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Table Of Contents
Chapter 4 Dynamic 43
Noise Gate
Ordinarily, a noise gate suppresses unwanted noise that may become audible during a
lull in the signal. You can, however, also use it as a creative sound-sculpting tool.
Heres the basic principle behind a noise gate: Signals that lie above the Threshold are
allowed to pass unimpeded (open gate). Anything below the defined Threshold
(background noise, crosstalk from other signal sources and so on) is fully muted (a
closed gate). In other words, the Threshold slider determines the lowest level that a
signal must be at, in order to open the gate—it separates the wanted or useful signal,
from the unwanted or noise signal.
The Reduction slider allows you to control the intensity of noise suppression. As a rule,
you should set it to the lowest possible value and leave it there, to ensure that the gate
closes completely. If you prefer, you can select other values, thus reducing the noise
signal less dramatically. As an alternative, you can actually boost the signal by up to
20 dB.
The three rotary knobs (at the top) influence the dynamic response of the noise gate. If
you want the gate to open extremely quickly, say for percussive signals such as drums,
set the Attack knob to the lowest value by turning it as far as it will go counter-
clockwise. If the signal fades in a bit more softly, as is the case with string pads and the
like, a noise gate that opens too quickly can wreak havoc with the signal, causing it to
sound unnatural.
For this type of sonic scenario, set the Attack knob so that the gate emulates the attack
of the original signal. Much the same holds true for the Release phase of signals. When
youre working with signals that fade out gradually or have longer reverb tails, you
should turn the Release knob up, allowing the signal to fade naturally.
The Hold knob determines the minimum amount of time that the gate stays open. This
knob avoids the dreaded chattering effect caused by a rapidly opening and closing
noise gate. The Hysteresis slider provides another option for avoiding chatter, without
needing to define a minimum Hold time.