Defining the "TRIM" Control

There's a flow diagram that really helps in seeing where things fit in.
Trim follows the same function as input gain' on a hardware mixer -before everything else. The exception being unlike in hardware world none of the Sonar's controls have effect on record volume-
The front end' here would be where you compensate for low or out of norm signal levels.
An interesting side- 'Trim is very similar in the path to your clip' automation, but unlike fader' automation, the trim control remains independent of the clip envelopes.

On a physical mixer, the trim control is a potentiometer that sits between the input jack and the first active component. Its purpose is to lower the level of an incoming signal that might otherwise overdrive the first stage of amplification. You adjust the trim such that the loudest peak doesn't distort the channel's preamp. But you usually want to keep it as hot as possible without distorting, so most of the time trim adjustments are kept small.

On a virtual mixer in a computer, the trim control is also a level attenuator that comes before anything else. However, unlike its analog equivalent, the digital trim control is primarily used as a coarse volume adjustment for mixing.

If you find, for example, that your signals are too hot going into a limiter, you can use the trim control to lower the incoming signal and thereby give your limiter more range to work with.

You can also adjust multiple tracks' trim controls at once if you find that your mix has experienced "fader creep" and everything's too hot going into the master bus. Too many red flags on the buses? Just group the tracks by clicking on the little blue triangles next to the track number and drag any of the selected trim controls to the left.

Just beware that if you have a compressor on a track or bus, and then tweak the trim control, you'll have to revisit your compressor threshold setting.

JD1813


Yeesh!    This wasn't an easy subject and I'm glad I asked, and even more glad that all of you gave your own explanation, because I'm not sure I understood everything that each one of you said separately, but taken together I think I have a much better grasp now.  I appreciate the comparisons between the physical mixer and the virtual one in our DAW as well, I know it's not the same..  Well this helps a lot, thanks to all of you!         ~John

   Things like this are not hard to understand once there is a visual/ mental
image of it. Where it gets really complex is the affect it has and what it affects.
One analogy I might give is consider it a thing you don't use.  Set it to 0 and
leave it. If there are no problems and all is well then the (trim) is not necessary.
I view the trim in a physical mixer as a different subject but that's in the
physical world, not a daw.

  For the sake of simplicity (trim) is a volume control. Why does a person
need two volume controls on a track? You already have that thing called
(fader). It's a volume control.

  Looking at the way the sound goes from the track to say the master section is
 
  Trim - fader then to the master. Once you insert something in between
the (trim) and the (fader) (using a compressor as an example) the (trim)
instead of being a simple volume control affects the compressor.

 Trim >  comp >  fader

   The compressor is now affected by the changes in any (trim) adjustments.
In simple terms the (trim) is now no longer just a volume control because
raising or lowering it changes the amount of compression.

  In contrast changing the fader does not affect the compressor because it
is (after) the compressor. The fader is still a volume control only. Things get
more complex in the mix signal flow because once again one thing affects
something else.
  this is a rough and raw explanation not intending to explain anything
other than how things affect other things.

  

I think that everyone who is involved in music recording should sign up for a basic course in electronic theory that covers some basics on amplifier theory and operation.

There is nothing like seeing the mathematics behind the circuit to really understand what happens under the hood when you turn that knob.

The track Trims have a wider range from -18 to +18 db so its a great place to either turn down a very high signal level about to enter the track playback signal flow or boost up an otherwise weak sounding track.

If you are working to a standard such as K System metering then it is very easy to see if the track levels need help either way. The Buss Trims are only up to +6db but they are good for a minor tweak on a buss either up or down slightly. If you have to move buss levels anymore than a few db then go back and adjust things to get buss levels back to normal.

The Signal Flow diagram is very interesting. Noel has mentioned it before. It is in the manual and you can see what happens when tracks are playing back and signals are coming in live to Sonar as well. It shows where the Trim controls really are in the scheme of things. (And everything else for that matter)

i use trim to make slight adjustments to the level of tracks that have automation in them (takes all levels up or down). In some cases the plugins may react differently if they are driven harder or softer. (Particualarly true of LA2 style compressors). Offset mode can be used to do the same thing basically except that it happens after the efx bin. The problem I have with offset mode is that I sometimes unknowingly slip into offset mode and then my mix starts to behave very strangely (i.e. panning that doesn't make sense). I wish that the faders or meters would all change color when offset mode is selected (or something that would get my attention immediately). Maybe a background color change? There are indications in the GUI but they are fairly subtle.