Expand or gate
Set Ratio from gentle expansion to a firm gate, and Range for the depth of reduction.
Gate and expander
Gate
Reduce spill between notes without cutting off the attack.
Clean up bleed, hiss and unwanted tails. Filter what the gate hears and keep the attack intact.
- 30-day refund
- Permanent licence
- Free updates
Windows & Mac · VST3 / AU / standalone
Made forDrum spillNoisy pausesTighter percussion tails
What you can do
Inside Gate.
Keep the attack
Preserve note starts with Attack, Lookahead and Transients.
Shape the tail
Use Hold and Release for a steady, natural close.
Filter the detector
Focus with sidechain filters, then audition the result with Key Listen.
Avoid chatter
Hysteresis separates opening and closing thresholds; Knee, Floor Track and Detector refine the response.
Link the channels
Share levels or gate events between channels, with an adjustable Link amount.
Before / after
Hear what changes.
Compare Gate with the original. Listening levels are matched.
About the recordings
Hear Gate · before and after
Funk break
16.6 sec · Level matchedThe room between the hits falls away; the hits themselves stay whole.
How this example was made
Only Gate is processing: Gate, running as its own plug-in, with its factory preset "Room Off" with its threshold set for this source, on an Ableton Live Core Library loop. Both versions are loudness matched with a constant gain, so the change cannot win by being louder. No other processing is added.
A first pass
Start with what you hear.
Listen to the detector
Filter and solo the detector until the hits you want stand clear of the spill you don't.
Set Threshold and Range
Find the threshold that opens on the performance, then decide how much quieter the gaps should be.
Protect the envelope
Adjust Attack, Hold and Release while listening to the starts and ends of notes, then play the whole passage.
Questions
About Gate.
Can Gate remove noise underneath a sustained note?
Not usefully. A gate works when the wanted sound pauses or drops away. Noise under a held note needs a different tool.
What's the difference between a gate and an expander?
An expander turns quiet material down gradually. A gate, which is the same control at a high ratio, shuts.
Which formats are available?
Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), and macOS 10.15 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. Both have VST3 for your DAW and a standalone application, and the Mac installer adds Audio Units. One purchase covers both platforms: download whichever installer you need from your account.
How do updates work?
Updates are free for as long as we make them. Sign in at your account with the email address you bought with and download the current version. Installing it replaces the plug-in in place, so your presets and existing projects are untouched.
Can I hear it before I buy?
Yes. Every module has a before-and-after example on its page. If you buy and it isn't for you, email us within thirty days for a full refund, no questions asked. See terms and refunds.
One tool, or all twelve
Gate for US$10 introductory.
Regular US$20. Or get it with Master Rack and the other eleven modules for an introductory US$50 (regular US$79).