Hey, everyone. I just finished recording a song, and I'm in the process of applying some basic vox effects... namely, a Gate (I'll call it in this).
So the big thing here is that I don't want to COMPLETELY eliminate sound below the threshhold- I just want it lowered a bit. Is there any way I can use a gate, or perhaps reverse a Compressor so that it'll work in this way? 
Thanks!

I guess you need an expander.  They're like the opposite of a compressor.  A compressor affects the signal above the threshold, and expander affects the signal below the threshold - it makes quiet signals quieter, if you will.
 
I use the PC4K Expander/Gate for this.
 
An expander has a ratio, like a compressor.  A gate is often an expander with a high ratio.  Often, like the PC4K, they are both.  I think some of the included gates in Sonar should do this, just see if they allow you to use a lower ratio.  They often have a range control, too, which defines the maximum amount of gain applied to the signal.

A gate is very final in it's operation. If a sound does not meet the threshold it does not get through simple as that.

A downward expander is the tool you need. Now you will  have to find it in Sonar. As I am not a Sonar user I am not able to point you directly to it.

The way a downward expander works is as the signal falls below the threshold, the further away it gets from the threshold (ie lower) the more it drops the gain down to silence the areas in between any singing or talking and it does work very well. The good thing about it is even if a sound comes through and it is still under the threshold then the expander will still open up and let it through so you don't loose important low level detail. 

It may be a special plugin or a another plug with a different ratio settings. I am pretty sure Sonar has one though.

You need to spend time with a downward expander in order to get it working nicely and more importantly in a very transparent way. Once you master setting it up you can also get into using it with the vocal mike on the way IN to your DAW. (if you have a hardware one outside your interface that is as I do)

The vocal effect you're after was used in the 80's, in this case for example it was use by Phil Collins to overly accentuate the natural acoustic properties of the drums; a very tight 'heavy-burst' of sound and usually with a very short decay on the tail. 

Certainly made the drums stand-out, but the effect in itself is very unnatural (not a natural ambiance sound)! 

This effect of course was also used on vocals. 

The easiest way: 
Nowadays you might find a preset in some of the better reverb plugins, titled: Gated Reverb and from there you can adjust the decay, release times, freq and mix level to suit the song/vocals. 

Sorry, I forgot to explain how it was done:
 
The traditional method was to feed a good quality reverb through an 'Analogue Gate'.  Digital processors probably will not be as effective (according to an SOS article I read a while back)!

That is in regards to drums, as for vocals?  IMO, not the sort of effect I would want but instead more focused on actual technique based on genre/style that requires very fast paced vocals. 

My next project is just that, fast paced vocals. Awww man I'm going to need a lot of caffeine and gallons of high-energy drinks. 


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davdud101


Hey, everyone. I just finished recording a song, and I'm in the process of applying some basic vox effects... namely, a Gate (I'll call it in this).
So the big thing here is that I don't want to COMPLETELY eliminate sound below the threshhold- I just want it lowered a bit. Is there any way I can use a gate, or perhaps reverse a Compressor so that it'll work in this way? 
Thanks!

I would simply slap a volume envelope on the entire track and lower it wherever I want.

You're probably going to have to automate some sections of the vocal in any case, so my suggestion is just an extension of this.

The vocal strip has a downward expander, I believe.  As Jonesey sez, volume automation is the first thing you should always do.  Then try the downward expander (if you've got it) to automate the process.  vol automation can get tedious, but gives the most control.

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The Sonitus Gate will do what you want. You can set any amount of gain reduction you like, such as 3 to 6db, rather than complete silence. You can also set the attack curve to a gentle slope so it's not abrupt.

However, for the effect to work right and not sound obvious, you'll need to first get your vocal track fairly constant in volume. That usually entails a volume envelope. Personally, I'd do as Jonesey suggested above, and write the volume changes into the automation. It's a tedious process, but you'll have maximum control to get just the effect you're after.

This advice is based on the assumption that you're just trying to clean up the track rather than going for a special effect.