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iOS sophisticated noise gate that reduces with a slope not kills
I’m having a go at a bit of a project recreating a jangle box pedal.
I was wondering if there’s a gate on iOS or something that can be adjusted so instead of cutting it reduces noise at a certain threshold and can even be tailored in quite a nuanced way with a slope?
What I want to do is try to create the effect of reducing the sustain of (guitar) notes - maybe an envelope shaper for audio signals?
I’m going to try to make a tele sound more like a Ricky 😂 (used to have a 330)
So far my plan is a couple of compressors in series, an eq for treble boost, and the noise gate to create a bell like response
Comments
I find Noise Gate from ManiCLC pretty adjustable in terms of control:
https://apps.apple.com/be/app/noise-gate-downward-expander/id1488081633
Logic Pro has a noise gate.
Mixbox has the British Dynamics processor which has noise gate and compr.
As you described, you need a gate with good hysteresis and floor control. The best thing you can find on iOS is Pro-G. It can keep the noise floor at the desired dB pretty well.
Experimenting now, I think my issue is that it needs to shape the decay sustain etc rather than gate exactly. Because it’s more that there’s a much stronger initial attack, sharp sound then a very swift decay but without it cutting. All the energy of the note is at the start. But the gates cut at a threshold even if they do it with ratios. If one just reduced at a threshold so I could have it ringing quietly. I’m not totally sur about all this just describing what is the problem so far
I thought an adsr envelope for audio signal might help or some more sophisticated a wave shape type thing, I dunno
Pr maybe that’s what you meant by floor control - I’m not hugely familiar with gates etc although I know a bit of the basics
It seems like you need a transient designer. Check out FAC Transient
Did you try the Pro-G “Guitar” style (algorithm)? It is a gate/expander. Excerpt from the manual: “With this style, especially when used in the lower ratio range (2:1 to 5:1), Pro-G gently follows the natural decay of the guitar sound, ensuring that even after distortion, the result still sounds very natural and lively."
The only thing left for you is to set the “range” knob for the desired dB floor, then tweak the threshold and rest what you need. @richardyot has more experience with guitar and Pro-G.
Edit: Do you still want the “couple of compressors in series” and gate at the end? Or just a transient shaper?
@wingwizard you probably need a specific type of noise gate, called a gate/expander. FabFilter does it, TH-U has one, etc…
Yes, a downward expander does it.
iOS comes with the Apple Audio Unit called "AUDynamicsProcessor". It's free and it does a great job.
Just a downward expander will duck-out “jangle-box” sustain tails, as I understood, he wants to reduce sustain, not just gate it out. And also shape the release curve. But I could be wrong.
Have you tried it?
I've used it where typical noise gates failed because they've acted as you've described.
Sure, you can only "shape" the release curve by adjusting its ratio but I haven't seen a case where that didn't work out well.
Thanks everyone, messing around with a lot of the stuff mentioned and other things. The au that come with iOS are quite crazy
I didn’t use that particular Apple Dynamic Processor, but I did now after you mentioned it. I’m very surprised, the expansion ratio works really well, and you can still tweak the release. I always skipped those Apple-discarded ones, haha.
Me too @Luxthor, until I had no chance but to try it on MacOS long ago and I was just as surprised! 😊
How to get access to these Apple AUv3s inside AUM?
I think it’s up to the developer of the host to expose them if I’m not mistaken. But the Jens Guell apps are made for that exact purpose and a lot of them are free I believe.
Yes. Some other DAWs do show the Apple AUv3s but only Drambo seems to show them with a proper UI.
Edit: Seems like ApeMatrix has given us an update recently, now showing the AU UIs too.
Yepp, an app developer has to enable them in the app...
They were pretty unstable prior to iOS17 so that's why many have chosen to not show them.
Who knows, maybe @j_liljedahl can enable the 'Apple AUs'(and put them at the end of the list) in AUM when it's running under iOS/iPadOS17?
Ah, OK, thnx guys!
I thought that was the case. I never used them really so didn’t realize there were stability issues. Makes sense why a dev wouldn’t include them then since lots of people would probably assume they were developed by the host developer and leave bad reviews because of it.
The AUSoundIsolation (iOS17+) in particular is pretty impressive for reducing outside disturbances and cleaning up the voice.
It's an 'AI Thing' (Apple Calls it Neural Network) and same algorithm used in the AirPod Pro's among other things.
No way! That’s pretty cool! Is Drambo the only way to access that one? I see Jens doesn’t have an AU of it yet.
LogicPro for iPad, GarageBand and apeMatrix can access them and I'm quite sure there's a bunch of other hosts that can access them.
Ah yeah of course GB and Logic 🤦🏻♂️ I thought SAND but I’m not seeing them. Maybe it was that other similar host app.
One way to make it happen is to send feedback to the developers, it should be that much work to 'enable' their visibility.
TwistedWave and WaveBox can also use Apple AUv3s.
I’ve tested it in LP4iOS and instantly ran into the problem of not having multiple AU windows open at the same time. Because I want an oscilloscope while tweaking tools like this one.
For noise-gates & compressors I personally only need 'ears' and a 'level meter'.
If I suspect distortion due to too heavy compression I just adjust the attack and release times unit it's no longer audible.
I think ZenBeats also supports Apple AUv3's and it allows windowed plug-ins so that might be worth a shot?
I think that I already told you this: I’m jealous of your ears, it would be nice if I could borrow them from time to time. 😂
We can swap eyes for a while
While my eyes are getting worse over time my ears still work somewhat reliably...
(I've got a new pair of long-distance glasses and I'm quite near-sighted so the 11" iPad at a 15-30cm distance is 'quite ok' and due to the keratokonus in my right eye I can't wear progressive glasses, the cornea is too thin for operation and hard contact-lenses so yeah, it is what it is at least I'm not totally blind). Astigmatism is quite bad as well (over 4 'steps' between the eyes)
Cheers!
You won’t be happy with my eyes either, and I won't bother you now with my medical history. I sympathize with you my friend. Be strong, and I wish you all the luck in the world. 😌
Thanks!
I try to do my best to cope, some days are better than others...
Take Care Too
Fac transient is great btw, thanks for suggesting this stuff, that feels like a missing piece as well as Pro-q etc
For anyone interested I started thinking about that because I read a random comment from someone about the 330 sound possibly having to do with the raised string height, and having played one for years this made a lot of sense to me with the sound profile, intense chime then dramatically falls away