Valley Audio Gatex

The Valley Audio Gatex is a four channel gate that is suitable for use in the studio or for live shows. I don't do any live sound, so I've only got experience using the Gatex in a recording studio setting. While gates used to be plentiful in recording studio, these days are behind us as gates are definitely not needed as much as they once were. The reason for this is because it's now just a lot easier to delete any unwanted noise or sound after the fact, rather than relying on a gate to do the job. There are definitely still some practical uses for gates, including for recording drums, which is what I've used the Gatex for. As far as it's technical specifications go, Gatex has got 1/4" connections for input and output for each of the four channels, and the unit will fit in a single space in a traditional rack casing.

UTILIZATION

Using the Valley Audio Gatex is generally pretty simple, although in order to catch on quickly I would say that some prior knowledge about gates is necessary as getting the hang of using a gate can be tricky at first. On paper everything is pretty clear, but when it comes to tweaking it the proper amount, this can take some time to get accustomed to. This is for gates in general, so it isn't like the Gatex will be harder to use than other gates out there. For parameters each channel has knobs for threshold, range, and release, and switches to choose the source and the mode. As far as modes go, you've got a gate and two expanders to choose from. I've never had a need to check out the manual for this, so I don't know anything about it's substance.

SOUND QUALITY

In the time that I've been using the Valley Audio Gatex, it's always worked well for me when I needed it. We had this on hand at a studio where I worked a considerable amount of time at, so there was plenty of opportunity to mess with. I must say however that I didn't end up using it very often at all, as it just isn't something that is necessary to record with anymore. Having said this, a gate can be a valuable asset when used in the right situations. For recording drums, four channels of a gate can work wonders for isolating certain sounds. When set right you can definitely cut out bleed and noise from the other drums when the drum is not being hit. Where this comes in very handy is with snare drum, tom toms, and kick drum...

OVERALL OPINION

All of the gear that I've used from Valley Audio has been of the utmost of quality, and this doesn't stop with the Gatex. I don't think that I would recommend this for home studio owners, as if you need to do some gating I'd just use a plug-in for it in a smaller studio environment. However, either way if you're someone who tracks drums a lot and/or likes using a gate, the Gatex is definitely one of the first models I'd recommend. While they are no longer being made, I'd imagine that you'd be able to find them used without a problem at a reasonable price. Regardless of if gates are in style or not, the Valley Audio Gatex does the job as advertised very well.