Add gain reduction meters in the Mixer.

[Helidream]

Useful when recording as well as mixing, a gain reduction meter for each input, audio and output tracks in the mixer would be nice.

See what the concurrence do at this level.

This is something we have since decades on analog mixing consoles.

Here a SSL channel strip where we can see the gain reduction meters on each channel strip :

(Can be combined in a single bargraph instead of two to save room in the mixer).

And an implementation in a well known DAW mixer :

Or here in a well known workstation mixer :

[Dolfo]

Are you refering about gain reduction of a compressor?
If yes you’ve it at meter bridge at the top of mixer.

[Niekbeem]

Dolfo,
have you got a minute to explain how to get them working?
I never got them working unfortunately.

For instance, just a minute ago I imported a simple MP3 onto a stereo music track in my Post Production template, where there is a Steinberg brickwall limiter on the (surround, 5.1) M&E-bus (a group) where this stereo music track feeds into.
When I bring down the threshold of this brickwall limiter, I can clearly see high levels of gain reduction in the plugin-window, but the meter above this track (I am in the Mix Console window) only shows peak input- or output levels…no gain reduction at all.

If you’ve got a minute to explain what’s going wrong?
Thanks, Niek/ Amsterdam.

[Helidream]

Dolfo, I can’t find this option in the meter bridge. Where is it located ?


I did add a Steinberg compressor on an audio track to see if a gain reduction meter did automatically appear in the meter bridge, but no success.


Anyway it would be better in the lower meter. To save room.

[Dolfo]

It’s located next to track meter. I send you a capture.

[Niekbeem]

Weird…
on my system there is no gain reduction meter in the Mix Console…Is there a place where I need to switch it on?
Or is this a N8.2-feature only?

[Helidream]

Ok i got it. It does work only with the channel strip compressor !

It does not work with the channel strip gate, nor does it work with channel plugins. So this is not terribly useful, except if the channel strip compressor is used exclusively.

More, i feel that channel gain reduction is something that should be shown in the lower part of the mixer, near faders. And this is how other software editors did it.

The logic suggest that we should have pre fader meters in the upper side of the mixer (meter bridge), and post fader (or post panner) meters with gain reduction indication in the lower part of the mixer, near the faders,

If we could have a gain reduction and a crest factor meter near each fader, this would be nice, and better than the competition that show only the gain reduction. The two could be inline, each one with a different color, to save channel width room. Short bargraphs are ok for this use. See the SSL channel strip, only a few leds.

Gain reduction should take into account all plugins. This is quite easy to do even without specific VST support, comparing the channel input signal with the channel output signal and make a subtraction.