Good layout practice for high gain ckts?

[Davefx]

Been reading a few threads here lately where possible solutions to the different issues lay in how a board was layed out in the first place.  I'm practicing making my own layouts with Winboard (I like it), but when it comes to making a good layout for these high gain ckts, I was wondering if I could get some tips for good layout practices for them, so that stability, and oscillation issues may be at a minimum.  I already know to keep wiring short and direct  is a key, but will maybe some of the masters here chime in for me?  

Thanks... Dave

[Mike Burgundy]

keep the circuit as linear as possible on the board: in on one side, out on the other, as far away as possible. If there's things on the board that just need to be very close but belong to radically different gain stages you might stick a ground line between them but you should be fine. It's also a good idea to take some measures to prevent high-frequency oscillation. A lot of problems are caused by high-gain circuits oscillating at frequencies above hearing, picking up radio etc.
Sticking in some xxpF caps in feedback loops will do just that.
I like to run off-board connections as close to the metal box as possible, too.

[Davefx]

Thanks Mike... Seems logical to me.