User manual
Gain, polarity and a measured readout for setting levels.
Less Gain Stage measures your level, you type the target, and it shows the difference to apply. A small tool for gain and polarity with a measured readout.
Run the installer for your platform. On macOS the AU and VST3 versions install for all users; on Windows the VST3 installs under Common Files. Factory presets install into your user preset folder and are never overwritten: presets you save land in the same folder and stay yours.
| macOS presets | ~/Library/Application Support/MixLess/Presets/Less Gain Stage |
| Windows presets | %APPDATA%\MixLess\Presets\Less Gain Stage |
The screenshot is the shipping interface, rendered by the shipping code. Press I in the plugin to toggle the same control descriptions as cursor tooltips.
Two moments from the same display: at rest, and with material running through it. Print cannot move, so these are frames of the animation rather than a drawing of it.
| GAIN | Gain: click-free ramped trim. Double-click returns to 0 dB |
| ZOOM | Zoom: fine 12 dB window around the current gain, or the full range |
| POLARITY | Polarity: invert the waveform (phase flip) |
| MONO | MONO: sum left and right to check mono compatibility |
| APPLY | APPLY: set the gain to hit the target in the unit shown |
| RESET | RESET: restart the measurement |
| TARGET | Target level for the APPLY suggestion, in the unit shown |
| UNIT | Measurement unit: RMS in dBFS, or LUFS for delivery targets |
| PEER | Target source: a fixed number, or another Gain Stage in the session. Matching a peer measures in LUFS |
| PSR LABEL | PSR: true peak minus short term loudness over the last 3 seconds. Above 10 is healthy, 8 to 10 is tight, below 8 loses impact |
| IN METER | Input level. Click the clip light to clear it |
| OUT METER | Output level after gain. Click the clip light to clear it |
Insert Less Gain Stage first in the chain. Type your target level and adjust Gain until the meter's distance readout reaches zero; every plugin after it now works in its sweet spot.
On multi-mic sources, flip POLARITY and listen: if the body comes back, the phase was the problem.
Use Gain for static level moves and keep the DAW fader for automation; the two jobs stay separate and the mix stays readable.
| Formats | AU, VST3 |
| Latency | 0 samples |
| Default state | numerically transparent, tested at 1e-7 |
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