Expansion/Noise Gating

Ü A dynamics processor related to the compressor but of opposite effect
Ü Increases overall dynamic range
Ü Can be used for Noise-Gating with many kinds of signals

 

DEFINITION

The expander is a type of dynamic processor. As the name implies, it increases the dynamic range of a signal such that low level signals are attenuated while the louder portions are neither attenuated nor amplified. This behavior is opposite to that of the compressor. Noise-gating can be achieved with dynamics expansion when taken to the extreme, where it will heavily attenuate low-level input sounds or eliminate them entirely.

The stand-alone noise-gate is often a slightly different kind of circuit than the expander - its action is to effectively shut-off a signal rather than create an amplitude adjustment resulting in dynamic range expansion.