Owner manual

5 - Effects

Core Effects Descriptions

E-MU PCIe Digital Audio Systems 81

Gate

This stereo noise gate is useful both for background noise reduction applications and

also for special effects.

The gate uses an envelope follower and threshold detector to turn on its output when

the input signal is above the turn-on threshold, and shut down its output when the

signal falls below the shut-off threshold. When ”turned on” the Gate passes the input

signal through to the output at unity gain and when “shut off” the Gate silences the

output or attenuates it by an adjustable gain factor. While the Gate is a stereo effect, the

left and right signals are gated in unison, with the envelope follower defaulting to the

louder of the two signals.

In normal operating mode, Gate turn-on is nearly instantaneous when the input signal

exceeds the Threshold level, while Gate Release time is an adjustable parameter. The

effect of the fast turn-on can be enhanced by using an optional 1 millisecond

lookahead in the Gate's envelope detector.

Together with the Threshold setting, tuning the Release time parameter is very useful in

order to achieve the least-obtrusive, most natural-sounding gating effect, which is

highly dependent on the specific program material being processed.

The gate does not offer an adjustable wet/dry mix parameter but does supply a Bypass

switch for effectively removing the effect from the signal path.

Applications

• Basic Gating - reduce background noise during periods of low signal level

• Re-Enveloping - extreme release time/attenuation can be used to re-sculpt the

signal envelope

• Drum Gating - Drum tracks can be altered by adjusting the Threshold to ignore

all but the hardest hits.

• Punch Enhancement - high threshold+fast shuttoff+modest attenuation

perform an expander-like function that accentuates transients

Threshold Max Gain

Reduction

Lookahead

Release

Gate

1mS

Delay

Signal path = Stereo

Envelope Follower/

Threshold Detector

The Gate behaves exactly as a straight wire except when activated by a signal level below the

Threshold (with Lookahead Off).