ShowRecorder
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Set preamp levels with auto-gain

Auto-gain sets the preamp gain on your mixer for you. It listens to each USB Channel for a few seconds, then moves that channel's preamp so the level lands within 3 dB of -18 dBFS.

The mix stays the same. When a preamp moves, the fader, the pre-fader sends and the gate and compressor thresholds move the other way to match.

What you need

  • Pro or the 14-day Trial. Auto-gain is a Pro feature. See Pricing.
  • An XR18 or MR18 plugged in over USB, with ShowRecorder Ready on it.
  • The Mixer Link connected to that same mixer. Auto-gain moves the preamps over the network, so USB alone isn't enough. See Mixer Link and Find Mixers.

On the X32 and M32, auto-gain is only in the public beta for now. See In the beta.

Find the Gain button

Gain is on the record screen, on the Show line above the Record button, next to Shows and Names.

It shows only while an XR18, MR18, X32 or M32 is Ready. With any other audio interface, there is no Gain button.

If auto-gain can't run right now, the button still shows. Tap it, and the sheet says why at the top.

Set the gain

  1. Stop any Take that is running.
  2. Have someone play or speak into every channel you want to set, and keep it going while auto-gain runs.
  3. Tap Gain.
  4. Tap Auto-gain all channels. To set one channel, tap Auto-gain on its row instead.
  5. Watch each row. It shows what auto-gain did, such as the gain it moved from and to, and the level now.
  6. Tap Done.

A channel with no signal is left alone. So is a channel that is already near the target.

Undo

  • Tap Undo on a channel's row to put its gain back.
  • Tap Undo all to put every channel back.

Undo stays there if you close the sheet and open it again. It is grayed out while auto-gain can't run, such as on Free after a Trial ends or while the Mixer Link is down.

Undo belongs to the mixer you ran auto-gain on. If the Mixer Link moves to another mixer, Undo for the first one goes away, so nothing is written to the wrong mixer.

Not during a Take

Auto-gain never runs during a Take. Moving a preamp mid-Take would make the recorded level jump.

If you start a Take while auto-gain is running, it stops at once. The gain stays where it got to, and Undo puts it back after the Take.

Why auto-gain can't run

The sheet says why at the top. Each message, and what to do:

  • Not during a Take: moving a preamp would make the recorded level jump. Stop the Take first. Stop the Take, then tap Gain again.
  • Auto-gain is part of Pro. Get it in Settings > Pro. Buy Pro or start the 14-day Trial. See Pricing.
  • Connecting to the Mixer. Auto-gain is ready once Mixer Link is up. Wait a moment for the Mixer Link to connect.
  • Auto-gain moves the preamps on the Mixer. Connect to it in Settings > Mixer Link first. Open Settings > Mixer Link and connect to your mixer.
  • The Mixer Link is on FOH (XR18), not the Mixer you're recording from. Connect to that Mixer in Settings > Mixer Link first. The message names the mixer the Mixer Link is on. You see it when that is a different kind of mixer from the one on the USB cable, such as an XR18 while an X32 is Ready. Connect the Mixer Link to the mixer on the USB cable.
  • ShowRecorder can't set this Mixer's preamp gain yet. You see this on an X32 or M32 outside the public beta.

When a channel doesn't reach the target

A row in orange needs a look. Some of the messages you may see:

  • Still too loud at the lowest gain: turn the source down.
  • Still too quiet at the highest gain: turn the source up.
  • Stopped: the level didn't follow the gain. Check the Mixer's USB routing. The gain was put back. The USB Channel doesn't carry the channel whose preamp moved. Check What the mixer sends over USB.