Do it on the X32 · Step 4

Set the gain

Why am I doing this?

Gain is how much the console amplifies a source at the input. It's the foundation everything else is built on — and the one setting nothing downstream can fix. The full explanation → Guide, Step 4

The short version

Already know the drill?

SELECT the channel · SOLO it
Fader to unity (U)
Have them play their loudest part
Turn GAIN until the meter averages around −18, peaks near −6
Un-solo

Before you start

Phantom power first. If it's a condenser mic or an active DI, switch +48V on before you set gain — it changes the level. Mute the channel first. How to →
Know what you're gaining. Gain gets set once per source, per service. You're not adjusting it during the service — that's what the fader is for.
Get the musician's attention. You need them to actually play. A polite "give me your loudest chorus" gets better results than guessing.

Step by step

Select the channel.

Press the SELECT button on the channel you're working on. The main display now shows that channel, and the channel-strip controls act on it. If the channel isn't in front of you, use the bank buttons to page to it.
Solo the channel.

Press SOLO. Now you're metering and hearing just this input.

Make sure your solo is set to PFL (pre-fader listen) in the Monitor/Solo settings. PFL means the meter reads the signal before the fader, which is exactly what you want when setting gain — the fader position won't skew what you're seeing.
Set the fader to unity.

Push the channel fader to the U mark (0 dB). Setting gain with the fader at unity means every service starts with your faders in a sane, familiar place instead of scattered.
Get them to play — loudly.

Ask for the loudest thing they'll actually do. The full-band chorus, not the quiet intro. Singers especially: people play and sing harder with a room full of people than they do at 8am soundcheck.
Turn up the gain.

Adjust the GAIN control for that channel while watching the meter. Bring it up until the level sits in the target range below.

Gain lives in two places and they're the same control: the physical gain knob in the channel-strip section, and on-screen on the channel's Home / Config page using the rotary encoder beneath the display. Use whichever is closer to your hand.
Check for clipping.

Watch the top of the meter through the loudest passage. If the clip indicator lights — even a flicker — back the gain off until it stops. Digital clipping is harsh and unfixable. There is no such thing as "a little bit clipped, but it sounds fine."
Un-solo and move on.

Press SOLO again to release. Next channel.

What good looks like

Target	Value
Average level	around −18 dBFS
Peaks	up to about −6 dBFS
Clip indicator	never lights
Fader while setting	unity (U / 0 dB)
Set for	the loudest expected passage

That gap between −6 and 0 is deliberate. It's headroom — room for the drummer who hits harder in the last chorus, or the singer who really goes for the bridge. Fill it up at soundcheck and you have nothing left when it counts.

If it goes wrong

No signal at all, meter dead.: Don't just crank the gain. Something upstream is wrong — cable, patch, phantom, or a muted source. No sound / no signal →
Gain is way up and it's still too quiet.: Check whether the source has its own output control (keyboards, DI boxes, and modelers usually do) and turn that up rather than maxing the preamp. A maxed preamp also amplifies its own noise, so you get hiss along with the signal.
It's clipping even with the gain low.: The source is sending too hot. Ask them to turn down at their end, or engage the pad if the DI has one.
Someone else's gain changed on its own.: On a stagebox, the preamp is shared. If in-ear mixes are being adjusted from a phone or tablet, someone may be moving the head amp you set. One person owns the gain; everyone else adjusts with trim and sends. Gain vs. trim →
It sounded right at soundcheck and it's clipping in the service.: Classic. You set for soundcheck volume instead of show volume. Pull the gain down a few dB and remember it for next week.