{"id":8230,"date":"2011-07-03T16:53:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-03T16:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.online.berklee.edu\/erikhawkins\/?p=168"},"modified":"2026-01-19T16:56:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:56:54","slug":"why-mixing-through-a-gain-maximizer-is-a-bad-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/why-mixing-through-a-gain-maximizer-is-a-bad-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Mixing Through a Gain Maximizer is a Bad Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How Gain Maximizers Distort Your True Mix Balance and Prevent Clean Levels During Production<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a common mistake I see over and over: producing and mixing a track with a gain maximizer on your mixer\u2019s main output. Examples of gain maximizers are the L3 Ultramaximizer by Waves, the Ozone Maximizer by iZotope, Maxim in Pro Tools, or the MClass Maximizer in Reason. These devices are designed to limit a signal\u2019s peaks and then automatically optimize the output (called automatic gain makeup), in relation to a given threshold, to a specific level you\u2019ve set (such as 0 dB, or \u20130. 2 dB). Or, to put it in simpler terms, to make your audio sound as loud as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you don\u2019t realize that you\u2019re working through a gain maximizer, you\u2019re probably thinking that your production sounds wonderfully loud and full. Indeed, some software programs actually feature default templates with a maximizer on the mixer\u2019s main output (such as Reason or FL Studio). This is a great sales pitch, since it makes your track sound totally bombastic, but it\u2019s not reality. The reality is that if you bypass the maximizer you\u2019ll most likely discover that you\u2019re clipping (exceeding 0 dB) your main output, badly. It\u2019s only because of the maximizer that you can\u2019t see or hear your woefully out of balance gain structure. Instead, the clipping is being rounded out by the maximizer\u2019s brick-wall limiter algorithm in order to sound more palatable to your ear. But, the clipping is still there, your overdriven mixer channels are still there, your poor gain structure is still there; and ultimately this will transfer into your mix down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a dramatic example<\/a>, I often demonstrate this mistake in Reason. With the default Mastering Combinator inserted on the mixer\u2019s main output, I create a Dr. Octo REX, press Play, and then turn up all the levels to the max: Dr. Octo\u2019s Master Level, the mixer channel\u2019s level, and the mixer\u2019s Master Fader. It sounds fine and there\u2019s no clipping indicated on the Audio Output Clipping Indicator on the Transport Bar. But, then, I Bypass the Mastering Combinator and the Clip Indicator immediately illuminates, and stays on nonstop. In fact, in this extreme example you can actually hear the clipping, and this is difficult to do in Reason because its main outputs seem to be pretty forgiving even when you\u2019re seeing the Clip indicator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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