Gain

Name: Gain
Author: Kilohearts

by Kilohearts · Utility · Gain utility with meter

Not rated yet

A free volume utility from Kilohearts: one gain control in decibels and a stereo VU meter.

It is most useful as a Snapin, where the gain can be modulated for tremolo, volume shaping or level trims between effects.

Best for: Mix Bus, Sound Design. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: metering, utility, free, bus processing, CPU-light, full mix, mix bus, modulation matrix, sound design, transparent.

What it does

Gain is Kilohearts' "Volume control." In the developer's words: "Sound loud? Make softer. Sound quiet? Make louder."

Gain: raises or lowers the level in decibels.
VU meter: shows the output level of the left and right channels.
Gain staging: a light way to trim levels between plugins or before a compressor or saturator.
Modulation: inside Phase Plant, Multipass or Snap Heap the gain knob can be driven by LFOs and envelopes for tremolo and volume shapes.
Snapin use: in Multipass it can set the level of a single frequency band.

It also loads as a Snapin inside Kilohearts' Phase Plant, Multipass and Snap Heap. It is free as part of Kilohearts Essentials.

Source: Kilohearts product page

When to use it

Kilohearts Gain is the pick when you only need a level trim with a meter, or a gain stage to modulate inside Kilohearts' hosts. Unlike Blue Cat's Gain Suite and MeldaProduction MUtility, it doesn't add panning, phase or other extras to the gain control.

Best for: gain staging, level trims between effects and modulated volume inside Snap Heap or Multipass.
Genres: any genre.
Look elsewhere if: you want pan, phase or channel tools in the same plugin; MUtility or Blue Cat's Gain Suite cover more.
Standout: a bare-bones gain stage that becomes a modulation target inside Kilohearts' hosts.

What producers say

Reviews of this Snapin on its own are rare; opinion on the Kilohearts Essentials set it belongs to is positive, with the main criticism that the plugins are minimal on their own.

KVR users rate the Kilohearts Essentials set 5/5 from two reviews: one (2022) called it a "Good, useful collection of professional, but compact plugins," and another (2025) praised "Superb lightweight plugins rivaling many commercial and on-hype products!"
MusicRadar (2023) said of the Essentials set, "This is a serious plugin bundle that's not to be missed," with effects that are "transparent and functional when they need to be."
Gripe: a 2026 review of Essentials found that "many of the Essentials plugins feel minimal" on their own, and that they are "designed for precision rather than coloration."

Where to buy

Kilohearts: Free

Tutorials and reviews

FREE Gain by Kilohearts

Similar plugins

Blue Cat's Gain Suite by Blue Cat Audio · Gain utility · Free
TBPAVolume by TBProAudio · Volume and mid/side gain utility · Free
Trimmer by Slate Digital · Gain staging utility
MUtility by MeldaProduction · Channel utility · Free
Protility by Process.Audio · Channel utility · Free
Blue Cat's Plug'n Script by Blue Cat Audio · Scripting plugin for custom effects · $93.13

All metering & utility