DRAWMER / DS101 500

The 500 Series noise gate module is based on the DS201, a classic noise gate loved all over the world.

The Industry-Standard High-End Noise Gate Arrives in the 500 Series

The DS101 is the first noise gate module designed exclusively for the 500 Series rack system, joining industry-standard noise gates like the DS201, DS501, and DS404. Its operation is identical to those products.

Based on the single channel of the DS201, the DS101 is a noise gate incorporating many features invaluable to sound engineers, including variable high-pass and low-pass filters for ""frequency-sensitive gating.""

Other features include comprehensive envelope control, attack, hold, decay, and range, plus numerous other functions.

When placed side-by-side in a 500 Series rack, two or more gates can be linked using the new infrared trigger mechanism introduced in the DS101. This means any number of gates can be linked, each with its own unique envelope shaping; trigger pulses pass through unaltered. This opens up a whole world of ""envelope follower"" effects, limited only by your imagination.

Features
- Fully featured noise gate based on the industry-standard DS201
- 500 Series 1-slot size
- Fully variable high/low pass filters for ""frequency-sensitive"" gating.
- Comprehensive envelope control: attack, hold, decay, and range.
- External triggering via key input or the new IR trigger pulse from another DS101.
- ""Key Listen"" function.
- Extremely fast attack time to preserve the sound's natural attack.
- Linkable - up to 10 units in one rack space - individual envelope shaping.
- Dromer ""traffic lighting"" meter.
- Can be used for ""gating"" or ""ducking.""
- Low noise design

Setting up a noise gate can sometimes be tedious and unrewarding. For example, when trying to separate a signal from relatively high levels of unwanted noise or crosstalk, spurious gate triggering due to unwanted components in the sound can be a serious problem. This is commonly experienced when recording a drum kit in a studio. When using a gate to clean up the snare drum sound, a nearby hi-hat often finds its way into the snare drum microphone, causing the gate to open. While raising the threshold level might solve this problem, there's a risk that the gate won't open at all for softer snare drum beats, easily ruining the performance. [LF][LF] [LF][LF] DRAWMER's solution to this problem is the inclusion of two variable filters, one high-pass and one low-pass, that act on the sidechain keying circuit. By setting the output switch to Key Listen, users can hear the filter's operation and adjust it to remove high frequencies spilling from the hi-hat. This ensures that the gate only opens at the low frequencies present in the snare drum. The DS101's extremely fast attack, which can open in just a few seconds, preserves the natural attack of the sound being gated, and its comprehensive envelope controls mean that gain can be changed at a speed optimal for the material being processed. For example, with vocals, a fairly fast attack is required to avoid clipping the initial consonants, while a slower release time prevents clipping at the end of words and allows noise to gradually fade out rather than being cut off suddenly. This latter point is crucial, as the human ear is far more sensitive to rapidly changing noise levels than to constant, low-level noise. [LF][LF] [LF][LF] Another important role gates play is reshaping existing sounds. As an example of this, a simple sampling delay line can be used to store a sound and later retrigger it before adding it back into the mix. Carefully sculpting the decay envelope can also effectively hide noise present at the end of a sample. When using a sampler or drum machine, the gate can be thought of as a triggered envelope shaper, and the DS101's wide envelope control range makes it ideal for this application. The unit can be switched to a key input, allowing the gate to be triggered externally. For example, a snare drum signal can be used to gate another ambient mic, creating a natural alternative to gated reverb. [LF][LF] [LF] A rack full of DS101s can each be individually switched from gating to ducking, allowing them to be used for 'voice-over' applications or to remove 'clicks' and 'pops'.