Gain Calculator
Convert between decibels and a linear multiplier (amplitude or power), and add up a chain of gain stages to find the total gain and output level — with a clipping check.
Gain in decibels is logarithmic, so stages add in dB but multiply as linear factors. +6 dB ≈ double the amplitude; +20 dB = ten times. This is a calculator, not a measurement.
Decibels ↔ linear multiplier
Amplitude (voltage): dB = 20·log₁₀(factor). Power: dB = 10·log₁₀(factor). Edit either field.
Gain staging
Enter an input level and a chain of stage gains in dB (comma-separated; use negative for attenuation). Total gain is their sum.
Common dB ↔ amplitude factors
Amplitude (voltage) multipliers — power factors are the square of these.
How Gain in dB Works
Gain is the factor by which a signal is multiplied. Expressed in decibels it’s logarithmic: for amplitude (voltage), dB = 20·log₁₀(factor), and the factor is 10^(dB/20). For power it’s 10·log₁₀(factor) and 10^(dB/10), because power scales with amplitude squared. So +6 dB roughly doubles amplitude (×1.995), +20 dB is ×10, and −6 dB halves it.
Because decibels are logarithmic, cascaded gain stages add in dB while their linear factors multiply. A +12 dB preamp, a −3 dB pad and a +6 dB stage total +15 dB — and applied to a −18 dBFS input give −3 dBFS out. Watching that running total is the essence of gain staging: keep levels healthy without pushing the output past 0 dBFS, where it clips.