Introduction & Key Features

Perfect for bringing energy to up-tempo toms and snares, SSL GateVerb is a non-linear gated reverb that gives your tracks depth and punch while maintaining a super clean mix. Its intuitive interface allows you to shape reverb characteristics with exacting detail, whether you're crafting tight, impactful drum tracks or creating expansive soundscapes.

In addition to comprehensive reverb controls including Density, Time, Color and Size, GateVerb offers ducking with sidechaining, and introduces the ability to time-sync the pre-delay and time parameters to the tempo of your DAW. The built-in Retro control applies digital bit depth and sample rate reduction to the signal, degrading the signal to achieve a vintage effect – the perfect way to add character and texture to your audio.

For the ultimate 80s vibes, combine GateVerb with the LMC+ plug-in, capturing the iconic sound of an era. Whether you're aiming for retro charm or cutting-edge clarity, GateVerb gives you what you need.

 

Key Features

• Ultimate 80s Vibe
  Perfect for bringing energy to up-tempo toms and snares, SSL GateVerb is a non-linear gated reverb that gives your tracks depth and punch all while maintaining a super clean mix. Combine it with the LMC+ plug-in for ultimate 80s vibes.
• Comprehensive Reverb Controls
  Adjust the balance between wet and dry signals, change the size of the room, control how quickly early reflections are absorbed, alter the harmonic colour of the reflections, and determine the reverb decay time.
• Ducking with Sidechaining
  Applies gain reduction based on an internal or external sidechain signal, ensuring clarity in complex audio scenarios. This feature is essential for maintaining vocal or instrumental prominence in a dense mix.
• Pre-Delay
  Introduces a delay between the dry signal and the onset of the reverb, enhancing spatial perception. This allows for greater control over the reverb's impact, creating a sense of depth and dimension.
• Retro
  Degrades the signal to achieve a vintage effect, perfect for creative sound design. This feature adds character and texture, making your audio stand out with a unique, retro vibe.
• Time-Sync'd Decay
  Decay time can be synced to the tempo of the track, ensuring rhythmic consistency. This is particularly useful for electronic music production, where timing precision is crucial.
• Gate and Trigger Controls
  Allows auditioning of the signal triggering the gate, customizes the gate’s attack time and minimum open duration, and filters the sidechain input to refine the gate triggering. These features provide precise control over the gating behaviour, ensuring smooth transitions and preventing unwanted noise.
• Freeze and Kill
  Freeze sustains the current reverb sound indefinitely, while Kill instantly mutes it, giving you dramatic control over your audio environment.
• Advanced Mix Control
  Ensures precise adjustments to achieve the desired sound balance in any mix. This feature allows you to fine-tune the interaction between the dry and wet signals for optimal clarity and impact.
• Mix Lock
  Locks the mix control during preset changes, maintaining user-defined settings. This is especially useful for live performance or when switching between different sounds quickly.
• Producer Presets
  GateVerb and PlateVerb v1.1 features presets from Grammy-nominated and MOBO award-winning hip-hop/jazz/RnB/house mixer and engineer Clinton McCreery (ENNY, Jorja Smith, Ruby Francis, Lousie Vega); MPG 2024 ‘Rising Star Award’ winner producer, writer, and mixer Amy Sergeant (Florence and the Machine, Wolf Alice, The Vamps, Aleyna Tilki and Siobhán Winifred); London-based songwriter and producer Sophie Ackroyd, whose music has been played on BBC Radio 1/6 and is a mainstay in Spotify's New Pop UK playlist and New Music Friday. Sophie works with up-and-coming artists and writers, contributing to the development of talents like Kings Elliot, Beth McCarthy, and RØRY, and currently collaborates with artists such as lleo, Grace Grundy, and Natalie Shay; and Hastings born, London based musician, producer and performer Emily Underhill aka ‘Tusks’ (Tusks | Spotify). Having signed to One Little Independent Records ten years ago, Tusks has just released her third full length album 'Gold' and currently shares a studio at Strongroom Studios.

 

Release Notes

V1.0.8 (August 2024)

• Initial release.

 

Supported Platforms and Hosts

For compatibility information about plug-ins, visit the Plug-in Operating System and DAW Compatibility FAQ.

When we release an SSL plug-in, we test it on all Windows and macOS operating systems that aren't End-of-Life (EOL) at the time of release.

The versions listed below are the latest on which we have officially tested the the product.

It is possible for our products to work on platforms outside of this list. However, if your host, host version or operating system is not listed here, we recommend you demo the product before purchase to confirm that it works correctly.

 

Apple Silicon Support

This plug-in is provided as a universal binary for macOS and features native support for Apple Silicon.

Operating Systems

Please refer to the Plug-in OS Compatibility FAQ.

Hosts

• Logic Pro 10.7
• Pro Tools 2023
• Ableton Live 11
• Studio One 6
• Cubase 12
• REAPER 6
• FL Studio 21
• LUNA v1.5

Demo/Trial

To demo this plug-in, you can simply download it from the product page and run it up in your host - the software will guide you through the rest of the process.

1. Download and install the plug-in.
2. Open your DAW/host.
3. Insert the plug-in to commence activation (sometimes this will happen when the plug-in is scanned on startup, depending on your DAW/host).
4. When you see 'Activation is required', click 'Try'.
5. Log into your iLok account and click 'Next'.
6. Select a location to activate the license to, and click 'Next'.

Installation and Download

We recommend using the SSL Download Manager application to to easily manage all SSL plug-in installations all from one place, on both macOS and Windows. In addition to easily installing, uninstalling or reinstalling individual or every SSL plug-in at the click of a button, the SSL Download Manager also provides you with detailed release notes and lets you know when updates are available.

You can also download offline installers for a plug-in from here.

All SSL plug-ins are supplied in VST, VST3, AU (macOS only) and AAX (Pro Tools) formats.

The installers provided (macOS Intel .dmg and Windows .exe) copy the plug-in binaries to the common VST, VST3, AU and AAX directories. After this, the host DAW should recognise the plug-in automatically in most cases. Simply run the installer and you should be good to go. You can find more information about how to authorise your plug-ins below.

Licensing

Visit iLok, Licensing and Activation for guidance in activating your SSL plug-in.

 

Input Section

The input section allows you to set the gain into the plug-in, as well as introducing a pre-delay before applying the reverb.

• INPUT GAIN
  Applies a gain to the input signal.
• PRE-DELAY
  Introduces a delay between the original dry signal and the audible onset of the reverb. Use the pre-delay control to ensure that that the reverb does not overwhelm the initial sound, which allows you to maintain clarity and separation in the mix.
• PRE-DELAY SYNC (musical note symbol)
  
  Turn on sync to set your pre-delay time to a note division value based on the BPM of your DAW session.

 

Output Section

• MIX
  Sets the blend between the dry and wet signals.
• MIX LOCK
  Lock the Mix control, so that it persists when changing presets.
• OUTPUT GAIN
  Applies a gain to the output of the the signal.

 

Reverb Shaping

The top section of the plug-in contains parameters for shaping the sound of your reverb.

• SIZE
  Sets the size of the plate. Increasing this parameter simulates a larger plate, resulting in a broader and more expansive reverb.
• DENSITY
  Controls how dense the late reflections are. Higher density settings produce a richer, more complex reverb tail, which can add texture and depth to your sound. This is particularly effective for creating a lush, immersive reverb in orchestral or ambient music.
• TIME
  Controls the time it takes for the reverb to die away. Longer times will extend the reverb tail, useful for creating a more dramatic and sustained reverberation effect.
• COLOUR
  Alters the harmonic colour of the reflections, emulating different plate materials. Adjusting this parameter can simulate the tonal characteristics of various plate materials, from bright and shiny to dark and mellow.
• RETRO
  Adds a 'retro' effect to the reverb - reducing the bit depth and operating sample rate to emulate vintage digital hardware for that crunchy lo-fi effect.

 

Gate Control

The gate control options allow you to configure the behaviour of the gating effect.

• TRIGGER
  Sets the threshold above which the gate with open.
• GATE OPEN LED (green)
  This LED will light green when audio is triggering the gate, and it opens.
• HOLD
  Changes the minimum time that the gate remains open.
• HOLD SYNC (musical note symbol)
  Syncs the gate hold time to a note division value based on the BPM of your DAW session.
• GATE CLOSE LED (red)
  This LED will light red when the gate is closed, or is closing.

 

Freeze and Kill

Freeze and Kill allow you to build creative effects.

• FREEZE
  "Freezes" the reverb in place, muting the input to the reverb and re-circulating the current audio and letting it ring out. This ideal for creating a sustained, ambient backdrop, almost like a pad sound. It's particularly effective in live performance settings or in studio productions where you want to capture a moment of the reverb tail and use it as a continuous layer. This can be used creatively in electronic music for transitions or to add a unique atmospheric element to a breakdown.
• KILL
  Mutes the input to the reverb, letting the reverb die out naturally. You can use this to create a dramatic effect in a mix, such as muting the reverb during a sudden break in the music or at the end of a song. The Kill feature can be especially impactful in live performances to punctuate the end of a song or section.

 

Advanced Settings

You can access the advanced Ducking functionality by clicking the icon in the bottom bar

 

Advanced Settings: Gate

• TAIL GATE
  Turn this off to stop applying that gate to the reverb tail.
• FEEDBACK GATE
  Turn this off to stop applying the gate in the feedback path of the reverb.
• GATE ATTACK
  Sets the attack of the gate applied to the reverb.
• GATE RELEASE
  Sets the time for which the gate remains open after the level drops below the threshold.

Advanced Settings: Trigger

• TRIGGER SOURCE
  Allows you to trigger the gate from the input signal, wet reverb signal, or an external sidechain signal.
• TRIGGER LOW CUT
  Removes low frequencies from the sidechain input triggering the gate.
• TRIGGER HIGH CUT
  Removes high frequencies from the sidechain input triggering the gate.
• TRIGGER LISTEN
  Auditions the signal triggering the gate.

Advanced Settings: Ducking

The ducker is a dynamics processing tool that reduces (or 'ducks') the level of the reverb when the input signal exceeds a certain threshold. This is particularly useful in mixing scenarios where you want the clarity of the original signal, like vocals or lead instruments, to stand out, without completely losing the ambience and depth that reverb provides. By automatically reducing the reverb level during louder passages and allowing it to return in quieter moments, ducking helps maintain a balanced and professional mix.

• DUCKING ON
  Toggles ducking on and off.
• DUCKING INPUT METER
  Shows the instantaneous input level to the ducking compressor.
• DUCKING EXT S/C
  Drives the duckers from the external sidechain signal rather than the input to the plug-in. This allows for more creative control of your reverb. You can use another track in your mix, such as a kick drum or snare, to trigger the ducking effect on the reverb. This technique is often used in electronic and dance music to create a rhythmic pumping effect in the reverb, synchronised with the beat.
• DUCKING THRESHOLD
  Sets the threshold above which ducking will be trigged. A lower threshold means the reverb will duck more frequently, useful for tracks with a lot of dynamic variation, while a higher threshold will trigger ducking only during the loudest parts of the sidechain signal.
• DUCKING ATTACK
  Sets the attack of the ducking compressor. A faster attack is useful for immediate ducking, which is essential for tracks where timing and rhythmic precision are crucial, like in percussive elements.
• DUCKING RELEASE
  Sets the release of the ducking compressor. A shorter release time brings back the reverb effect more quickly, which can be effective in maintaining a sense of space in fast-paced music, while a longer release provides a smoother, more gradual return of the reverb.
• DUCKING COMPRESSION METER
  Shows the gain reduction being applied to the output of the plug-in, as a result of ducking.

 

SSL Plug-in Engine

The 'SSL Plug-in Engine' has several features that are available across our entire plug-in range.

NOTE: the available features in a plug-in might be or look different depending on what plug-in you are using, or when the plug-in was most recently updated.

 

Undo/Redo

SSL plug-ins come with a built-in undo/redo stack, in case your DAW doesn't handle this.

• Undo (left arrow) undoes the current action in the history stack.
• Redo (right arrow) re-does the next action in the history stack.

 

Presets

All of our plug-ins ship with carefully designed presets to aid your workflow.

Factory presets are included in the plug-in installation, installed in the following locations:

macOS: /Library/Application Support/Solid State Logic/PlugIns/Presets/[Plug-in Name]

Windows: C:\ProgramData\Solid State Logic\PlugIns\Presets\[Plug-in Name]

Switching between presets can be achieved by clicking the left/right arrows in the preset management section of the plug-in GUI, and by clicking on the preset name which will open the preset management display.

The Preset Management menu reflects the folder structure of the preset folder.

Revert Changes and Delete

• Revert Changes discards any changes to the current preset.
• Delete removes the current preset from the filesystem. Factory and Producer presets cannot be deleted from the plug-in GUI, although they can be manually deleted using the filesystem (Windows Explorer or Finder).

A/B and Copy

• A/B allows you to toggle quickly between two presets. This is useful for comparing between two parameter settings.
• COPY X TO Y is used to copy presets between A/B.

 

Version Number

Click the version number to display more information about the plug-in.

When logging a bug to our support team, always include the full version number e.g. v1.0.13.

 

Advanced Settings (not all plug-ins)

Some plug-ins have advanced functionality. Click the 'Advanced Settings' button to access advanced plug-in functionality.

This will drop the plug-in into 'Advanced Mode', exposing more settings, and allowing you to tweak the 'under-the-hood' behaviour of the plug-in.

 

Scale/Zoom

The scale/zoom menu allows you to resize your plug-in from 50% up to 200%. 

Note that if resizing would cause the plug-in to go offscreen, then this option will be disabled. This is designed to prevent DAW resizing bugs that exist in some DAWs.

You can also right-click anywhere on the background of the plug-in to change the scale.

 

HQ or ECO Mode

Some plug-ins come with a HQ or ECO mode button. When in HQ mode, we introduce extra processing such as oversampling for higher quality, at the expense of more CPU. When in ECO mode, a plug-in will drop into a lower, less CPU intensive and low-latency mode (if possible).

 

Built-in Help

This plug-in features built-in contextual help. To turn this feature on, click the '?' in the bottom right-hand corner. Mouse over elements of the GUI to see some information about the feature.

Click the tooltip to cycle through the pages.