14
Graphical display and control
The graph in the second space from the bottom, above the gate’s graph, shows the response curve of the filters. The high and low
pass filters’ curve is red (with red crosses), whilst the parametric curve is yellow (with a yellow cross). Selecting and dragging the
crosses will change the value of the chosen filter. These values will be displayed in red at the base of the relevant dial.
Gate
Pressing the ‘Gate’ switch, situated at the bottom right-hand side of the section, inserts the Gate into the signal path. The action of
the gate can be visually monitored on the bar graph, positioned next to the compressor bar graph in the I/O section.
Thrsh
The ‘Thrsh’ (threshold) dial determines the level at which the gate opens (or at which gain reduction
finishes when in Expander mode). The higher the threshold, the more low-level noise is reduced, and the
more extreme the effect. The dial ranges from
–62dB to –12dB.
Rnge
The ‘Rnge’ (range) dial determines how much the signal is attenuated when the gate is closed. This can
be set to cut (80dB attenuation, fully clockwise) or to more gently lessen attenuation (min 0dB, fully
anticlockwise). Maximum attenuation may give an unnatural sound, so keep range at a low value unless it
is essential to reduce high levels of background noise, or unless an obviously gated effect is desired.
Hold
The ‘Hold’ dial controls the variable delay before the gate release starts. This allows the gate to be held open until the signal has
decayed sufficiently, so that a rapid onset of gain reduction isn’t noticeable. Alternatively, the signal can be deliberately truncated
before its natural end to create a special effect. The dial ranges from 20milliseconds, fully anticlockwise, to 4 seconds, fully
clockwise.
Rel
The ‘Rel’ (release) dial sets the rate at which the gate attenuation increases, fading out the signal. This release period begins as
soon as the signal drops below the threshold. On transient signals, a fast release will be appropriate (rotate anticlockwise), but
with other material, a slower release (rotate clockwise) may give a more natural sound. Ideally the release needs to be slightly
slower than the natural decay rate of the signal to avoid audibly cutting it short. The release time varies from 0.1 to 5 seconds.
Fast
Pressing the ‘Fast’ switch makes the gate open more rapidly, once the source signal has risen above the threshold. This faster
response may be necessary on some signals to avoid “missing” an initial transient, but which could also introduce an undesirable
click on smooth, sustained sounds when using a high threshold setting.
