XTA G2, Operator'S Manual

G2

 Operators Manual 

         Page 13 

Setting a sympathetic attack time that is similar to that of the required signal will 

produce the most natural and transparent results.  As the diagram below 
demonstrates, the gate opens at a similar rate to the signal, allowing the full attack 

portion to be heard.   

The same rule applies to the 

release of the gate – but for 
slightly different reasons. 

Too slow a release, and 
some of the background 

noise will be heard as the 

gate closes; too fast, and the 

signal will be prematurely 
cut off, sounding unnatural. 

Setting the Range Correctly. 

The range control sets how much attenuation is applied to a signal once it drops 

below the threshold and closes the gate. It is quite often overlooked when setting up 
a gate, the temptation being to set the range at maximum and leave it.  When the 

gate is fully closed, no signal will be heard when the range is set like this.  In some 

situations, this much attenuation can sound quite unnatural, especially if the threshold 
is set high to gate a loud signal, due to the stark contrast between the gate fully closed 

and fully open. 

It’s also worth remembering that if the background noise is quite severe, removing it 
all will only highlight the noise more when the gate opens and the noise becomes 

apparent again.  It’s often better to set the range to around 25-30dB of attenuation so 

that it can still be heard very slightly. 
 

Using the Hold Time. 

 
When the gate is being used with transient signals that require fast attack but 

relatively slow decays, it can be beneficial to introduce a hold time into the gates 

envelope.  This has the effect of prolonging the time the gate stays open, after the 

signal drops below the threshold.  The diagram overleaf explains this concept.