Pre or post fader: which tap point to record

Last checked 2026-11-07

Sound passes through each mixer channel in steps: the mic preamp, then the EQ and compressor, then the fader. The tap point is the step where the recording is copied off. Every digital mixer has one, and some let you choose it.

• Pre-fader means the copy is taken before the fader, so moving the fader doesn't change the recording.
• Post-fader means it is taken after the fader, so the recording follows every fader move.

The tap point decides what ends up in the file. Pick the wrong one and you can record your EQ mistakes, or a silent track because a fader was down.

The short answer. For a multitrack you will mix later, record from the earliest tap: the raw input after the preamp, or just after gain and trim and before EQ. Record post fader only for mixes and buses, not for channel tracks. On an XR18, that means the Input tap on each USB send; on an X32, a Local block on card out.

• Behringer X32: a Local block (the raw inputs) on card out (X32 tap points)
• Behringer XR18 or Midas MR18: the Input tap on each USB send (XR18 tap points)
• Allen & Heath Qu: Qu Classic: the channel Insert Send (the factory default, straight after the preamp). New Qu: the input direct outs, with the Direct Out Source set to the point you want (Qu tap points)
• Zoom LiveTrak L-12 or L-20: the fixed tap (after the compressor, before the EQ), with the COMP knob at zero (L-12 and L-20 tap points)
• Mackie DL32R: Mic Pre (the default on each USB slot, before trim, HPF and EQ) (DL32R tap points)
• Behringer WING, WING Compact or WING Rack: the raw inputs (Local In, AES50) on the USB slots, or a User Signal at the channel's INPUT tap (WING tap points)
• Midas M32: a Local block (the raw inputs) on card out (M32 tap points)
• Mackie DL32S or DL16S: Mic Pre, the default on the I/O Patch USB tab (after the analog gain, before the Digital Trim and high pass filter) (DL32S tap points)
• Soundcraft Ui24R: the fixed tap (straight after the mic preamp, before processing and the fader); there is nothing to set (Ui24R tap points)
• Allen & Heath CQ: the Source Point in CONFIG > Digital Audio > USB/SD, one setting for every channel (pick how much processing you want; users report no post-fader option) (CQ tap points)
• PreSonus StudioLive Series III: the default Inputs on USB 1-32 (PreSonus doesn't say where on the channel they are taken), or a FlexMix at Pre 1, Pre 2 or Post for a known point (StudioLive tap points)
• Allen & Heath SQ: Direct Out Source set to Post Preamp (only the preamp gain, before the filter, EQ and fader), in Routing > Dir Out (SQ tap points)
• Behringer XR12, XR16 or Midas MR12: none for multitrack: these mixers record only a stereo mix to a USB stick, and neither maker says where that mix is taken (XR12, XR16 or MR12 tap points)
• Allen & Heath Avantis: Record Send in I/O > Virtual SoundCheck for raw, pre-trim tracks, or Direct Outs with the Global Direct Output Source on the Routing screen for processed ones (Avantis tap points)

Watch for "+M". Some mixers also offer a "+M" version of a tap. It follows the channel mute: a muted channel then records silence, even on an early tap. The XR18 shows these on each USB send.

This page is general recording practice, not a maker's claim. What each mixer calls its tap points, and where they sit, is in that mixer's guide in the mixer recording guides. Words you may not know are in the glossary.

The tap points, earliest first

1. The raw input, before the digital trim

The sound straight from the mic preamp, before anything else touches it.

• Pros. Raw and unprocessed. Trim, EQ, mute and fader moves don't touch it. Best for virtual soundcheck (playing the recording back through the mixer to set the mix with no band), since playback comes back in at the same point.
• Cons. The preamp gain is still in it. A gain change during the show changes the track level, and a clip (distortion from too much gain) at the preamp is permanent. It is before the high-pass filter (HPF, the low cut), so rumble and handling noise stay in.
• Use it for a multitrack you will remix later, and for virtual soundcheck. This is the usual default.

2. After gain and trim, before EQ

The sound after the gain and trim, before the EQ.

• Pros. Clean tracks, with the digital trim included. A post-HPF version also removes rumble.
• Cons. Trim moves change the recording. On a post-HPF tap, the HPF setting is in the file for good.
• Use it for a clean multitrack when the engineer sets level with the trim.

3. After EQ and dynamics, before the fader

The sound with the EQ and compressor applied, but before the fader.

• Pros. Sounds like front of house (the main speakers), so the tracks are ready to use.
• Cons. EQ and compression are baked in and can't be undone in the mix. A bad compressor setting ruins the take.
• Use it for quick release-ready recordings and streaming feeds.

4. After the fader

The sound exactly as the channel is mixed, fader moves and mutes included.

• Pros. Follows the show mix exactly.
• Cons. A fader pulled down or a muted channel gives a silent track. Every fader ride is in the recording.
• Use it for bus and mix recordings, not for channel tracks.

5. The main mix and buses

Main L/R, aux, groups and matrix outputs: every mixer's "Main LR" or "ST". These are mixes of many channels, not single channels.

• Pros. A reference mix. A matrix or audience-mic mix is handy for video.
• Cons. It is the front-of-house balance for that room. So loud stage instruments are often too quiet in it.
• Use it alongside the channel tracks, as a reference.

What even the raw tap can't avoid

• Gain changes reach the recording. The earliest digital tap is still after the analog preamp. The X32 manual warns that front-of-house gain changes "can be heard in the recording". Some mixers can lock who changes gain: PreSonus (Preamp Permissions) and the Mackie DL32R (Access Limiting).
• Digital trim vs analog gain. Some mixers have both an analog gain and a digital trim (Allen & Heath, Yamaha "DG" for digital gain, Mackie). There, the earliest tap is before the digital trim. Allen & Heath says the SQ's Post Preamp point is "affected only by the preamp gain". Set the analog gain for headroom (room before it distorts), then ride level with the trim and the fader.
• Where the HPF sits. The Ui24R inputs, Mackie "Mic Pre", Allen & Heath "Post Preamp" and Yamaha TF "Pre DG" are all before the HPF. If you want the low cut in the file, pick a tap after it.
• A low channel-count mode sends only a few channels. If a recorder shows only 2 or 8 channels, check this first. These modes all cut what the recorder sees:
  • the X32 card modes 8/8 and 2/2
  • the XR18's 2 x 2 mode
  • the smaller WING modes
  • the "Stereo" stream mode on the Allen & Heath CQ and new Qu
• Phantom power (power for condenser mics) sits at the preamp and doesn't depend on the tap. Switching it on while recording makes a pop on that track.
• Shared stage boxes. When two consoles share a stage box, the record feed is after its preamp. So whoever controls the preamp gain changes your recorded level. Allen & Heath Avantis has Gain Tracking to compensate the channel trim, but its Record Send and Tie Lines are before the trim. We found no gain compensation for X32, M32 or WING shared stage boxes.
• Some mixers have a fixed tap. On the Soundcraft Ui24R, the Signature MTK, the Zoom LiveTrak and USB 1-32 of the Yamaha TF, you can't move the USB tap. The one exception is the per-channel point on the TF. For a processed or post-fader version on the Ui24R, Soundcraft says to use an AUX set to POST or POST PROC.

With ShowRecorder

ShowRecorder records whatever the mixer sends to each USB Channel. So you set the tap point on the mixer, not in the app. What the mixer sends over USB has more on tap points in ShowRecorder.

Runs on a USB-C iPhone (iPhone 15 or later) on iOS 26, or a USB-C iPad on iPadOS 26. Mac: join the TestFlight beta.

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