Empress Effects Heavy - Manual (Page 6)

Noise Gate
The Heavy features an internal noise gate which is triggered from
the input, before the signal is distorted. This results in a noise gate
that is extremely responsive and dynamic. Whether you're playing a
long sustaining note that's meant to ring out into feedback, or you
need a tight gate for those quick stops, the noise gate will react and
adjust accordingly. In Natural mode, the gate sensitivity is high and
will open with very small input levels. This mode works great for all
styles of playing from leads to tight rhythms. However, Aggressive
mode may be better suited to your playing if all you require is a
hard clamping gate for fast stops. The noise gate can be set to
either mode on either channel, for maximum flexibility.
Setting the threshold: The side mounted trim pot lets you increase
or decrease the threshold to best suit your guitar's output. It comes
factory set in the middle (arrow up) which we've found works really
well with most guitar/pickup combinations, but there's some room
for adjustment if you need it. Use a small flathead screwdriver and
turn clockwise to increase the sensitivity (lower the threshold), or
counter-clockwise to decrease the sensitivity (increase the
threshold).