Minute Mix Tips: Expander v. Gate

Veteran Producer/Engineer Brian Malouf, narrates these minute mix tips about problems and solutions while mixing recorded music. This tip covers the parameters and settings that determine whether a gain reduction dynamics device has the characteristics of a noise gate or expander.

[@xaosnox]

If I didn't already know what an expander did, I don't think I'd be any more in the know after watching this. "Change this setting and now it's an expander" doesn't explain to people what an expander actually does or when it's useful.

[@beneath_the_woods]

Yeah, he does a bad job at explaining the difference. I know this is an old comment but this article might help others, it explains it really well (link says noise-gate but also explains expanders): www.practical-music-production.com/noise-gate/

[@jonathancrowell4648]

Dang I didn’t know The Edge was such a great producer

[@AlvaroMenezes]

Thanks for the tips man. It helped a lot.

[@claudiusmaye]

Very helpful

[@alekp6822]

Dude this was great! Missing puzzle

[@jjones7837]

Made sense thanks.

[@TheRealCalijokes01]

How much is that multi expander

[@insantiago798]

What I want to know is why does it have to be a woman’s knee? I don’t get it

[@bluename4]

What's the difference between a clipper and a gate / when use them appropriately?

[@jeno.javori_music]

I could not get this Sorry :(

[@RokSivante]

i'm still struggling myself, though thinking MAYBE the hangup is in the term "expander..."
still seems like the gate is active - but the "expander" sorta adds onto it, smoothening the curve of what gets in and out, sorta expanding the range of what squeezes through.
not 100% if that's the best way of looking at it or will help.
this quick 1.5 minute video seems to do a better job: ruclips.net/video/exrjnuP35_w/видео.html

[@joshorton2822]

Differences between gates and expanders. Keep in mind I'm a live guy, and there's a thousand plugins I've never even heard of. Ha!
Gates are only for signal reduction and have a fixed reduction. Technically you can somewhat manipulate this by the speed of the attack and release but on a gate, if you set your reduction to lower 10 DB when it's below the threshold, it will never reduce the output of the gate by more than 10 DB. Generally speaking, when the gate is open (above threshold), nothing happens. When the gate is closed (below threshold), it reduces by the fixed reduction you selected. Attack and release will just determine how quickly or slowly it opens up or closes. That's the part I was saying you can kind of sort of manipulate.
Downward Expanders. Most expanders deal with signal reduction (downward expansion), and instead of a fixed reduction, it's based off a ratio. So let's say you set your expander 1:1. For every DB the signal is below the threshold, the output of the expander reduces by 1 DB. So if it's 7 db below the threshold hold, the output reduces the signal by 7 DB. So let's say you set it 2:1 (some expanders would label it 1:2), instead of the 7 DB reduction, it would be 14. Let's say the ratio was 1.3:1. You have to do a little bit of math but if it was 7 db below the threshold with a 1.3.1 ratio, it would reduce it by 9.1 db. End of the day, mix with your ears and confirm with your eyes.
Upward Expansion. The same rules apply as downward expansion except for this boost output signal. Depending on the ratio, however many db the signal is above the threshold hold, the output gets boosted.
Bonus content. If you really want to get the most out of your gates and expanders, learn to use filters.
Hopefully this makes a little bit more sense.