SSL Introduces X-Gate Plug-In

US Precision gate processor in VST2, VST3, AAX and AU formats 29/06/22

Solid State Logic has announced its latest plug-in release: SSL X-Gate. They tell us that the new plug-in is available now in several formats including VST2, VST3, AAX and AU as part of the ever-growing SSL Complete subscription from $14.99 per/m (Ts&Cs apply). X-Gate is the fourth new plug-in added to SSL's Complete Bundle in recent months.

Jonathan Sandman, Plug-ins Product Manager at SSL, told us, "X-Gate continues to expand the SSL plug-in offering with a comprehensive but easy-to-use surgical gating tool for mixing, live and broadcast applications. Fast, snappy and precise, X-Gate is guaranteed to be your new workhorse plug-in for shaping drums and other instruments, adding punch to your mixes, and transparently fixing ghost notes, noise or room bleed."

Here's more details direct from SSL...

Featuring a rolling waveform graph, mid/side processing options and tweakable hysteresis using independent open & closed thresholds, X-Gate builds upon the company's renowned knowledge of hardware gates, all delivered through SSL's advanced workflow interface. The new plug-in is suitable for music and content creators alike and delivers a unique range of features for extended sound sculpting -- an invaluable tool for sound design, audio restoration and of course, mixing.

In addition to M1 processor compatibility, X-Gate also introduces variable lookahead times and zero additional plug-in latency at the lowest setting, making it a perfect tool for tracking situations where mic bleed can distract from the primary source material. Meantime, its EXP and DUCK modes allow either transparent gating or ducking options; ducking is typically used for attenuating a signal when it exceeds a certain threshold, and this can be used in conjunction with a DAW's sidechain function for intelligent ducking.

Features of the new X-Gate include:

Easy-to-use THRESHOLD and RANGE controls, visually aligned with WAVEFORM GRAPH and GAIN REDUCTION METER for coordinated control.

ROLLING WAVEFORM VISUALISATION GRAPH for setting the perfect threshold.

ATTACK, RELEASE and HOLD time parameters gives detailed control over the shaping of the audio.

Tune the performance of the gate using the interactive FILTER GRAPH to apply HIGH- and LOW-PASS FILTERS the sidechain signal.

Use the EXPANDER mode and accompanying KNEE control for a more transparent option: make quiet signals quieter and expand the dynamic range of the signal.

Simple discrete LOOKAHEAD options for minimising the latency when using a lookahead.

Transform the plug-in into a production ducker with a single click – use DUCK mode to invert the sidechain logic, attenuating the signal only when it exceeds the threshold i.e., to duck the music when you speak into your microphone.

Tri-colour TRAFFIC LIGHT CUES give a clear indication on the momentary open/closed/hold state of the gate.

Use the MID/SIDE processing options to trigger the gate in creative ways or gate only the mono or stereo components on the signal.

SIDECHAIN and GATE audition modes.

Apple M1 processor compatible.

Pricing and Availability:
Along with the SSL Complete Bundle Subscription, X-Gate will also be available at a cost of $129 (ONLY $89 until July 28th).

More information: