BSS Audio OPAL Series DPR-944 Owner's Manual - Manual (Page 18)

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prevent this. They are set up to open only when their particular drum is hit.
Unfortunately it is sometimes not easy to set a gate up to only trigger on the
desired signal, quite often the wanted and unwanted signals are close to each
other in level. This is where key filters are useful. Key filters are set up to
condition the key signal by filtering out signals that don't originate from the
drum in question, thereby increasing the difference between adjacent drums
and making the job of ensuring that only the correct drum triggers the gate
easier.
Another use for gates is in the reshaping of existing sounds. Quite often
sampled sounds will be used in recording. Sometimes these sounds may have
an inappropriate attack or release sound for their intended purpose. By
triggering a gate on the sample, and with careful setting of the attack and
release controls, a new envelope, that produced by the gate, will be imparted
to the sampled sound.
Additional features are often added to contemporary gates, for example, the
ability to trigger the gate with a signal that is not the same as the one being
gated, add enormously to the versatility of the unit and take its application
into areas far removed from the original intention of the designers of the first
‘noise gates’.
General guide to gating
7.2 Basic operation These instructions are primarily designed to help you get started using the DPR
944.
The left hand part of the front panel is split into two identical sections, or
channels; the left hand section is referred to as gate 1, the right hand section
gate 2. There is no difference in operation between these two channels, and
so all the discussions will equally apply to both. The exception to this is when
using stereo link mode, described in section 6.9.
In operation, the gates can be considered as an automatic on-off switch that is
placed into the program signal line, with the actual operation of the switch
being controlled by the loudness level of the signal. The simplest way to
understand the basic operation is to connect one gate channel into a program
source and operate the controls whilst listening to their effect.
Having connected the input and output leads according to the instructions in
section 5.0, continue as follows:
• Make sure that all push-switches are out, in the non-illuminated position.
• Set the key filter control to 1kHz, and ensure the filter narrow switch is out.
• Set the threshold control to out, the depth and attack switches out, with the
release control about mid position.
• With the unit still in bypass mode (Gates In switch out), adjust the external
equipment to give an adequate volume level, and then operate the Gates In
switch. The signal should then be cut-off.