
Hold (or Delay) is another setting which controls the onset of gating. Some gates even provide a choice of slope for the release function, where you can choose between linear or logarithmic attenuation slopes. Short release times make the gate perform just like the ones in your compressor. Long settings will allow more of the note's decay to get through. Release settings are stated in time per 20 dB of attenuation. On a gate, Release controls how quickly the signal level falls after it goes below threshold. That's where the Release (or Decay) control comes to the rescue. But, what happens with a long sustained note? You've all heard it: .u.

Pretty simple: You set the Threshold where the music you want gets through and the noise goes away. With a simple gate, anything below threshold will be cut off while anything above will pass unchanged. But with a gate, Threshold is the level at which the gate begins to turn off the signal. As with a compressor, the Threshold setting determines when the gate goes to work. Dedicated gates provide more control, making them useful for a wide variety of audio tasks.Īll gates have a Threshold control. However, with other instruments you might end up cutting out desirable portions of the note with little, or no, positive effect. You can also use the gated signal to provide a tight trigger signal for a sampler. You can make good use of your compressor's gates for kick or snare drum by setting the threshold to pass the attack while cutting out as much of the decay as you desire. Such a device is really only useful for percussive sounds. This means that the gate functions as an on/off switch, allowing signals over threshold to pass while muting everything below.

Usually you're stuck with nothing more than a threshold control.

While these can be useful, they are very limited. Many of you may only be familiar with the gate section of your compressor. A properly set gate can tighten your drum tracks, clean up your vocals, reduce leakage from other sound sources, minimize noise from amplifiers or cassette tapes, or create dramatic effects. Audio gates are one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, tools in your recording arsenal.
