Conventional gates open when a signal exceeds a threshold and close when it drops below. This works fine for sustained instruments, but drums are complex. A snare hit has a high-amplitude crack, followed by lower-amplitude sympathetic wire rattle. A standard gate often cuts the tail of the snare off or, conversely, allows cymbal bleed (which has high-frequency energy) to trigger the gate, rendering it useless. Enter the Oxford Drum Gate: Intelligent Processing

The Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate is priced at around $300, although prices may vary depending on the retailer and any promotions that may be available.

The Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate is a dynamics processor plugin designed specifically for drums. It's a versatile tool that allows you to control the level of your drum tracks, eliminate bleed and ambient noise, and create a more polished sound. The plugin features a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy to use even for those new to audio processing.