What is Gate in Cryo Mix?
TL;DR: Gate removes low-level background noise and room sound between your real audio signals, making tracks cleaner and more focused.
The Gate in Cryo Mix helps clean up recordings by reducing low-level sound like room ambience, computer fan noise, headphone bleed, amp hiss, or street noise - especially between phrases.
Think of it like an automatic “door” for your audio:
- When your vocal/instrument is loud enough, the door opens (audio passes through).
- When the signal drops below a certain level, the door closes (quiet noise gets reduced).
Important: Gate doesn’t “EQ” your tone. It mainly controls when audio is heard, not what it sounds like.
The goal: cleaner, tighter tracks with less noise in the spaces between sounds.
What does the Gate slider do?
In Cryo Mix, the Gate slider controls the threshold:
- Lower Gate: more audio passes (including quiet details + some noise)
- Higher Gate: more noise is removed, but you risk cutting off quiet parts (word endings, breaths, tails)
Quick start: how to set Gate
- Start low (or off) so nothing gets cut.
- Slowly increase Gate until the noise between words/notes drops to an acceptable level.
- Listen for cut-offs (ends of words, breaths, sustain, reverb/delay tails).
- If anything feels chopped, reduce Gate slightly until it sounds natural again.
A good Gate setting removes noise in the gaps without making the track feel “on/off.”
When should I use Gate?
Use Gate when you want to reduce unwanted noise without manually editing silence.
Typical use cases
Vocals & spoken word
- Reduces room noise, fan noise, street noise, AC hum between phrases
- Great for home-recorded vocals, rap, voiceovers, podcasts
Guitars & bass
- Tightens high-gain parts by muting hiss between chugs
- Cleans quiet passages so they feel more controlled
Drums & percussion
- Reduces mic bleed (hi-hat in snare mic, cymbals in tom mics)
- Can make hits feel tighter by reducing noisy tails
Keys, synths & pads
- Helps with noisy sources or pedal chains
- Can create more space by trimming low-level tails (use gently)
Full mix / stems
- Very subtle gating can reduce the overall noise floor on bounces - but it’s easy to overdo. If it sounds unnatural, back off.
When NOT to use Gate
- Breathy vocals where breaths are part of the performance
- Ambient recordings where room tone is intentional
- Reverb/delay tails you want to keep natural
- Situations where noise is present during the loud parts too (Gate mainly helps in the gaps)
Pro tips & creative uses
Use Gate before heavy dynamics
- If you compress a noisy recording first, compression can raise the noise floor.
- Gating earlier often gives a cleaner result.
Tighten drums and rhythms
- Gentle gating on snares/toms/claps can make grooves feel more punchy and precise.
Clean up guitar chugs
- On high-gain guitars, Gate can remove amp hiss between chugs for a tighter, more aggressive rhythm sound.
Subtle noise control on groups
- Light gating on a vocal bus or drum bus can trim the noise floor without sounding obvious.
Combine Gate with EQ
- Use EQ to reduce hum/hiss tones, then Gate to clean what’s left between phrases.
Create contrast and space
- Light gating on background layers/adlibs can create silence between phrases, helping the lead feel more upfront.
Common mistakes & how to fix them
"Words, notes, or hits get chopped off"
Cause: Gate is too strong (threshold too high).
Fix: Lower the Gate until the ends of words/sustain return naturally.
"It sounds robotic or “hard gated”"
Cause: You removed too much room tone, creating unnatural silence.
Fix: Use a milder Gate so a small amount of natural ambience remains.
"Quiet details disappear (breaths, ghost notes, soft picking)"
Cause: Threshold is above your quiet details.
Fix: Reduce Gate. Decide whether those details are intentional - then set Gate accordingly.
"The mix is still noisy even with Gate"
Cause: Gate mostly works when the signal is below threshold. Noise during the loud parts won’t fully disappear.
Fix: Apply Gate more on individual noisy tracks, and improve the recording chain/room noise where possible.