Members zax2000 Posted September 20, 2008 Members Share Posted September 20, 2008 I've noticed alot of FOH racks with the only piece of Behringer gear being a quad-gate ... unfortunately, dbx's (1074) is out of budget, what are thoughts on the Behr's gates? I looked for the model online but after research couldn't remember if I've seen alot of the XR4400 or the MDX4600 (quad-comp/gate) since they look similiar ... I think everyone knows someone that uses 1 .... Only thing I can remember is that sometimes you may lose a channel on them ... not a big problem, I can work around it and they're cheap enough that I could even get a back-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MainEventSound Posted September 20, 2008 Members Share Posted September 20, 2008 keep saving your money for something other than behringer, just my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted September 20, 2008 Members Share Posted September 20, 2008 ZZounds has factory resealed DBX 266XL's for $119. It's 2 gates and not 4, but it's also some decent compression. The compresstion not as transparent as their higher priced units, but respectable and perfect for live applications. The gates aren't frequency modulated, but they are adjustable as far as how much gets through when closed. This is nice to avoid a "chatter" you'll get from gates slamming shut and then flying wide open. Anyway, here's the link - http://www.zzounds.com/item--DBX266XL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 20, 2008 Members Share Posted September 20, 2008 Do you really need a gate, or would you be better off improving other things including your approach first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members smitty0069 Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 I've got a Behringer XR4400 in my rack that has worked flawlessly for about three years now. I actually prefer it over the gates on my ACP-88 & it works every bit as good as the DBX1074. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kevinnem Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 andy, ... did n't yo uhave some drawmer stuff available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 andy, ... did n't yo uhave some drawmer stuff available? Comps, and way more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members csp1 Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 My MDX4600 works just fine, I don't use it often for the type of music I do. It was given to me a while back. But it's been dependable for the past three years. I can usually work around this unit, but if needed - I "insert" it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spacehog26 Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 I had an XR4400 for a couple of years that worked fine and never gave me any trouble. Sounded pretty good too. I ended up selling it to one of my keyboard players when I had a gear clear-out, and he still uses it to this day. That said, I use a Samson quad gate at church that I think sounds a little clearer (and was only slightly more expensive) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Axisplayer Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 For an inexpensive gate, the old but easy to find Aphex 105 quad gate is hard to beat. Very reliable, quality unit that you can usually find on eBay for $100 if you bide your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twostone Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 I've noticed alot of FOH racks with the only piece of Behringer gear being a quad-gate ... unfortunately, dbx's (1074) is out of budget, what are thoughts on the Behr's gates? I looked for the model online but after research couldn't remember if I've seen alot of the XR4400 or the MDX4600 (quad-comp/gate) since they look similiar ... I think everyone knows someone that uses 1 .... Only thing I can remember is that sometimes you may lose a channel on them ... not a big problem, I can work around it and they're cheap enough that I could even get a back-up. What your application for a quad gate? if it's for ringing toms try some dead ringers, duct tape, stick on felt. Way cheaper then a quad gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members smitty0069 Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 What your application for a quad gate? if it's for ringing toms try some dead ringers, duct tape, stick on felt. Way cheaper then a quad gate. But if your doing sound for others, you'll no doubt run into resistance of doing anything to their drum heads.... & in most cases rightly so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unalaska Posted September 21, 2008 Members Share Posted September 21, 2008 I'm in the market for a couple Aphex 105s, pm me if anyone has 1 or 2... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zax2000 Posted September 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 ZZounds has factory resealed DBX 266XL's for $119. It's 2 gates and not 4, but it's also some decent compression Just tryin to save some rack space with a quad-gate where I don't need comp. Do you really need a gate Yes, they can be useful IMO or would you be better off improving other things including your approach first? Instead of a gate the alternative is? Unmuting channels at the point in a song I think they will be used? ? I've got a Behringer XR4400 in my rack that has worked flawlessly for about three years now. I actually prefer it over the gates on my ACP-88 & it works every bit as good as the DBX1074. I had an XR4400 for a couple of years that worked fine and never gave me any trouble. Sounded pretty good too. I ended up selling it to one of my keyboard players when I had a gear clear-out, and he still uses it to this day. That said, I use a Samson quad gate at church that I think sounds a little clearer (and was only slightly more expensive) Thanks for the useful info, think I may order one to try it out ... I've seen a couple ACP88s but never got any opinions on them. What your application for a quad gate? if it's for ringing toms try some dead ringers, duct tape, stick on felt. Way cheaper then a quad gate. But if your doing sound for others, you'll no doubt run into resistance of doing anything to their drum heads.... & in most cases rightly so. Exactly, unfortunately there seem to more bad sounding drum kits than good ones, some I see are even in serious need of new heads, good tuning, etc. ... worked a show last night and 1 drummer even asked the soundman for a drum key! Funny thing is, I keep one in my rack drawer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 22, 2008 Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 Instead of a gate the alternative is? Unmuting channels at the point in a song I think they will be used? ? As I suspected... If this is how you plan on using the gate, you may find that the alternatives such as unmuting channels is a far superior alternnative. I think you will find this does not work all that well on open mics, and if you plan on using a gate on a line input, why bother? When a signal appears, great, no signal no problem either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted September 22, 2008 Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 Gates are one of those things that are not easy to get to work reliably. Either it's a good design or it isn't, and you get what you pay for. The 3630 gates are pretty useless next to a Drawmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CHIP ROBERTS Posted September 22, 2008 Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 I've noticed alot of FOH racks with the only piece of Behringer gear being a quad-gate ... unfortunately, dbx's (1074) is out of budget, what are thoughts on the Behr's gates? I looked for the model online but after research couldn't remember if I've seen alot of the XR4400 or the MDX4600 (quad-comp/gate) since they look similiar ... I think everyone knows someone that uses 1 .... Only thing I can remember is that sometimes you may lose a channel on them ... not a big problem, I can work around it and they're cheap enough that I could even get a back-up. Well, I used 2 Behringer Multigates for about five years. I take my rig out at least 3 times a week. I do anything from praise and worship to death metal. I used these Multigates on drums, mostly. About four months ago, one of them started making some noise I couldn't live with. I almost bought another one but I decided to get a Presonus ACP88 to please those who hear with their eyes . There were some jobs I didn't get because I had 3 Behringer pieces (2 Multigates and 1 Multicom Pro) in my effects rack. Oh well... Well, I don't like the gate section on the ACP88. THERE'S NO "HOLD" FUNCTION! I really like the control I had with the Behringer Multigate. Those Multigates (and the rest of my gear) sat in the driveway (in my van) all year around in the ever changing weather of Indiana, they've survived some beer splashes and they've really been USED, and I've gotta say - if I didn't have to consider the NAME BRAND GAME issue I would've just replaced them with the Behringer units... Have you heard of the Alto CLE8.0 8 channel compressor/gate? http://directproaudio.com/product.cfm?directid=13524 I used one at this club I was the house engineer at for a year and a half. I don't like how it's laid out, it's a bit ugly looking, but it works just fine. If you can wait and save a bit more, check it out. 8 channels for $479.00! PM me if you have any questions. I'd be glad to help you in any way. Many here on this forum have sure helped me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 22, 2008 Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 It's not just the design of the gate, but what it's being used for. Some applications where a gate may seem to be a good idea turn out to be a terrible idea because all ofthe application variables have not been thought through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Special J Posted September 22, 2008 Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 I typically use gates as a last resort tool if I absolutely can't get drums to sound good with the proper gain structure and EQ, but +1 for the Aphex 105 as a great budget gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 22, 2008 Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 I typically use gates as a last resort tool if I absolutely can't get drums to sound good with the proper gain structure and EQ, but +1 for the Aphex 105 as a great budget gate. I think he's planning on using the gates to turn inputs on and off. Not specifically for drums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zax2000 Posted September 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 22, 2008 Instead of a gate the alternative is? Unmuting channels at the point in a song I think they will be used? ? I was being sarcastic ... I know what a gate does, I know there have been cases where 1 would have been handy, and I know Behr. quads are common (I see them in many FOH racks next to quality gear) so I thought they might be worth $100. I was simply asking if there were any better (or other) bargains on the market .... I typically use gates as a last resort tool if I absolutely can't get drums to sound good with the proper gain structure and EQ, but +1 for the Aphex 105 as a great budget gate. Precisely ... usually don't have much problem, sometimes do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members smitty0069 Posted September 23, 2008 Members Share Posted September 23, 2008 I was being sarcastic ... I know what a gate does, I know there have been cases where 1 would have been handy, and I know Behr. quads are common (I see them in many FOH racks next to quality gear) so I thought they might be worth $100. I was simply asking if there were any better (or other) bargains on the market .... Precisely ... usually don't have much problem, sometimes do. I think you'll be more than happy w/ the XR4400. It serves its purpose at a very reasonable price point, and as I've said.....I prefer it to my ACP-88 & it performs every bit as well as the DBX1074 that is in the rack of another company I do some work for. Is it a Drawmer201 or RaneG4......NO, but it's pretty damn good for what it is & at its price point............it's an incredible value. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 23, 2008 Members Share Posted September 23, 2008 I was being sarcastic ... I know what a gate does, I know there have been cases where 1 would have been handy, and I know Behr. quads are common (I see them in many FOH racks next to quality gear) so I thought they might be worth $100. I was simply asking if there were any better (or other) bargains on the market .... There have been plenty of threads asking to use a gate to turn an input on and off... usually a vocal mic. That's why my response was as it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members witesol Posted September 23, 2008 Members Share Posted September 23, 2008 i also like the aphex quad gate. although i'm not sure how it could make a poor drum sound good, it does work nicely and seems sensitive enough to work on any source i've tried, including singing drummers, toms, and kick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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