Sound engineering and Music production blog #4

Alright, people, today let's discuss Gate and Expander.

GATE:
It's similar to the gate that almost every building has. Also, there are certain rules to when the gate will open and close just like the ones in the buildings I just mentioned. The opening and closing of the gate are governed by some parameters which I will write about on this blog. but as soon as the gate is opened, everyone can get inside until it remains open. I mean to say the unnecessary sounds which are called as 'bleed' also get in while the gate is opened. A gate can be used while recording or mixing as well. Let's discuss the parameters now.

1. Threshold:
   This is the level of sound(dB) that is set manually and below this level, the gate is closed. As soon as the audio signal coming in drops below this level, nothing is heard.

2. Attack and Release:
   These parameters determine the opening(attack) and closing(release) of the gate. They're measured in microseconds(ms).

3. Hold:
   It controls the time for which the gate stays open. This is also measured in microseconds(ms). This parameter helps to get rid of the chatter that occurs due to constant opening and closing of the gate due to high-speed fluctuating signal level.

EXPANDER:
It is very similar to the gate. The only difference is that it has a parameter called range.
The range is the amount of decibel reduction to the signal once it’s gated. Fully engaged, think of it as an iron gate – nothing is getting through. An iron gate isn’t necessarily a good thing. The range can be set to a lesser decibel cut, such as -15dB. This means with the gate closed, some of the sounds can be heard, though to a lesser extent.

Some DAWs have gate and expander within the same plug-in since there is not much difference between them.
Let's take a look at gate/expander in various DAWs.

Logic pro x:

Ableton:

Pro Tools:

There's an additional feature called 'LOOK AHEAD' which keeps track of the audio signal coming in and knows the transients and hence can open the gate accordingly.

Cubase:

Studio One:

That's something about gate and expander from my side.
Comment your views and share your knowledge. Also, upvote this post if you like it and keep me inspired to write more.

Thank you!