9
USING THE DUCKER
S gate 4ʼs Ducker feature is a powerful tool for automatically mixing different sound sources. You can use the S
gate 4ʼs Ducker when you want one signal to control the level of another channel or channels. One of the most
popular examples of using a ducker is when you have a voice-over turn down a music program track. Another
example is to have a vocal track turn down a solo track. This is a great way to mix a sax or guitar solo around a
vocal improvisation.
You can experiment with the ducker by using a vocal track or microphone and stereo sound source, such as a CD
player. Below is a step by step example on ducking music with a vocal.
• Connect the first two channels of the S gate 4 to the main left and right insert points of your mixer. For a
detailed wiring guide see page 16 of this manual.
• Now take an output from your mic or vocal channel, either from a direct, auxiliary or bus output and con-
nect to the channel one KEY input on the S gate 4ʼs rear panel.
• Set both channelʼs controls to the default positions as described in the section "Setting Up the S gate 4".
• Set the RANGE control on both channels to 40.
• Press the DUCKER and KEY switches to the IN position.
• Press the channel one and two IN/OUT switch to the IN position and engage the LINK switch.
• Play some music from a sound source (such as a CD player) into two channels of your mixer.
Now when the vocal track or mic is playing, youʼll hear the music track drop by 40 dB. You can experiment with
different RANGE settings until you find the balance you like.
Operating The S gate 4
POWER
0
RANG
E
ATTA
CK
RELEASE
dB
HOLD
TRIGGER
HIGH
LOW
LINK
KEY LISTEN
DUCKE
R
IN/OUT
IN/OUT
GAIN REDUCTION dB
30 24 1827 12 6 1 2
30
Hz
3K
.1
10
KHz
-50
+20
+4
dBu
mSec
Sec Sec
.3
300
20
.07
4
1
.25
.02
5
1
100
40
CH 1
0
RANG
E
ATTACK
RELEAS
E
dB
HOL
D
TRIGGE
R
HIGH
LO
W
KEY LISTEN
DUCKER
GAIN REDUCTION dB
30 24 1827 12
6 1 2
30
Hz
3K
.1
10
KHz
-50
+20
+4
dBu
mSec
Sec Sec
.3
300
20
.01
4
1
.25
.02
5
1
100
40
CH 2
0
RANG
E
ATTACK
RELEAS
E
dB
HOL
D
TRIGGE
R
HIGH
LO
W
LINK
KEY LISTEN
DUCKER
IN/OUT
IN/OUT
GAIN REDUCTION dB
30 24 1827 12
6 1 2
30
Hz
3K
.1
10
KHz
-50
+20
+4
dBu
mSec
Sec Sec
.3
300
20
.07
4
1
.25
.02
5
1
100
40
CH 3
0
RANG
E
ATTACK
RELEAS
E
dB
HOLD
TRIGGE
R
HIGH
LO
W
KEY LISTEN
DUCKER
GAIN REDUCTION dB
30 24 1827 12
6 1 2
30
Hz
3K
.1
10
KHz
-50
+2
0
+4
dBu
mSec
Sec Sec
.3
300
20
.0
7
4
1
.25
.0
2
5
1
100
40
CH 4
KEY
KEY
KEY
KEY
4 CHANNEL
EXPANDE
R
GATE