Expander/gate Question

  • Thread starter Thread starter AlexHerd
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AlexHerd

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I'm looking into a gate for my bass preamp because it is noisy, and I saw an EXPANDER/GATE. I know what a gate is, but what is an expander? Will this still help on cutting down the noise? Thanks
 
Im not too clear on that one either,and do the gate/expanders on compressors do the same thing as dedicated noise gates?(just without the features like attenuation and stuff?)
 
asn expander is the direct oposite to a compressor (kind of) the compressor will take signals above a destignated level and reduces the volume, where as an expander lowers the signal BELOW the designated level, kind of like a gate but with out the direct switching off of the siganl..... so how then can one dial be called an expander/gate?by the time you expand to the point of silence, you can continue into negative silence, or if you like gating...

any how, i'm pretty sure thats what it is, or something very close to that, not an easy one to explain, but i hope this helps a little.....then again i am probably entirely wrong....

alex to answer your question, yes, it will reduce noise.
 
Okay, let me try to answer this in a way most can understand.

A Noise gate allows you to set an adjustable threshold, and when the signal drops to that level, the Gate "snaps" shut, which can give you that massive shotgun blast snare sound.

An Expander, actually "tracks"/follows the signal as it decreases, and will slowly close to the threshold level, so that the signal will just "become quite" when it drops below the threshold....so in a sense, an expander acts like a Compressor on loud sounds in that it will squash the signal below it's threshold, whereas with a compressor, it will increase the low volume levels.



Does that help any?


Tim
 
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