The industry-standard noise gate, now in the 500 Series. The DS101 is the first gate designed specifically for the 500 Series rack format and joins Drawmer's renowned family of professional gates, including the DS201, DS501, and DS404. Anyone familiar with those classics will feel instantly at home.
Based on a single channel of the DS201, the DS101 is a sophisticated, frequency-conscious noise gate incorporating Drawmer's key innovations such as variable high- and low-pass filters on the side-chain.
It provides full envelope control with attack, hold, decay, and range, plus other advanced features that make it one of the most capable and flexible gates in its class.
When two or more DS101s are used together, they can be linked via an infrared triggering system. Each gate maintains its own envelope settings while sharing the trigger pulse - ideal for creative envelope-follower effects and stereo operation.
Setting up noise gates can often be tricky. When isolating a signal from unwanted noise or spill, gates may be falsely triggered by nearby instruments - for example, hi-hat bleed opening the snare gate. Raising the threshold might help, but risks missing quieter hits and compromising the performance.
The DS101 solves this with two variable filters - high-pass and low-pass - acting on the side-chain key circuit. Engaging key listen lets you monitor the filter response and fine-tune it to reject unwanted spill, ensuring the gate opens only for the desired frequencies.
With an exceptionally fast attack, the DS101 opens in microseconds, preserving the natural transients of the source. Its envelope controls allow the gain response to be tailored precisely to the material. On vocals, a fast attack keeps consonants clear, while a slower release avoids cutting words short and ensures smooth, natural fades. This prevents the abrupt level changes that are more distracting than steady low-level noise.
The DS101 is also a powerful sound-shaping tool. It can modify the attack or decay of recorded material, hide noise tails in samples, and reshape sounds from drum machines or samplers - effectively operating as a triggered envelope shaper.
A key input allows external triggering; for example, a snare signal can open a gate on an ambient mic to create natural gated reverb effects.
Multiple DS101s can be linked, with each independently switchable between Gating and Ducking modes - ideal for voiceover, broadcast, or removing clicks and pops.
