A professional noise gate with smooth operation, soft-knee, lookahead, and flexible sidechain options.
Overview
Property
Value
Category
Effects / Dynamics
Version
1
Inputs
L, R (audio), Sidechain (optional)
Outputs
L, R (audio)
Features
Soft-knee gating for gentle transitions
Lookahead for click-free operation
Hysteresis prevents gate chatter near threshold
Hold time keeps gate open during pauses
Range control for partial attenuation (not just on/off)
Sidechain filtering (HPF/LPF) for frequency-focused gating
Duck mode inverts behavior for ducking effects
Smart sidechain detection automatically uses external sidechain when connected
Parameters
Gate Controls
Parameter
Range
Default
Description
Threshold
-80dB - 0dB
-40dB
Gate opens above this level
Range
-80dB - 0dB
-80dB
Attenuation when closed (0dB = no gating)
Attack
0.01ms - 50ms
0.5ms
Gate opening time
Hold
0ms - 500ms
50ms
Time to hold gate open after signal drops
Release
5ms - 2000ms
100ms
Gate closing time
Knee
0dB - 20dB
0dB
Soft knee width for gradual transitions
Advanced
Parameter
Range
Default
Description
Lookahead
0ms - 20ms
0ms
Anticipation time (adds latency)
Hysteresis
0dB - 12dB
3dB
Threshold difference for open vs close
Stereo Link
0% - 100%
100%
Channel linking (0% = independent)
Duck
On/Off
Off
Invert gate for ducking effects
Sidechain
Parameter
Range
Default
Description
SC HPF
20Hz - 2kHz
80Hz
Sidechain high-pass filter
SC LPF
1kHz - 20kHz
12kHz
Sidechain low-pass filter
Ext SC
On/Off
Off
Use external sidechain input
Visualizer
The Noise Gate Visualizer displays a FabFilter-style scrolling waveform view:
Input waveform (ghost) - Muted gray showing the original input signal
Output waveform (bright) - Teal/cyan showing the gated output
Threshold lines - Yellow horizontal lines indicating the gate threshold
Gate indicator strip - Bottom strip shows gate state (green = open, red = closed)
The visualizer clearly shows gating in action - when the gate closes, the bright output waveform “shrinks” compared to the muted input ghost, making gain reduction immediately visible.
Tips
Use Hysteresis (3-6dB) to prevent rapid gate chattering
Hold time prevents the gate from closing during natural pauses in speech/vocals
Set Range to -20dB to -40dB for subtle gating instead of complete cutoff
Use SC HPF at 80-150Hz to prevent low rumble from opening the gate
Enable Lookahead (5-10ms) for cleaner attack transients
Duck mode is great for sidechain ducking effects (kick ducking bass, etc.)