Reference Manual

323 Live Audio Effect Reference
22.17 Gate
The Gate Effect.
(Note: the Gate effect is not available in the Lite Edition.)
The Gate effect passes only signals whose level exceeds a user-specified threshold. A gate can
eliminate low-level noise that occurs between sounds (e.g., hiss or hum), or shape a sound by
turning up the threshold so that it cuts off reverb or delay tails or truncates an instrument’s natural
decay.
As of Live 9, Gate’s internal behavior has been subtly improved. Although it works more “cor-
rectly” than it did in previous Live versions, Live Sets that use Gate and which were made prior
to Live 9 may sound slightly different. To ensure that older Sets sound exactly the same, the Gate
Legacy Mode option will be enabled by default when loading an old Set that uses Gate. You
can disable this via a [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu entry in Gate’s title bar.
Gate’s display area shows the level of the input signal in light grey and the level of the output
signal in a darker grey with a white outline. This allows you to see the amount of gating that is
occurring at any moment, and helps you to set the appropriate parameters.
The Threshold knob sets the gate’s sensitivity. The Threshold value is represented in the display as
a horizontal orange line, which can also be dragged.
Return (also known as “hysteresis”) sets the difference between the level that opens the gate
and the level that closes it. Higher hysteresis values reduce “chatter” caused by the gate rapidly
opening and closing when the input signal is near the threshold level. The Return value is repre-
sented in the display as an additional horizontal orange line.