Gating

A gate prevents a signal from coming through until it hits a certain volume level. Gates are generally used to prevent quieter noises from coming through, such as a singer who takes a breath in between words.

The parameters of a gate are similar to those of a compressor:

• Threshold: The level of volume where the gate disengages.
• Attack: The time that it takes for a gate to disengage after the input volume surpasses the threshold.
• Hold: The minimum amount of time that a gate disengages.
• Release: The time that it takes for a gate to engage after the input volume goes below the threshold.
• Gain: the amount of gain that can be added after compression processing to make-up for the volume lost in compression (sometimes called Makeup Gain).