Import Module

Gain staging

Gain staging in fMusic is Audio normalization: every file is adjusted to a target level automatically during import. Stems arrive at whatever level the producer bounced them; with normalization on, every import starts your mix from a consistent, known level instead of a fader scramble.

The controls

The section lives in Settings > Import & Organize > Audio normalization and has three rows:

• Normalize audio: the on/off switch. Off by default.
• Target level: the level every file is brought to. Type the value you want.
• Measure: True Peak or RMS, the way the level is read against the target.

True Peak is the predictable choice: the loudest peak of each file lands exactly on the target, so nothing clips on the way in. RMS matches the average loudness instead, which evens out material with very different densities, and it is internally protected so it never clips.

Your source files are never modified

Normalization runs during the job's Processing audio phase, on a temporary copy of each file. That copy is what Pro Tools imports; the original file on disk is never altered. If a file cannot be processed, the job report says so (for example "Level not normalized on 'Kick'") and the file is imported at its original level.

What you hear in the editor

With normalization on, playback in the editor previews the normalized level, so what you hear before committing matches what lands in the session. The preview is always peak-based, even when Measure is set to RMS.

Global by design

Audio normalization is configured once in Settings and applies to every import. It is deliberately not a per-session option: an input level standard is how a studio works, not a decision to re-make on every project. Set the target once, and every session starts from the same reference level.