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Gain Explained

While it might seem like just another word for Volume, Gain is actually much more important for the quality of your audio because it happens at the very beginning of the signal chain. When you speak, you create sound waves that physically move a tiny part inside the microphone called a diaphragm. The microphone then converts those physical vibrations into a very weak audio signal.

Gain is the tool used to boost that weak signal to a level the Hub can work with. In the Plus system, once that signal is converted into digital data, the Hub uses Digital Gain to multiply its strength. This gives you a loud, clear sound without adding the background hiss or static often found in older analog systems.

Where on the Hub can you find this?

  • Input Gain: Navigate to the IN section and select a specific microphone channel (Clip, Stick, or Cube). You can adjust the digital gain from -20dB to +20dB.
  • Output Gain: Navigate to the OUT section for specific outputs like RCA, 3-PIN, or Dante to adjust the final signal strength sent to your speakers or recorder.

What is it for and why?

  • Leveling Different Mics: If you have multiple microphones in a room and one person sounds much quieter than the others, you use Gain to balance them so they all sound equally loud to the audience.
  • The Cube vs. The Clip/Stick: The default gain values are already calibrated to account for the typical distance people hold the Cube versus Clip/Stick. However, you may still want to fine-tune if one presenter is naturally much quieter than others to ensure everyone sounds equally loud to the audience. 
  • Fixing a Loud Signal: If a source is coming in so hot that it sounds distorted or harsh (clipping), you can lower the digital gain to clean it up before it even hits your speakers.

Factory/Default setting

The default setting for all inputs and outputs is typically 0dB, which means the signal is passed through exactly as it is without being multiplied or reduced.

Tips from Engineering

📣 Don’t jump straight to -20dB! Back it down one step at a time (Hub moves in 5dB steps), check the sound, and repeat until the distortion is gone. 

📣 You want to get the best possible signal right at the start. If you keep your Gain too low and try to make it loud enough by cranking the volume on your speakers later, you will simply amplify the silence and background noise, resulting in a hissy or poor-quality experience.

📣 Gain is not something you should need to change for every new speaker. Once you find the sweet spot that balances your Cube and Clip mics for your specific room, you can generally leave it alone!