Drawmer DS201 Dual Noise Gate

Drawmer DS201 – Setting up noise gates can be tedious and unrewarding, especially when trying to separate a signal from unwanted noise or high-level crosstalk. A common issue in the studio is spurious triggering of the gate by unwanted sound components, such as when recording a drum kit. For instance, using a gate to clean up the snare drum sound often leads to nearby hi-hats spilling into the snare drum microphone, causing the gate to open. Raising the threshold level might solve this, but it risks not opening the gate for quieter snare drum beats, potentially ruining the performance.

Drawmer addresses this problem on the Drawmer DS201 with the inclusion of two variable filters, one high-pass and one low-pass, acting on the side-chain keying circuitry. By setting the output switch to key listen, users can hear the effect of the filters and adjust them to reject high-frequency spillage from the hi-hats. This allows the gate to open only for the lower frequencies of the snare drum.

The Drawmer DS201’s very fast attack time allows it to open in just a few microseconds, preserving the natural attack of the sound being gated. The comprehensive envelope controls enable gain adjustment at a rate that best suits the material being processed. For vocals, a fast attack is necessary to avoid clipping leading consonants, while a slower release time prevents the end of words from being clipped and gradually fades out any noise rather than cutting it off abruptly. This gradual noise reduction is crucial, as the human ear is more sensitive to rapidly changing noise levels than to constant low-level noise.

Another important role of the gate is reshaping existing sounds. For instance, a simple sampling delay line can store a sound to be re-triggered later and added to a mix. A gate can impart a slower attack or faster decay to the sound, and carefully setting the decay envelope can effectively hide any noise present at the end of the sample. When using a sampler or drum machine, the gate acts as a triggered envelope shaper, and the wide range of envelope controls makes the Drawmer DS201 ideal for this application.

The unit can also be switched to accept a key input, allowing the gate to be triggered externally. For example, a snare drum signal can open the gate on a separate ambient microphone to create a natural alternative to gated reverb. Additionally, each channel can be individually switched from Gating to Ducking for voice-over applications or the removal of clicks and pops.

Features

• 2 channel, 1 rack unit Noise Gate.
• Variable high pass and low pass filters for “frequency conscious” gating.
• Comprehensive envelope control, attack, hold, decay, and range.
• Key input for external triggering.
• “Key Listen” facility.
• Extremely fast attack time, to preserve the natural attack of the sound.
• Balanced inputs and outputs.
• Stereo linkable.
• Can be used for “Gating” or “Ducking”.
• Classic Drawmer Build Quality with Rugged Steel Chassis and Aluminium Front Panel.
• Designed and manufactured by Drawmer in the UK.