Gate for Drums in Live Sound: Cleaning Up the Kit

Gating drums in live sound reduces bleed between microphones, creating cleaner individual drum sounds. Without gates, the snare mic picks up hi-hat; the tom mics pick up everything. Gates silence channels when their intended source is not playing, reducing this cross-contamination.

Understanding Gate Operation

A gate is essentially an automatic mute that opens when signal exceeds threshold and closes when signal falls below. During open states, audio passes normally; during closed states, the gate blocks or attenuates the signal.

Threshold determines the level at which the gate opens. Signal above threshold opens the gate; signal below threshold keeps it closed. Setting threshold correctly distinguishes between intended source and bleed.

Attack time controls how quickly the gate opens when signal exceeds threshold. Drums need very fast attack to catch their transients.

Hold time keeps the gate open for a specified period after signal drops below threshold, preventing chattering on signals that hover near threshold.

Release time controls how quickly the gate closes after hold time expires. This setting affects how natural the drum decay sounds.

Range determines how much attenuation applies when the gate is closed. Full range (infinity or mute) completely silences; partial range (e.g., -20 dB) reduces level without complete cutoff.

Kick Drum Gating

Kick drum gates benefit from relatively easy threshold setting. The kick is usually the loudest thing hitting its microphone, providing clear level distinction from bleed.

Fast attack (0.5-1 ms) catches the kick transient. Slower attack would miss the initial click that defines kick drum presence.

Medium hold (50-100 ms) maintains open gate through the drum’s natural sustain. Too short creates chopped-off sound; too long allows bleed through.

Medium release (100-200 ms) allows natural decay while closing before significant bleed enters. Match release to the music’s tempo for natural-sounding cutoff.

Snare Drum Gating

Snare gating presents more challenge due to hi-hat bleed proximity. The hi-hat sits close to the snare mic, often producing levels approaching the snare itself.

Threshold setting requires finding the gap between snare hits and hi-hat level. If no clear gap exists, gating may not work effectively for that mic position.

Very fast attack (under 1 ms) captures the snare’s crack. Slower attack dulls the snare sound.

Hold and release settings allow the snare’s sustain and snare wire buzz to sound naturally. Too fast creates unnatural cutoff; too slow allows hi-hat through.

Tom Gating

Tom mics are idle much of the time, picking up bleed from cymbals and other drums when their toms are not being played. Gates silence these mics except during tom hits.

Threshold distinguishes tom hits from the general kit wash. Toms are typically much louder than the bleed reaching their mics, making threshold setting straightforward.

Timing settings should accommodate tom sustain. Toms ring longer than snare; hold and release settings must allow this natural decay.

Multiple toms may need individual gate settings. Floor toms sustain longer than rack toms; deeper toms have different characteristics than higher ones.

Range Settings

Full mute (maximum range) completely silences gated channels. This provides maximum separation but can sound unnatural if timing settings are not perfect.

Partial range (-15 to -25 dB) reduces bleed without complete silence. Some bleed remains, maintaining natural connection between kit elements.

Partial range forgives imperfect timing settings. If the gate closes slightly early, the drum’s tail is reduced rather than eliminated.

Many engineers prefer partial range for more natural results, accepting some bleed for smoother operation.

Sidechain Filtering

External or internal sidechain filtering helps gates respond to specific frequencies. A low-frequency filter on snare gate sidechain helps ignore hi-hat while responding to snare.

High-pass filtering removes low rumble from gate detection. Low-pass filtering removes cymbal bleed from detection.

Sidechain filtering does not affect the audio passing through the gate—only what the gate “hears” for triggering purposes.

When Not to Gate

Overhead and room microphones typically should not be gated. These mics intentionally capture the full kit; gating them defeats their purpose.

Quiet jazz or acoustic playing may not provide enough level distinction for effective gating. In these contexts, acceptance of some bleed may produce more natural results than aggressive gating.

Drummers with inconsistent dynamics challenge gate settings. A threshold that catches hard hits may miss soft ghost notes.

Digital Mixer Gates

Modern digital mixers include gates on every channel with graphical interfaces showing threshold, timing, and range settings. Visual feedback helps set parameters appropriately.

Scene storage saves gate settings between songs or shows. A ballad may need different settings than a rock song; recalling presets enables quick changes.

Look-ahead capability on some digital gates delays the audio slightly, allowing the gate to open before the transient arrives. This catches fast transients more reliably than zero-latency gates.

Listening and Adjusting

Gate settings should be verified by listening, not just by watching meters. Solo the gated channel and listen for natural decay, missed transients, or bleed leaking through.

Context matters—what sounds good in solo may behave differently in the full mix. Verify gate behavior with the full kit playing.

Adjust during soundcheck based on actual playing dynamics. The drummer’s touch affects what settings work; settings from another drummer may not apply.