4.1 Expander/Gate Applications
NOTE:
Control settings for each application are suggested as a starting point. Adjust them
for your requirements.
Gating Dry Percussive Sounds (e.g., Snare Drum, Kick Drum)
To effectively gate percussive sounds with high-level transients, you need to set the 166xs
gate controls to ensure that the gate is less sensitive to nearby signals that would cause the
gate to open or “false trigger.” Set the RELEASE setting fast enough to enable the gate to
close very quickly once the signal falls under the THRESHOLD. The RELEASE can also be used
to shape the envelope of the sound.
NOTE:
Fast gating of sustained low frequency signals can result in “chattering.” Because
the 166xs is capable of extremely fast gating, make sure the RELEASE time is longer than
one full cycle of the gated signal’s fundamental frequency. To eliminate any “chattering,”
simply adjust the RELEASE time to a longer time (slower rate). The proper THRESHOLD
setting will also minimize false triggering and “chattering”.
These types of settings are most useful for tightening up drum tracks, removing the “ring”
from some drums, or gating out the leakage of one drum through another’s mic.
Gating Sounds That Have Longer Decay (e.g., Cymbal, Piano)
To effectively gate sounds which have more decay after the initial transient, set the RELEASE
control slow enough to allow the gate to remain open and capture the signal’s entire
envelope. The gate can also be used to “dry up” a track or mix that has too much reverb
or ambience. Set the RELEASE control so that the natural decay of the sound is somewhat
truncated.
Changing Sound Quality
The 166xs gate can effectively change the sonic character of a sound because it can reduce
or otherwise alter the quality of instrumental ambience and reverb. For example, as an
instrument stops, its reverberation level will fall through the 166xs THRESHOLD setting. It
can now be made to die out more quickly - faster than the natural decay (of the sound).
Experiment with different THRESHOLD and RELEASE settings to change the “tail” of the sound;
a FAST RELEASE setting will nearly eliminate reverb.
Keyed Gating
Keyed gating, that is, controlling the gating of one signal by another, can be used to
add dynamics to a sound (e.g., creating perfectly in-sync playing and overdubbing among
individual instruments or “fattening” a dynamically weak track).
To create two distinct channels of bass guitar for your mix (by splitting the bass signal into
two channels and synchronizing one channel of bass guitar with the kick drum), start by
feeding one channel of bass directly into the mix and the other into the 166xs INPUT. Then
key the gate with a signal from the kick drum (connected to the SIDECHAIN INSERT - adjust
Section 4
Operating Notes
14
dbx 166xs
Section 4 - Operating Notes
