VST instrument output control vs. Pre-Gain

Wallengard

Wallengard

Manipulator of energy
What is the difference between the two?

Is it better to adjust the VST's output to the desired level or can I just set the pre-gain on mixer channel strip (Cubase 7.5) to the desired level?

I'd much prefer to use the gain to set my channel levels initially, either that, or I blow my brains out when sifting through some presets on my VST instruments..

So, what's the deal here?
 
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think of the vst volume as being similar to an instrument volume - you set it to get the best out of the instrument

then your pre-grain in cubase is similar to the gain trim on a conventional mixer - you adjust to tame or enhance the level coming from the instrument

all part of proper gain staging -

consider the following scenarios:

1) vst volume is hot and the signal coming out is hot but not distorted - you would adjust the pre-gain on the channel strip to bring the signal level back to something that can be worked with in the mix

2) vst volume is set very low, hardly moving the meters you have two options to improve signal level

a) boost the pre-gain, probably introducing noise if it were a hardware desk
b) boost the vst volume

as with all things though, what works for your flow is sometimes more important than doing it one way or the other
 
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So a combination of both is usually required then?

Some of the presets are indeed distorting on my vst instruments, so essentially, I just bring the output down to where it's not, and have my pre-gain set to something like -18db while keeping my faders at 0?

I would then just adjust the pre-gain if the levels are nowhere near what I would like them to..

I've been reading a lot about plugins working better when their output is around -20dbfs and other such stuff, much of what I read contradict other info so it's hard to really figure out what's true and what isn't.. so should I try as much as I can to bring the actual output of the vst itself to that level or is it enough that it's not distorting, and then use the pre-gain?
 
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-20dbfs = 0dbRMS = 83dpSPL in the k-20 metering system, so that is sound advice you would adjust your dbfs value to match the other two k-metering options k-14 and k-12.

For CD production quality in terms of dynamic range you would normally be working in k-12 which makes 0dbfs = 95dbSPL

notes
SPL = sound pressure level
RMS = Root Mean Square (0.707 x peak amplitude)
 
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