Input gain and meters
Setting the level before anything else in the chain touches it.
MAWCast Studio is not released yet. This page describes how it will work; until then, connect your own encoder (see Connect your software).
Input gain
Input gain lifts or lowers the captured signal before the equaliser and the encoder see it: from −24 to +24 dB in steps of 0.5 dB, with the value written beside it and a reset back to 0 dB. It works while you are live and takes effect at once, in every mode.
Gain runs at the front of the chain, so what you set here is what the equaliser, the limiter and the encoder all work from. Fixing a quiet source here is better than fixing it later.
The meters
Two bars, L and R, on a scale from −60 to 0 dBFS, with the level written beside each in decibels. They show the average level of the signal (RMS), updated twenty times a second — what the ear hears as loudness, not each individual peak.
| Colour | Level | Do |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Up to −9 dB. | Nothing: this is where a broadcast sits. |
| Yellow | From −9 to −3 dB. | Fine on peaks; pull the gain back if it stays there. |
| Red | Above −3 dB. | Lower the gain now. |
The number turns red from −0.3 dB: the signal is at the ceiling.
A clipped signal is already distorted when it reaches the encoder. No bitrate, no equaliser setting and no limiter will bring it back — it has to be right at the input.
What the meters measure
In Device mode, the signal after gain, equaliser and limiter: what goes to the encoder. In System and Application mode, the signal after gain and before the equaliser, which is applied by the encoder.
Before you go live
Play the loudest thing in your set and watch the meters for a few seconds. That is the whole soundcheck, and it is the difference between a show that sounds professional and one that is quietly broken for an hour.
Still need help? Write to contact@mawcast.com.