Mixing guide / Cleanup / Noise Gate
Likely freeKnob names: Threshold & Release confirmed · others typical

Noise Gate

An automatic door for sound.

When your voice is loud enough, the door opens and you are heard. When you stop singing, the door closes and the noise in between (breaths, room hum, headphone bleed) goes silent.

Use it when you hear hiss, hum or breaths in the gaps between your lines.
Threshold
Quiet bits under the line (noise, breaths) are silenced. Singing above the line passes through untouched.
Your voice afterBefore / removed

Every knob, in plain words

Threshold

dB

How loud a sound must be to open the door.

Turn it upThe door opens only for loud sounds. More noise removed, but quiet words and soft endings get cut off.
Turn it downThe door opens for almost anything. Natural, but more noise sneaks through.

Attack

msif your version shows it

How fast the door opens when you start singing.

Turn it upOpens slowly. The first letter of words gets softened or swallowed.
Turn it downOpens instantly. If it is too fast you may hear a tiny click.

Hold

msif your version shows it

How long the door stays open after you go quiet.

Turn it upStays open through short gaps between words. Smoother phrases.
Turn it downCloses quickly. Fast lyrics can sound chopped up.

Release

ms

How slowly the door closes after you stop.

Turn it upGentle fade-out. Word endings and breaths sound natural.
Turn it downSnaps shut. Endings sound abrupt and choppy.

Range

dBif your version shows it

How quiet the “closed door” is.

Turn it upClosed means complete silence.
Turn it downClosed just means quieter. More natural, less obvious.

Start here for vocals

  1. Set Threshold all the way down and play a line.
  2. Slowly raise Threshold until the noise between phrases disappears, but stop before any word gets cut.
  3. Set Release around 200–300 ms so word endings fade naturally.

Too much? Listen for…

  • The first letters of words vanish (“_ove you”).
  • Breaths or long notes end with a sudden chop.
  • Soft adlibs and whispers disappear completely.

Try it in 2 minutes

  1. Loop one line of your mains.
  2. Turn one knob all the way, then back. Hear what changed.
  3. Settle somewhere gentle.
  4. Click the power button to compare before and after, at the same volume.

Tips

  • Skip it if your recording is already quiet. A gate only removes noise between phrases, not under the voice.

See the recipes table for per-layer settings.