Noise Gates/'Rhythm' Gates...

[Duarte]

I've been looking for something particular. I got this description that shows what I want perfectly...

'Aside from other controls for altering sensitivity, envelope etc, noise gates can be used for other purposes like gluing a sloppy bass part to a kick drum, or gluing a sine wave oscillator to an 808 kick to generate deep bass. Noise gates can also be used as effects generators using the so-named side-chain feature.

Instead of the threshold being set manually, this cunning feature ‘opens’ and ‘closes’ the gate automatically depending upon another audio signal that’s been patched into the side-chain input. If that audio signal is something like drum machine pattern (i.e. lots of short, dynamic bursts of signal) then that rhythm will be applied to the main audio track on which you are using the noise gate.

In place of your acoustic guitar, let’s take a synth pad, or some backing vocal ‘Oohs.’ If you apply a noise gate with side-chain inputted drum beat on this type of sound - i.e. a smooth, sustained audio signal - it’ll turn it into a sort of groovy, stuttering effect in the exact same rhythm as the drum beat. In effect the drum beat will ‘play’ the synth or vocal.

This effect is extremely infectious, creating instant danceability, instant feel, instant but non-intrusive movement, not the least because it is precisely in-time with the drum beat, and so, we hope, with the rest of your track.'


Is there such a thing in a stompbox? Essentially a noise gate, with the 'side chain' feature?
Could be interesting...Also something I've found called 'trigger gates' which you write in a sequence and it will gate what you play to that sequence, give it a rhythmic staccato vibe...but I've only seen plugin versions for logic and that - no stompbox things.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Duarte

[BigRedX]

Don't know of anything in a stomp box, but I've used a couple rack effects to do this.

Firstly a Peavey Spectrum Filter - envelope following and MIDI triggering of both VCF and VCA with full ADSR envelopes for each section. The filter part is reputed to be based on the Mini Moog filter.

Secondly, not quite as versatile but still good, the tremolo section of the Electrix MoFex which has variable shape tremolo sync'd to MIDI at different note intervals.

You can hear the Peavey filter unit in action by clicking on my sig and listening to the track "Love Junkie". All the bass parts are an Overwater bass through the filter, being controlled by a MIDI sequencer.

[Duarte]

There is a peavey on ebay at the moment for what looks like a good price. I also found this video which demonstrates what I am looking for (whilst searching for the freqbox, which I also need!)

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWFwIK8ysg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWFwIK8ysg[/url]

When I get the laptop hooked up to some decent speaker I'll check out your link. Thanks for that.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Duarte

[BigRedX]

If you're going after that filter make sure the PSU is included as the Peavey rack gear uses something non-standard like 16V AC IIRC.

Also worth checking out is the Adrenalinn.

[Duarte]

The Adrenalinn looks very good, and pretty cheap too. More my cup o' tea aswell in pedal form. I'll check out these options in more detail - cheers!

[Silent Fly]

[quote name='Duarte' post='297105' date='Oct 1 2008, 10:46 PM']The Adrenalinn looks very good, and pretty cheap too. More my cup o' tea aswell in pedal form. I'll check out these options in more detail - cheers![/quote]

I have an AdrenaLinn III and you shouldn't have any problem to do what you are looking for.

[thisnameistaken]

The old DOD FX-30 Gate/Loop has this feature, can't tell you how well it works because mine's on the fritz, sorry.

[Matty]

if you can build pedals from scratch, the Craig Anderton book "Electronic projects for Musicians" has a noise gate with and external trigger input, for using it as a pseudo programmable tremolo if you have a drum machine or something.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Matty