TL Audio VP-1 - Manual (Page 21)

that frequency. This would be an alternative way of de-essing an input signal,
by setting the boosted EQ frequency to match that of the sibilance.
Q:
Any tips on using the Expander/Gate?
A: With low level signals such as tape hiss, microphone self noise or even noise
from guitar amplifiers the gate will shut off these unwanted elements, but they
will be present - often loud and clear - when the required signal opens the gate.
This may not be a problem in a busy mix where the unwanted noise in the
signal is hidden by the other instruments, but in a minimal, sparse or exposed
recording the shutting on and off of the gate may be more noticeable than the
noise itself. Tape hiss is a good example of this as the listener will often be
unaware of the hiss until the point the hiss disappears when gated. Our advice
is to consider whether each individual signal really needs gating, rather than
routinely gating every signal in a mix.
Many engineers will use noise gates very cautiously when recording as there
is a danger of ‘clipping off’ the beginnings and endings of vocal phrases, for
example. Once the signals have been recorded, gating can be used with more
confidence as the signals are preserved on the recording, so you may want to
avoid gating (or apply less aggressive gating) when tracking, and wait until
mixdown to get serious with the gate!
It can be hard to set the gate threshold point for some signals as the signal
dynamics may vary too much. Because of this problem it can be much easier
to set the threshold point on signals that have a smaller dynamic range, such as
compressed signals.
Gating at higher levels can help to “tighten” instruments up. For example fine
tuning the gate threshold, attack and release controls for a bass guitar signal
can help it to sit more tightly with the drum parts. The attack and release
controls can also be used to effect drum parts. Snare drums can be clipped at
the front end with a slower attack time, or at the tail end with a quick release
setting. The gate can also be useful to clean up signals before recording to
samplers.
Q:
Can you offer advice on using the De-esser?
A: To use the VP-1 De-esser, boost the depth and bandwidth to maximum, then
adjust the frequency to find the most effective reduction of the sibilance. You
can then reduce the depth and narrow the bandwidth to achieve the required
reduction of sibilance with the least audible degradation to the signal quality.
The De-esser can also be used to dynamically reduce certain frequencies for
other instruments: for example reducing “fret” noise on an acoustic guitar. The
EQ section of the VP-1 can be used to help identify the troublesome
frequencies - once found and noted, they can be set for reduction on the de-
esser section.
Q:
How should I use the Limiter?
A: The limiter is designed to prevent overload in the equipment that the VP-1 is