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144 Chapter 13 Utility
Gain
Gain lets you amplify (or reduce) the signal by a specific decibel amount. It is very
useful when you are working with automated tracks during post-processing and want
to quickly adjust levels. As examples: when you have inserted another effect that
doesn’t have its own gain control, or when you want to change the level of a track for a
remix version.
Gain Parameters
 Gain slider and field: Sets the amount of gain.
 Phase Invert Left and Right buttons: When selected, inverts the phase of the left and
right channels, respectively.
 Balance knob: Adjusts the balance of the incoming signal between the left and right
channels.
 Swap L/R (Left/Right) button: When selected, swaps the left and right output
channels. The swapping occurs after the Balance in the signal path.
 Mono button: When selected, outputs the summed mono signal on both the left and
right channels.
Note: The Gain plug-in is available in m → m, m → s and s → s configurations.
In m → m and m → s modes, only one Phase Invert button is available. In the m → m
version, the Stereo Balance, Swap Left/Right, and Mono parameters are disabled.
Using Phase Inversion
Inverting phase lets you combat time alignment problems, particularly those caused by
recording with multiple microphones at the same time. When you invert the phase of a
signal heard in isolation, it sounds identical to the original. When the signal is heard in
conjunction with other signals, however, phase inversion has an audible effect. As an
example, if you place microphones above and below a snare drum, you should invert
the phase of the bottom microphone signal, so that it is in-phase with the top
microphone signal.