automation adding movement and depth to your mix.

Final Thoughts

I love clip gain editing. It is a secret weapon that can bring a whole new level of finesse to your work. Whether you’re fine-tuning vocals, dialing in drum dynamics, or shaping the input of your plugins, clip gain offers you massive control.

Yes, it requires a bit of extra effort, but the results speak for themselves. So next time you’re working on a track, don’t overlook clip gain - it might just become your new favorite tool, too.