makeup-gain

Makeup gain is the gain stage placed after a dynamic-range compression (or any gain-reduction) process that raises the overall signal level back to the intended output level, compensating for the reduction the compression applied. Parameters: (1) position — downstream of the gain-reduction stage in the signal chain, acting on the already-compressed signal; (2) amount — a fixed setting, or an automatic value tracking the compressor's average gain reduction (automatic makeup); (3) magnitude — expressed in decibels, typically set equal to the compressor's average reduction to restore perceived loudness. Makeup gain is a restoration stage: it applies amplification without threshold or ratio behavior and does not itself compress. Persistence mechanism: a universal design convention of dynamic processors — the makeup stage appears in every hardware compressor (its dedicated gain control) and every digital compressor plugin, persisting through studio-engineering practice, processor design documentation, and the standardization of the threshold–ratio–attack–release–makeup parameter set. [formal: compensatio | substrate: matter | horizon: generations | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.02]