LinPlug Spectral - Manual (Page 69)

Gator
The Gator (sometimes called Gater or just Gate-Effect) is a step-controlled
audio gate that can be used to create rhythmic, stuttering and pulsing
effects. The effect is unique in that it separates the input signal into left and
right components, each of which can be gated independently.
The Steps control consists of two rows of sixteen “buttons”, one for each
rhythmic step of the pattern. When a button is on, the signal is passed
through the effect. Alternately, when a button is off, the signal is gated. The
duration of each step depends on the setting used in the Tempo control.
The Smooth control sets the envelope shape of the gate for each step
value. A lower setting of the Smooth control creates a sharper envelope
shape that produces a more pronounced gating effect. Increasing the value
of the control “smoothes” the envelope creating a more pulsing, tremolo-
like sound.
The Link control is used to set the way that the Gator’s step buttons
respond to user input. This control has three settings: Off, Link and XLink.
When set to “Off”, each step button can be switched on and off
independently of any other button. When set to Link, the step buttons for
the left and right patterns are linked together so that switching either button
turns both buttons on or off. When set to XLink, the step buttons for the left
and right patterns are linked together, however in this case they work in a
complementary manner—when one button is on, the other will be off. In
this case only one of the two left and right channel buttons can be switched
on at the same time.
The Tempo control sets the duration of each step. For example, a setting of
1/16 means that each pattern step is equivalent to a 16 th note. Note that the
overall tempo at which the Gator effect operates is set in the host software.