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Noise Gates

The latest addition to the 10 Series product line, the dbx® 1074 QuadGate™, is the perfect companion to the 1066 and 1046. The 1074 offers 4 channels of gating with threshold, depth and release controls on each channel. The 1074, like the rest of the products in dbx 10 Series, is based on the legendary dbx V2 VCA and offers XLR inputs and outputs, and 1/4” side-chain input. In addition to an external key input per channel, the 1074 also has an internal filter that can be independently activated and controlled on a channel-per-channel basis. This filter allows the 1074 to not only clean up tracks, but gives you frequency selective control on each gate, to open exactly when you want it to. These features combined, make the 1074 an absolute must for those who require quad gating on applications including: Gating dry and percussive sounds such as snare drum and kick drum,gating sounds that have longer decay times such as cymbals and Pianos, gating hum or buzz from live instruments or recorded tracks or eliminating Headphone leakage into microphones. Gating instrument microphones to eliminate amplifier bleed. From the company that has been redefining the standard of signal processing for more than 30 years, dbx® Professional Products comes a bulletproof product that caters to the scrutinizing needs of those who require the precision noise gating capabilities. Once again, the engineering staff at dbx Professional Products have taken technology that has been over three decades in the making and have created a product that is flexible, versatile and rock solid in construction design. The 1074’s independent channel design with key filtering capabilities make it the perfect tool for countless applications.

DBX 1074
Four-channel noise gate

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The DS201 is a sophisticated dual channel noise gate incorporating a number of features pioneered by Drawmer, which are invaluable to the sound engineer, and not found on conventional noise gates.<ul> <li>variable high pass and low pass filters for "frequency conscious" gating</li> <li>comprehensive envelope control, attack, hold, decay, and range</li> <li>key input for external triggering</li> <li>"key listen" facility </li> <li>extremely fast attack time, to preserve the natural attack of the sound </li> <li>balanced inputs and outputs </li> <li>stereo linkable </li> <li>can be used for "Gating" or "Ducking" </li> <li>high audio specification</li></ul>These features and its "user friendliness" have made it the "industry standard" throughout the world. Setting up noise gates can be tedious and unrewarding. For example, when attempting to separate a signal from unwanted noise or crosstalk that is relatively high in level, spurious triggering of the gate by unwanted components within the sound can be a serious problem. This can often be experienced in the studio when recording a drum kit. If a gate is used to clean up the snare drum sound it is quite likely that the nearby hi-hats will spill into the snare drum microphone and cause the gate to open. Increasing the threshold level may cure this problem, but then there is a very real danger that any quieter snare drum beats may not cause the gate to open at all and the performance can easily be ruined. The DRAWMER solution to this problem is the inclusion of two variable filters, one high-pass and one low-pass, which act upon the side-chain keying circuitry. By setting the output switch to key listen the user can hear the action of the filters and adjust them to reject high frequency spillage from the hi-hats. This now enables the gate to only open on the lower frequencies present in the snare drum. Drawmer pioneered the concept of frequency conscious gating, and the Drawmer DS201 was the first noise gate to include this feature. The very fast attack of the DS201 means that it can open in a matter of micro seconds, thus preserving the natural attack of whatever sound is being gated and the comprehensive envelope controls mean that the gain can be changed at whatever rate best suits the material being processed. With vocals for example, a fairly fast attack is needed so as not to clip the leading consonants but a slower release time will prevent the end of words being clipped off and will also fade out any noise gradually rather than cutting it off abruptly. This latter point is very important as the human ear is far more sensitive to rapidly changing noise levels than to a constant low level noise. Another important role played by the gate is in the reshaping of existing sounds. An example of this might involve a simple sampling delay line used to store a sound to be re-triggered later and added to a mix. A gate can be used to impart a slower attack or faster decay to the sound and careful setting of the decay envelope can effectively hide any noise present at the end of the sample. When using a sampler or drum machine the gate can be considered a triggered envelope shaper, and the wide range allowed by the envelope controls make the DS201 ideal for this application. The unit can be switched to accept a key input, which allows the gate to be triggered externally. An example of this would be to use a snare drum signal to open the gate on a separate ambient microphone to create a natural alternative to gated reverb. Each channel can be individually switched from Gating to Ducking for 'voice over' applications or the removal of 'clicks' and 'pops'.

Drawmer DS201
Dual-channel noise gate

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The DS404 Quad Noise Gate has been designed to the highest specification to complement the DS201 Dual Noise Gate, acknowledged as the 'industry standard' gate throughout the world. 

Recognizing that there are many general gating applications which require equipment that is simple to operate and which occupies the minimum of rack space, Drawmer have designed the DS404 Quad Noise Gate utilizing new and unique 'Programme Adaptive' circuitry. This makes the DS404 ideally suited for use over a wide range of input signals, ranging from drums and other percussive instruments through to vocals, pianos and even complete mixes. 

Facilities available on the DS404 include: 

Frequency Sensitive. The provision of variable Low-Pass and High-Pass Filters allows 'without compromise' frequency selective gating. The unit can be switched for either Internal or External Key source and the KEY LISTEN facility enables monitoring of the filter setting. 
Hard/Soft Gating. Each channel of the DS404 can be operated as a HARD or SOFT gate, providing quite different characteristics. Two coloured LEDs clearly indicate mode status.
In the HARD mode the DS404 offers ultra-fast response time, stable triggering with complete freedom from chatter around threshold and a specialized release contour which is ideally suited to drums and other percussive material.
In the SOFT mode the DS404 becomes a versatile Expander capable of handling vocals and sub mixes. Drawmer's unique 'Programme Adaptive' circuitry is used to optimise the attack time and ratio as well has having some effect on the manual release setting . A more gentle release characteristic is utilized to complement the SOFT gate 
Threshold. A fully variable threshold control provides a range from +20dB to -70dB. 
Release Control. A fully variable release control is provided with release times from 10 ms to 5 sec to ensure that essential envelope control is not sacrificed in exchange for an economy in rack space. 
Attenuation Range. The DS404 has switchable attenuation between 90dB and 20dB to allow for applications where a complete mute is not desired. 
Chain Linking. Operating the LINK control switches the channel on the right to SLAVE operation, where its gating mode, threshold and envelope characteristics are controlled by the MASTER (left) channel. Any adjacent three channels or two stereo pairs can be linked in this way for use in any conceivable situation where linking may be required. 
LED Displays. Drawmer's familiar tri-colour LED display is once again utilized as the optimum method for indicating the envelope status for each channel. 
Input/Output.The DS404 is provided with balanced inputs and outputs on XLR connections.

Drawmer DS404
Quad-channel noise gate

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The Drawmer MX40 is a single rack space unit consisting of four independent gates with a couple of twists. A gate allows signals above a certain threshold level to pass through but attenuates signals below threshold so they don't appear at the output. On the MX40, the gated level is switchable between -90 dB and -20 dB so that the output doesn't go completely "dead" when the input drops below threshold, but rather retains some lower level ambient sound. This yields a more natural sound in some applications. 

An adjustable bandpass filter can be inserted into the threshold detector path so that, regardless of level, only signals within a certain frequency range will open the gate. This is often preferable to full band gating, and with careful adjustment, you can use the tunable filter to allow the gate to open, for example, on the floor tom, but stay closed on the snare. Similarly, you could adjust another channel to open when the snare it hit, but reject the toms. This goes a long way to improving definition in your mixes. A "key listen" switch allows you to hear the output of the key filter rather than the gated output, making it easy to tune the filter to the desired range. 

The Peak Punch™ feature is unique to Drawmer. When engaged, the initial attack when the gate opens is expanded upward momentarily adding punch to the attack of the gated signal. It really works on percussive sounds, improving definition without raising the average signal level to the point where it would be squashed by a following compressor. 

The unique Drawmer "traffic light" display clearly shows when gate input signals are above, below, or at threshold for quick setting of threshold controls. The MX40 employs the same "trigger stabilization" as the more advanced DS201 and DS401 gates to prevent chatter and false triggering when the input signal is very close to threshold. 

Gate inputs and outputs are balanced, +4 dBu operating level on XLR-type connectors. The external key inputs are ¼" unbalanced jacks.

Drawmer MX40 Gate
Four-channel frequency dependent peak punch gate

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The Drawmer MX Pro 30 Gated Compressor/Limiter is a low cost professional quality dynamics processor containing some of the proprietary design circuitry used in the more expensive models in the Drawmer range. The MX30 has many automated features enabling fast, effective dynamic control whilst retaining the instinctively laid out control parameters, sonic character and high technical specification which have made Drawmer the industry standard. The MX30’s competitive price point brings Drawmer’s professional processing into a much wider musician, project studio and live performance area. Operational control is split into three sections: Gate, Compressor, Output: ‘Programme Adaptive’ Gate Used to remove unwanted noise below a pre-set level, each channel consists of a variable Threshold Gate incorporating Drawmer’s ‘Programme Adaptive’ circuitry. Although quick and simple to operate, the gate’s auto-circuitry continually optimises such parameters as Attack, Hold, Ratio and Release, completely eliminating ‘chatter’ when the signal is fluctuating on or around Threshold. Two LED’s show when the signal is ‘above’ or ‘below’ Threshold and a push button switch allows additional control of Release time. This design approach also retains all ‘leading edge’ information making the gate ideal for ‘cleaning up’ vocals or retaining the ‘punch’ on gated drums. Switching is provided for 'Fast' or 'Slow' release characteristics. The 'Fast' mode can be used for instruments with rapid decay times or for additional tightening of the gating effect. The 'Slow' mode is more suitable for vocals and instruments with longer decay times or can be used to smooth over rough fade outs. A single LED indicates gating action. Soft Knee ‘Auto Compressor’ The gate is followed by a variable Threshold, variable Ratio, soft knee compressor with fully automatic Attack and Release. Large transients are controlled instantly whilst small signal variations are treated gently, retaining as much ‘life’ as possible and without generating unpredictable side effects. From the slightest to the most aggressive levels of compression, the MX30 handles it all with ease and displays the amount of compression taking place on a high resolution Gain Reduction bargraph meter. Output The Gain control is used to compensate for the amount of compression and brings the signal to the required output level as displayed by the output bargraph meter. A variable Threshold ‘zero overshoot’ limiter, essential for avoiding distortion when mastering to digital or speaker protection in a ‘live’ situation, adds the final polish to the signal by keeping control over signal peaks. The Limit threshold provides an absolute maximum peak level which no signal can pass. Fast transients are clipped instantly whilst more sustained peaks are dealt with by applying Gain Reduction, indicated by a single LED. Controls:
<ul>
<li>Gate Threshold: This control sets the level below which gating takes place and may be set anywhere in the range of -70dB to +20dB. A green LED illuminates to show when the signal is above threshold (i.e. gate open) and a red LED illuminates when the signal is below Threshold (i.e.gate closed)</li>
<li>Release: Either a Fast or Slow auto release contour may be selected depending on the material being processed. An LED indicates when Slow release status is engaged. Percussive material with little or no reverb is generally treated using the Fast release setting, whereas with slow decays or a significant amount of added reverb will usually respond better to the Slow release setting.</li>
<li>Compressor Threshold: This determines the input level above which gain reduction will be applied and may be set anywhere in the range of -40dB to +20dB. Soft Knee compression takes place for signals exceeding the threshold level by up to 10dB above which level, conventional ‘ratio’ compression is applied.</li>
<li>Gain Reduction Bargraph Meter: A nine segment LED bargraph meter continuously monitors the gain reduction applied by the compressor over a range of 0dB to 30dB.</li>
<li>Ratio: Sets the final compression ratio that will be applied once the 10dB soft knee region is exceeded. The ratio may be continuously adjusted from 1.2:1 to infinity:1 allowing the possibility of true hard limiting. The higher the ratio setting the more compression takes place (eg. A ratio of 8:1 means that an 8dB increase in volume at the input will appear as a 1dB increase in volume at the output).</li>
<li>Stereo Link: The unit can function as two independent gated/compressor/limiters or when ‘link’ mode is engaged for stereo use Channel 1 becomes the master, automatically duplicating its parameters across to Channel 2. In this mode the same degree of gain reduction is applied to both audio channels to prevent image shifting.</li>
<li>Output Gain: The output level may be attenuated or amplified by up to 20dB to compensate for level changes caused by compression. This control comes directly before the Peak Limiter detector and this fact should be taken into account when setting the Peak Limiter threshold.</li>
<li>Peak Limit: This control sets an absolute limit that the output signal will not be permitted to exceed. The limiter is ‘zero response time’ and controls peaks without any audible distortion. For transparent ‘peak protection’ the output gain control should be set to ensure that the Peak Limiter operates only occasionally. Alternatively, the unit can be driven into heavy limiting for creative effects.</li>
<li>Input/Output Bargraph Meter: An eight segment LED bargraph level meter monitors the level of the output signal over a range of -20dB to +15dB. When Bypass is selected this meter reads input level.</li>
</ul>

Drawmer MXPRO-30 Gated Compressor Limiter
Two-channel gate/compressor/limiter

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The Drawmer Six-Pack represents the industry’s first dedicated multi-dynamics processor for surround mixing and continues Drawmer’s tradition of audio ‘workhorse’ products which will continue to perform time and time again - even in a rapidly changing audio delivery environment. The Drawmer Six-Pack is a single 3U unit that will provide dynamics control in any format from mono to 5.1 surround. With six independent expander/gates, six independent auto or manual compressors, six ‘zero overshoot’ limiters and an LFE channel plus the ability to link channels individually, the Drawmer Six-Pack makes surround dynamics easy. In the studio, any analogue audio source from mono to stereo to full surround can be handled in one unit. In live sound, outboard applications such as drum processing or vocals can be dealt with in one easy to use unit, with both auto and manual operation. Alternatively the unit can be re-configured at the push of a button to provide dynamic control and speaker protection without image-shift for the fast developing surround sound speaker rigs employed in the club dance scene. The design of each processing module is derived from the industry standard Drawmer DL241 Compressor to deliver transparent and predictable dynamic control. The six channels of processing are arranged vertically to occupy the minimum rack space. On Channel six the user has the option to switch in a 120Hz filter to create an LFE channel. This feature is also useful to derive an LFE from a previously recorded five channel only, full band surround mix. Instinctively laid out LED bargraph metering gives clear visual indication of all dynamic functions. Universal Linking facilities allow for the various configurations commonly used in multi-channel surround processing as well as the conventional stereo and single channel operation. Controls and Features: Peak Limiter - Programme Adaptive, variable Threshold, Zero Overshoot limiter variable from 0dB to +16dB. An LED display of limiter activity. Compressor - Soft-Knee compressor with variable Threshold (-40dB to +20dB), Release (0.05 to 5 seconds), Ratio (1.2:1 to infinity), Attack (0.5 to 100mS) and Gain make-up (±20dB). Switchable auto/manual Attack and Release with LED status display. Expander/Gate - with variable Threshold control (-70dB to +20dB) and variable Release time from 0.05 to 1 second. Dual LED gate status display is provided. Metering - Eight LED bargraph meters display gain reduction, input/output levels and single LEDs display Master/Link status and Bypass. Bypass - Each channel features switchable Bypass with LED status. A relay hard wire bypass system allows the unit to still pass audio when the power is off

Drawmer Six-Pack
Six-channel multi-dynamics processor for surround mixing

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SPL DynaMaxx
Two-channel compressor/limiter/noise gate & de-compressor

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