The gain/trim control is a tool, you don't have to use it every time, but you should learn what it does for those times when you do need it.
 
Almost all my outboard gear has sufficient headroom and adequate controls such that I hit the input with a good healthy, manageable level. So I don't need it for live inputs very often. When I do, well, it's a lifesaver.
 
And almost all my libraries and virtual instruments are recorded such that the level going to the track input is just right, although as I think about it, I do end up tweaking the outputs on the VIs. But that's the right place to make that adjustment most of the time.

Keep in mind that the reason gain-staging is/was critical was we needed to optimize the signal level for least noise and least distortion when we were working with tape and analog stages. We don't need that - as frequently - inside a DAW.

What we do need to do is pick a reference level that provides adequate headroom, that alone will address the noise problem, and by definition the distortion problem.
 
It really is that simple... well, that's not entirely accurate. But once you get accustomed to working that way it does become pretty darned easy.

Good metering is probably more important during mixing - at least it is for me. And access to both RMS and peak reading meters is pretty important.

More important is learning what each meter is trying to tell you.

An analog VU style meter (which is very nearly an RMS responding meter) is never a bad idea, but I'm pretty sure I would not make another round trip through my converters just to use one.

I think there are some very useable meter VST's out there too.  You don't have to give up a pair of outputs to drive one usually.  A spare headphone out or pair of RCA's for recording the main stereo buss is another.  My hardware VU's monitor the output of the digital mixer eg the main stereo buss all the time.  Which effectively means you can meter anywhere in your signal chain. 
 
VST meters give you lots of options in terms of where you can insert them.
 
PSP have just released a nice suite of three meters. Peak, VU and RMS. They are all quite different and show different things. The ballistics of the VU is very close to the real one.  Then there is the Klanghelm meter which is very good in terms of ballistics too.  Trim is easy on the Klanghelm meter.  The PSP meter has trim of course but extra processing options and includes a very handy HPF and LPF with variable slopes as an addition.  PSP give you a lot of adjustment over how the meter responds and moves too which is always good.
 
I tend to treat the DAW meters as the standard ones. Some give you more in the metering than others.  Like bundled plugins it can be nice to go out and get some higher quality and more specialised ones.  Same as metering.  Except the metering plugs should come first.  They can be more important.

This is one of the most useful threads for me personally ( at least top 10)...I love it.
 
I use this forum and all of the great contributor's helpful information on almost a monthly basis and am so thankful for it's rich and useful content. I read it everyday, but am able to use it less often...work, family etc. It's a hobby for me.
 
But, I really am thankful for this thread...I was doing it all wrong...LOL.
 
Thanks again.

Jeff, I get what you are saying, but I've never used a VU meter in the digital world.  All my interfaces show output in full scale, and Sonar shows output in full scale.  I never thought of using a VU plugin, because I just shoot for -18dbfs on the metering, and making sure the peaks don't get above -10dbfs.
 
I'm also not sure what you mean by the metering is Sonar is -3db down from reality.  You mean -3dbfs, or -3dbvu?  Every DAW is different on the full scale rendering, so to me you just have to learn with whichever DAW you are working with.
 
That's why I find the gain knobs useful.  Usually I'm working with stuff people have given to me and assuming they've recorded it without clipping I can just use the trim control to set it where it falls in norm.  Now this is obviously a problem if they've recorded too quiet and there's alot of signal noise, and that stuff you have to either do the best you can with it, or have it redone.
 
Also FWIW, I always have my meters set in Sonar to Peak + RMS.
 

For drums, as they are generally very fast signals the VU needs 300 mS to make its way up to 0 dB VU.  So the VU meter may not even move much with drum recording.
 
It does depend on how open the drums are though.  If they are allowed to ring out a little (including the kick drum) the VU will show the rms level rather nicely.  By the time you send all the drums to their buss then a VU over the whole buss actually looks good with drums but keep peak metering on all the way along for sure.  I can get drums to hit -14 dB FS (my rms = 0 dB VU)  for the sustained part of the sound and the peaks might be as high as -3 dB FS.  Still no clipping.  But -20 is a better reference to work at if drums are going to be involved.  (I can also play very evenly and not produce randomly high transients. So I can go a little higher towards 0 db FS)
 
If I record a continuous test tone at say my -14 dB FS ref level then I make sure the tops (peaks) of all the sine waves are reaching -14 dB FS.  If you set your VU (extra VST plugin) ref to -14 then it will show 0 dB VU.  If you switch your built in DAW meters to read rms and peak in most DAW's both the peak and rms indicators will be the same. (-14)  In Sonar it shows the rms down 3 dB at -17 instead.  That is because Sonar is sort of correct and displaying rms as being down 3 dB on peak (of a sinewave that is) which is correct.  For continuous test tones the standard in the digital world is accepted as the ref level is the very tops of the sinewaves rather than the -3 dB point.   VU VST meters still read correctly in Sonar as they are calibrated to show the level as being the very tops of the sinewaves.  It is only their built in rms meters that are a little weird.  It's hard enough reading rms levels very low down on a scale without them being dropped another 3 dB.
 
When I mix stuff that others have recorded I go right through every track opened in an editor program and check the rms levels everywhere.  Usually they are way out of whack.  Some very low (adding gain to quite low recordings does not usually cause a problem) and others way too hot.  I adjust all that in the editor before importing into my DAW for mixing.  I find it makes a huge difference everywhere later on.

Cool, thanks for the explanation.  Good information to know.  What editor are you using to check RMS on tracks before you import?

For us less technically empowered and without some of the meters you speak too, how can I ensure a good tracking session.
 
My MOTU interface never gets into the Yellow LEDs, as I try to keep my signal good but not hot.
 
When I am tracking, can I trust the meters in Sonar to tell me I am good to go, if I look for a level of about -12 on the Sonar track meter, while I adjust the MOTU input?
 
TNX

I have a question about proper gain staging.
 
Scenario:  I use AD2 for drums and output each track to a separate track.  Now in the tracks I set up the VU meter as the first inserted effect calibrated to -18dbFS = 0VU on all output tracks.
 
How does this relate to the individual tracks?  Meaning I can see having the kick drum and snare hitting around 0VU but do you also have things like the individual hi-hat track hitting 0VU and then using the track fader to reduce the volume to a proper level for the balance of the drums?  I have busses set up for kick + snare, overheads, room mics and a master drum buss that these all feed into that goes to the master buss.
 
The goal is to get the best level into analog modeled plugins which I read is around the 0VU level (-18dbFS) and when using this type of level I can hear what seems like a sweet spot. So with that in mind, after setting up the kick track VU meter and then applying compression and EQ, I should have the level after the plugin chain at the same 0VU level and then just adjust the level of the kick in relation to the snare by using the track faders and then adjust the kick + snare buss so that it has a 0VU level and then adjust the kick + snare buss fader to balance it to the overhead buss and room buss?  Then make sure that the master drum buss is at 0VU?
 
I don't typically have issues with levels being too hot...it seems as though I may be going the other way and having my levels too quiet.  Sometimes my master buss is very low.  So I want to get a handle on these specifics.
 
Thanks for your input.
-Brian.

Hi Brian.  A lot of the stuff that I have mentioned re VU meters certainly applies to sounds that although they may have an attack transient the rest of the sound has a decent rms component which can be seen and monitored by a VU meter.
 
But with drums it is a different story for sure.  And the reason is the VU takes too long to reach 0 dB VU so many drum sounds will slip through a VU meter and barely even move it.  So it is not so helpful for these types of sounds.  So putting a VU meter over every individual drum sound may not be such a useful approach.  (see below though. If the drum sounds are way more open and longer tones then yes they are good but if the sounds are very fast and gone instantly eg hats then not so much)
 
When it comes to very fast attack transient sounds with little or no rms component such as drums I revert back to fast peak metering again and just use your built in DAW peak meters as before.  Simply adjust levels from either real drums or VST drum sounds so that the loudest points in the peaks reach up to a certain level but not clip into 0 dB FS obviously. eg I typically shoot for the loudest hits just reaching -6 dB FS. (or even lower eg -8)
 
Then what I do is send all my drum sounds into a buss and adjust the drum mix for the best mix there and you really only have your ears as well for that job too.  What is OK though is to put a VU over the drum buss and just look at the total rms VU levels of your final drum buss instead.  I find by the time you send all your drum sounds there and you put a VU meter over that there is enough overall total rms component in the whole drum sound to give you a decent reading.  But even so the VU may only average -3 dB or so which is fine.
 
It depends too on the drum sounds. Kicks and toms for example that are more open and have longer ringing notes will move a VU more so compared to real tight drum sounds.
 
I have always said it is a combination of VU metering and peak metering that will give you the best overall control over gain staging.  You need both.