A Noise Gate/Expander You'll Use on Every Session
Both as a utility and as an effect, the Kilohearts Gate is the type of plug-in you'll find a use for on every mix session. Whether you're trying to efficiently trim out amp noise between guitar chords or seeking to re-create that '80s gated-reverb kick drum sound, the Kilohearts Gate conveniently has all the tools you need under one roof. Despite its simplicity, the Gate plug-in packs some pretty sophisticated controls. Standard Threshold, Range, Tolerance, and Hold knobs make it fast to dial in how fanatical you are about gating — whether you want true silence or more nuanced degrees of expansion. But the Kilohearts Gate also gives you Attack and Release control to allow for smoother rises and falls as you give the effect time to reach maximum efficacy and loose its grip on signal noise. A 5ms look-ahead option ensures your transients don't get lost as the gate opens — an essential for sources like snare drum. Meanwhile, a simple sidechain lets you feed in audio source keys to create modern drum-and-bass ducking effects. One additional feature that has to be mentioned is the Flip switch, which quickly reverses the relationship of signal and noise. Now you can more easily monitor which signals you're pulling down or create more experimental effects, such as pulling up reverb tails and room noise. Even better, the Kilohearts Gate features an easy-to-use — and resizable — user interface, and it works with Kilohearts' Snapin hosts. If you're looking for a low-CPU noise gate to replace the one that came with your DAW, the Kilohearts Gate from Sweetwater is an option worth considering.
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Build a massive modular sound design system with Snapin plug-ins
On their own, Kilohearts plug-ins are formidable production and mixing tools. But when integrated using Kilohearts Snapin hosts — Snap Heap, Multipass, and Phase Plant — they evolve into a powerhouse modular sound design system. As the name implies, Kilohearts Snapin plug-ins literally “snap” into the Snapin hosts, allowing you to build massive processing chains and offering numerous ways to modulate parameters, stack effects in series or parallel, and creatively manipulate chains via automation and MIDI — all in a streamlined environment. Snap Heap arms you with four independent effects lanes, assignable envelope generators and LFOs, and the ability to control numerous parameters simultaneously with user-defined macros. Multipass ups the ante on the Snap Heap formula by including a frequency band splitter, which enables you to apply dedicated effects to individual frequency bands. For instance, you can completely transform a stock synth pad by saturating the low end and collapsing it to mono for more focus and heft, while adding a subtle chorus to the midrange frequencies and bathing the high frequencies in a pitch-shifting delay. Finally, Phase Plant combines Snapin plug-in functionality with an award-winning semi-modular soft synth to create a virtual instrument with unparalleled flexibility. With more than 30 Snapin plug-ins available, you’re free to assemble limitless combinations of effects that will color your productions with totally unique sounds!
Note: Kilohearts’ Snap Heap is available for free. Multipass and Phase Plant are sold separately.
Kilohearts Gate Plug-in Features:
- A gate/expansion plug-in you'll use on every session
- Works great as a utility (lowering noise floor) or as an effect (gating reverbs)
- A clean interface with some sophisticated controls
- Familiar Threshold, Range, Tolerance, and Hold controls let you quickly dial in gating/expansion
- Attack and Release control to allow for smoother rises and falls
- 5ms look-ahead ensures transients don't get chopped off
- Sidechain helps create modern drum-and-bass ducking effects
- Flip switch quickly reverses the relationship of signal and noise — can be used to monitor noise or create experimental effects
- Clean layout
- Full resizable user interface
- Works with Kilohearts' Snapin hosts

