Gate (audio)
The gate is an effects device in the dynamics processor category and suppresses quiet sections of the signal transmission in a rig .
Layout and function
The way it works is that signal levels are only passed through from an adjustable strength. This is often used to avoid noise , especially when used simultaneously with expanders . But gates are also used for the acceptance of drums . On the one hand, to control their dynamics and, on the other hand, to avoid crosstalk from neighboring sound sources. A side effect of using gates is to reduce the risk of feedback .
Gates are often operated in clusters . Such devices , also called squelch , are used to control a signal when it exceeds its noise floor level (see dynamic range ) , that is to say a useful signal is present. This is particularly important in multi-channel mixing consoles where the output noise that increases due to the many audio tracks should not become too great.
As with the compressor , the signal is modulated by an envelope at the gate . The parameters of the envelope are the rise time (attack) and the decay time (release) . This routine is always initiated when the input signal exceeds a threshold value (Threshold) exceeds, thus triggered is. With professional gates, the envelope can be determined by several parameters and is accordingly more complex.
A typical application for a gate is to record the kick drum through a microphone . Since the head of a kick drum is stimulated to resonate by other sound sources and resonates for a long time even with insufficient damping, the microphone does not pick up a clean sound. Only the actual impulse when hitting the bass drum is allowed through a gate. This makes the sound of the bass drum clearer and, in the interplay of several sound sources, overall more transparent and "crisp".
Since the emergence of transient designers , the use of gates for sound design on drums or the like has become more or less obsolete, as these devices have significantly more extensive possibilities - including polyphonic - and are easier to use.
See also
literature
- Hubert Henle: The recording studio manual. 5th edition, GC Carstensen Verlag, Munich, 2001, ISBN 3-910098-19-3
- Thomas Görne: Sound engineering. 1st edition, Carl Hanser Verlag, Leipzig, 2006, ISBN 3-446-40198-9