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DUAL/STEREO COMPRESSOR/NOISE GATE CN-220
9. APPLICATION EXAMPLES
SUPPRESSING CROSSTALK IN MULTI-MIC APPLICATIONS
The most frequent application of a noise gate is the elimination of unwanted crosstalk
between microphones during recording and playback, mainly in the drum sounds, because here
several microphones closely positioned next to each other. By this reason it is desirable to gate
each microphone in order to avoid the crosstalk in adjacent microphones.
In order to begin, it is important the microphones placement, so that they capture the minor
possible signal of the adjacent instruments. Once placed, adjust the noise gate HP and LP KEY
FILTERS, so that the noise gate is only triggered with the sound of the instrument that we want to
gate. Use the SIDE TEST function to monitor the signal that will trigger the noise gate.
Adjust the noise gate THRESHOLD, so that the threshold level remain lower than the
minimum signal produced by the instrument, and higher than the crosstalk signals of the adjacent
instruments (this maybe is the most delicate step).
Lastly, adjust the noise gate RELEASE, so that the instrument overall sound character will be
retained.
GATING DRUMS
“The difference between rally musically effective drum gating and disastrous gating is a fine
line. Ambience, crash cymbals, resonating skins and snare and hi-hat bleed are among the most
common pests when recording acoustic drums. The following tips may help you elude any of
these bleed problems and allow all drum effects or equalisers to receive the cleanest of
uninterrupted, natural drum sounds. With this application, we will be used the two channels of the
noise gate and two channels of the mixer console.
For key mic, routing and patched, gated signal.
Step 1:
Set up two microphones on the snare, one underneath, almost touching the snares
(key mic), your second microphone normally positioned one to four inches away above the snare
(snare mic).
Step 2:
Set up gate getting on snare mic, not choking signal with too much threshold.
Step 3:
Solo key mic input; set up gate on key mic with fast release, fast attack, tightest
possible threshold (you’ll just hear a tick with snare contact) and maximum range (80 dB).
Step 4:
At this point you must patch output of gated key mic signal to the SIDE CHAIN input on
snare mic gate, so that the key mic gate trigger the snare mic gate.
This method of gating will completely separate snare, tom and kick signals without injuring in
any way the natural sound qualities of each of these drums, therefore allowing effects and
equalisers to receive the cleanest possible send.”
Stacey T. Heydon — producer/engineer (Sheriff #1 single), guitarist (David Bowie).
REDUCING BACKGROUND NOISE
In applications that have a high background noise: recording plate noise, guitars and bass
amplifiers noise, broadcast applications with a wide auditory and multiple microphones, etc.,
could be eliminated with the noise gate.
Adjust the noise gate HP and LP KEY FILTERS, in vocal applications in the voice frequency
range, in applications with bass or guitar covers the instrument bandwidth, in full range
applications leave the filters full range, so that the noise gate is only triggered with the sound of the
instrument that we want to gate. Use the SIDE TEST function to monitor the signal that will trigger
the noise gate.
