Quote:
Actually they don't work the same way. Among other things, the AGC drive doesn't effect the gates.
I like the idea of the post-amp not changing when loading a preset (perhaps an option), but with the pre-amp I couldn't care less either way because almost none of the presets are calibrated for a standard input loudness like EBU's 0LU. Every time a different preset is loaded, the pre-amp needs to be adjusted... with the exception of presets that don't use AGC gates, use max AGC ratio, use a large enough range, and have a low enough target output to work properly with the input. (although I've made a few presets that only use the AGC for accidental over-loudness into the multiband, so turning the input up past 0LU would be incorrect, and who's to know if it's not calibrated?!?)
If all of the presets were went through, and had the AGC Drive and Gate/s changed so they work how they should (according to their creators) with a 0LU input, then it's obvious that the presets shouldn't change the pre-amp gain. But as it stands now, the pre-amp gain needs to be changed every time a preset is loaded.
TL;DR
Anyhow, the presets should leave your pre-amp and post-proc settings alone and I stand by that. If presets are or are not calibrated to anything, it's irrelevant. Input levels should not be calibrated to anything but absolute peak with reference to how much louder the console can provide can audio. Assuming a typical setup, -12dB peaks should suffice.
Of course, users will need to adjust the AGC drive slightly when they load a new preset, based on the density of the audio they happen to broadcast. The the input calibration procedure is standard on all processors, and is completely unrelated to the preset being loaded. I think StereoTool should follow this model, as well.
EDIT: "TL;DR" probably read as rude. Sorry if it does, Jesse. It was my very lame attempt at a joke, which I think failed.
One other note: I was assuming a peak normalized library. Obviously some people use more elaborate normalization schemes. In those cases -12 will be way too hot for a typical peak input.