Sonible's BRAND NEW smart:Gate is INSANE!
Say hello to Sonible's smart:Gate - a brand new way of gating that makes impossible actually possible. This is the tool this industry needed for years.
In this blog, we're going to review Sonible's brand new smart:Gate plugin. As usual, we're brutally honest. This blog is not sponsored, and we're not told to say anything as a "must". This is our honest opinion.
QUICK OVERVIEW
Sonible's smart:Gate is an intelligent source detection plugin that works by focusing on the selected target source in the signal. Yes, you guessed it right, this plugin relies on AI technology combined with regular processing. However, unlike conventional gates, smart:Gate offers great sounding results while making parameterization outstandingly fast and easy. It's special because it offers content-aware gating, which is not available on any other gates. You also have a wide range of instrument and sound profiles, great visuals and also an option for intelligent ducking.
FEATURES:
AI-POWERED GATING
This plugin got me very confused once I understood that it actually works based on AI combined with regular gating method, which is just insane. Smart:Gate allows you to select a target source from a drop-down menu. Now, whether you're gating guitar, piano, vocals, bass, kick or any other option, smart:Gate delivers outstanding results even when the target source varies in level or if the competing instrument/signal is louder that the signal you want to actually gate, which is impossible to do with old-school gates.
VISUALS
Smart:Gate is a gate that can actually help you to visualize and see what's happening within the gate itself. The activity of the target signal and the gating are visualized in detail. It gives you all the insights you need to see, compare, re-check or do whatever you want.
OUTSTANDING FEATURES
Besides working only based on AI, smart:Gate offers many fine tuning features, such as three-band rejection network of weight gating across the frequency spectrum. One of my favorite options is BIAS which allows you to increase the level dependency of the processing. As mentioned earlier, you can easily switch to ducking mode, which gives you the same target-focused functionality. The most respected feature from me is that you can disable AI processing and use it as a conventional/regular gate.
LET'S GET INTO DETAILS
ADAPTIVE THRESHOLD:
Unlike fixed threshold gates, smart:Gate adapts to the audio material, adjusting its threshold automatically to maintain a seamless gating experience. This is very helpful because it ensures that even the softest parts of performance are captured while effectively reducing background noise when there are silent gaps in your audio material.
LEVEL BIAS:
As soon as smart:Gate finishes analyzing your audio material, you can go in detail with Level Bias feature. It makes it super easy to maintain the information we want based on the target you set. Level Bias allows you to increase the level dependency of the processing.
CONVENTIONAL GATING:
Besides going for AI processing, you can disable it and go for conventional method of gain if that's the one you prefer better for a certain purpose. This feature is very important since there are cases where we want to use our gate as our ADSR tool for adjustments of certain audio signals. You can switch back to AI processing by selecting the target source you want to gate.
RELEASE DETECTION:
Gate employs a sophisticated release detection mechanism that avoids abrupt gating closures. By analyzing the audio envelope, the gate smoothly and gradually attenuates the audio, resulting in a more transparent and natural sounding gating.
IMPACT CONTROL:
Impact Control can be located at the bottom of the smart:Gate and in simple words it controls the overall impact of the gate and fine-tune gating in different frequency ranges for the best gating experience.
SIDECHAIN FILTER:
Users can target specific frequency ranges or shape the sidechain signal, enabling precise gating for specific elements in the mix. Another great feature we can't really find on other gates.
INTELLIGENT LEARNING:
Smart:Gate also includes an intelligent learn mode that automatically detects the noise floor and sets the threshold, which helps a lot in workflow and simplifies the entire process of gating.
LOOK-AHEAD:
Smart:Gate is also special for featuring Look-Ahead functionality. This plugin analyzes the audio signal slightly ahead of time, anticipating possible noise or transients which enables smoother and much more accurate gating, especially when we're working with complex projects.
SOUND QUALITY:
This plugin makes sure that gating is performed transparently, without any altering of the natural dynamics of the audio material. This means you won't end up with unwanted background noise.
OUR FINAL THOUGHTS
USER EXPERIENCE:
This plugin is Top-Notch and absolutely the best gate we ever used in terms of everything starting from sound quality, functionality, visuals & many other functions. It's pretty easy to navigate and use, which makes it accessible to both novice and experienced audio engineers. We also appreciate the provided guidance for new users.
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT:
Have in mind that this plugin was not meant to extract stems, since it's a gating plugin which should be used during the mixing process. Yes, it will isolate elements of drums and any other audio material you select without relying on volume, but that doesn't mean it will be completely able to isolate stems from a very busy mixes. There are specified tools for that. This is a gate plugin which is used for gating.
PRICING:
Smart:Gate is currently priced at €89.00, which is the discounted price from €129.00. If we look back at all the features & functionality this plugin offers, the price you pay for this plugin is absolutely affordable. It offers excellent value for the money you pay.
HUGE SHOUT-OUT TO SONIBLE GmbH
As the Founder & Owner of Md3sign Studio, I want to proudly thank Sonible for reaching out to us and introducing this great plugin. In deal with them, I promised to be extremely honest. I really don't have anything bad to say about smart:Gate since it really meets all my expectations & goes far beyond them. Good job once again, Sonible!
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