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MULTIGATE PRO XR4400
multitrack mixdowns, stage microphones currently not in use and to suppress background noise and crosstalk
in multi-track recordings. In particular, when processing percussive instrument the use of the hard gating
function is recommended.
A few examples show you how to do it:
Electric signals from percussion instruments have a very short rise time. The time between single hits on the
instruments is normally filled up with noise produced by adjacent instruments or room reverb, which makes it
difficult or even impossible to separate microphones acoustically. This unwanted crosstalk effect can be
accurately eliminated with the MULTIGATE PRO.
Adjust all controls and switches to the following basic settings:
Control elements Position
MONITOR switch OUT
SC FILTER switch OUT
THRESHOLD switch fully clockwise
HOLD control center position
RELEASE control center position
MODE switch GATE
RANGE/RATIO control fully counter-clockwise
Tab. 6.1: Initial settings of the MULTIGATE PRO
THRESHOLD control
Now turn the THRESHOLD control counter-clockwise until the lowest signal delivered by the instrument you
wish to record triggers the expander and is reproduced without any sound deterioration. The + LED lights up
as soon as the expander is triggered. When everythings set up properly, you will hear the instrument clearly
stand out against the overall sound image.
HOLD control (available in GATE mode only)
The program material (e.g. speech/vocal recordings) often contains many and sometimes very short signal
pauses, which could switch the gate off and back on over and again. The hold function prevents this annoying
flutter effect known from conventional designs, simply by delaying the starting point of the release process.
Thus, the gate remains on during short signal pauses. When the adjusted hold time has expired, the gate
closes the audio channel depending on how the release function has been set.
+Please note that this control can be used in gate mode only!
RELEASE control (available in GATE mode only)
Many percussion instruments have long decay times (e.g. cymbals). As the release time can be adjusted on
the MULTIGATE PRO, the device allows you to follow the decay curve of the instrument so that its overall
sound character will be retained. In this way, you can avoid that short release times affect the natural decay
phase of the instrument or its corresponding reverb ambiance.
Slowly decaying or heavily reverberated signals are best processed with long release times. You will note that
with most drum sounds a short release time should be used for the sake of acoustic separation, while longer
release times are usually better for cymbals and tom-toms.
Once all control elements have been set properly, your percussion sounds will be dry, powerful and acous-
tically well-defined.
+Please note that this control can be used in gate mode only!
RANGE control
The RANGE control determines the amount of maximum attenuation of the audio signal. When you process
instruments with long decay times, it will be helpful to set the RANGE control to mid-travel position, so that the
6. APPLICATIONS