Boom GateGated reverb effect · the 80s drum room, slammed and cut dead on every hit
The only gated reverb you'll ever need to make every drum hit explode, then stop dead.
The 80s gated reverb snare in one insert: a slammed, bright room that explodes on every hit and is cut off dead, with no threshold to set. GATE in milliseconds or locked to your tempo, SLAM for the squash, ROOM, PLATE or NONLIN. Zero latency, every preset level-matched.
- Use it on 5 computers per copy
- Lifetime updates
- 90-day money-back guarantee
- Download link in minutes
- VST3, AU and AAX, Windows and macOS
- Try it free
Formats and DAWs
Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit): VST3 and AAX
macOS 11 or later: VST3, AU and AAX
Works in any 64-bit DAW that loads VST3, AU or AAX plug-ins.
Licence
Use it on up to five of your own computers per copy you buy. Yours for good, no subscription. Unlock it with your email and a six-digit code, no dongle and no password. It checks in now and then and works offline in between.
Delivery
Download links by email within about five minutes, and always in your account under Downloads.
Hear the difference
The same dry drums, without and with Boom Gate.
Gated snare on 2 and 4
A dry 80s kick-and-snare loop, snare on 2 and 4 · Init
Cymbal-less kit, the listen-mic sound
A dry acoustic drum loop · Classic / Intruder (slam 80 %, gate 400 ms)
The tom fill
A dry 80s groove with a tom fill every fourth bar · Classic / Air Tonight
Synthwave clap
A dry synthwave clap loop · Snare / Synthwave Clap (plate, gate on the 1/8)
Full groove: the hats stay dry
A full dry acoustic groove with hats · Init (the key filter ignores the hats)
Every clip is level-matched, so the difference you hear is tone, not volume.
Boom Gate in action
Why Boom Gate
No threshold to fight
Boom Gate listens to your dry drums and opens the gate on every hit by itself. Its key ignores the hi-hats and the ghost notes, so only the real hits fire the room.
The whole chain in one insert
Compressor, pre-delay, a bright room or plate, tube drive, a low cut and a keyed gate, in the order producers build it by hand, already set to the classic numbers.
Cut on the beat
GATE sets how long each burst lasts, from 50 to 1000 ms, or switch SYNC on and the room is cut on a note value at your song's tempo.
Gate. Slam.
Two big knobs do the work: how long every hit's room lasts, and how hard it is squashed before the cut.
- VST3 · AU · AAX
- Windows and macOS
- 0 ms latency
- 15 presets
The gated reverb plugin
- No threshold. The gate opens on every real hit by itself; hats and ghost notes do not re-open it.
- On the beat. GATE from 50 to 1000 ms, or synced to a note value at your tempo.
- The classic squash. SLAM compresses the room from 2:1 to 10:1 with a little tube drive, the level held.
- Three spaces. ROOM, PLATE or NONLIN; zero latency.
- GATE (50 to 1000 ms, or 1/32 to 1/2 note with SYNC) and SLAM (2:1 to 10:1).
- SIZE (decay 1.2 to 3 s, pre-delay 10 to 40 ms) and TYPE (ROOM, PLATE, NONLIN).
- MIX, IN and OUT with meters, a safety limiter, and ENGAGE.
- 15 factory presets and your own preset files; A/B, undo and redo, MIDI Learn on every control; a window from 75 to 200 %; the full manual.
GATE · SYNC
Huge on the hit. Gone on the beat.
Set the burst in milliseconds, or lock it to a note value so every room stops exactly on your grid, at any tempo.
What Boom Gate does
Every control has one job: the gated drum you hear in your head, faster.
GATE
How long every hit's room lasts
The hold after each hit, 50 to 1000 ms, 300 ms by default (the classic tight-snare setting). The release follows at a quarter of the hold, 40 to 120 ms, so the room stops dead instead of fading.
SYNC
The room cut on your grid
One key turns GATE into a note value, 1/32 to 1/2 with dotted and triplet values, at your song's tempo. The line under the knob shows what it is in milliseconds.
SLAM
The squashed 80s ambience
The compressor before the space, from 2:1 to 10:1; 60 % is 4:1, about 9 dB of reduction on the hits, with a little tube drive on the room. The level holds as you turn it.
SIZE
From a tight room to a big hall
The space's decay, 1.2 to 3 seconds, and its pre-delay, 10 to 40 ms, on one knob, always longer than the gate so the cut is heard.
TYPE
Room, plate or nonlinear
ROOM for the big compressed room of the classic records, PLATE for the bright modern snare, NONLIN for the shaped decay of the 80s digital units.
A self-keyed gate
Only the real hits open it
The gate listens to your dry track through a fixed filter that leaves out the hi-hats, and opens only on hits within 8 dB of the loudest recent one, so ghost notes and cymbals never re-open the room.
MIX
From a hint to all room
The gated room against the dry signal, equal power. The default 45 % puts the room where the classic gated snares sit; 100 % is the room alone, for a send.
IN and OUT
Gain where you need it
Input and output gain, -24 to +24 dB, with level meters on both, and a safety limiter that keeps the output under full scale.
15 sourced presets
Start from settings that work
Classic records, tight and machine snares, a synthwave clap, big and nonlinear toms, synced quarter and half notes, a long room and a gentle squash, every one level-matched to the dry.
Zero latency
Track and play through it
The room answers with no delay on the dry sound, so you can play live drums or pads through it.
A face that moves
See the gate open and close
The red warning lamp on the boom gate is the gate: it switches on at every hit and snaps off at the cut. The lights at the far end of the car park follow the output. It rests when you bypass.
Inside the plugin
The Boom Gate window: two big knobs, three spaces and a gate you never have to set.
Every feature
Everything in Boom Gate, down to the smallest switch.
35 features
The gated room
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GATE
The hold after each hit, 50 to 1000 ms, with the release following
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SYNC
GATE as a note value, 1/32 to 1/2, at your song's tempo
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SLAM
The compressor before the space, 2:1 to 10:1, with tube drive
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SIZE
Decay 1.2 to 3 s and pre-delay 10 to 40 ms on one knob
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TYPE
ROOM, PLATE or NONLIN, switched without a click
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Self-keyed gate
No threshold: opens on the hits, ignores hats and ghost notes
Mix and output
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MIX
The gated room against the dry, equal power; 45 % by default
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Level held across SLAM
Measured makeup keeps the loudness steady
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Level-matched presets
Every preset measured against the dry on real drum loops
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Safety limiter
The output never goes over full scale
Workflow and control
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A/B compare and A>B
Two complete settings, switch in one click
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Undo and redo
Step back and forward, or press Ctrl+Z
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MIDI Learn
Take complete control of your workflow: right-click any control, move a knob
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Host automation
Automate every control from your DAW
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ENGAGE
Click-free bypass, to hear the before and after
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IN and OUT meters
See the level going in and coming out at a glance
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Tooltips
Every control explains itself as you point at it
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Resizable window
75 to 200 %, and the size you pick is remembered
Presets
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15 factory presets
Starting points built from real settings producers use
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Previous and next arrows
Audition presets one click at a time
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Save your own
Keep your settings as .gatedreverbpreset preset files
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Open presets folder
Back up or share your presets in one click
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Reset to default
Back to a clean start in one step
Performance
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Zero latency
Play and track through it live
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Light on CPU
About 3 to 5 % of one core
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Mono or stereo
On a snare, toms, a drum bus or a send
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Audio-reactive face
The warning lamp is the gate; the far lights follow the output
Licence and compatibility
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VST3 and AAX, Windows 7 SP1 or later
Loads in any 64-bit Windows DAW with VST3 or AAX
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VST3, AU and AAX, macOS 10.13 or later
Loads in any Mac DAW with VST3, AU or AAX, Intel or ARM
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5 computers per copy
Studio, laptop and more on one licence
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Email and code unlock
No dongle, no password, no extra app
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Works offline
No internet needed between check-ins
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Check for updates
From the plugin's menu; nothing installs without asking
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Lifetime updates
Every future update included
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Platinum priority support
Questions answered by the people who build it
How Boom Gate compares
The whole gated reverb chain in one insert, with the controls most leave out.
| Boom Gate | Typical gated reverb plugins | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting the gate | Self-keyed: no threshold to set | A threshold to find for every track |
| Busy drum tracks | The key ignores hats and ghost notes | Every cymbal re-opens the room |
| Hold on the beat | SYNC: 1/32 to 1/2 at your tempo | Milliseconds to work out by hand |
| The chain | Compressor, room, drive, low cut and gate, in order | A reverb, a compressor and a gate on separate inserts |
| Controls | Two big knobs, SIZE and TYPE | Often 10 to 15 controls |
| Level | Held across SLAM; every preset level-matched | Often louder or quieter as you tweak |
| Latency | 0 ms | Often some |
| Try-and-compare | A/B, A>B, undo and redo | Often missing |
| Hardware control | MIDI Learn on every control | Often host automation only |
| Licence | 5 computers per copy, no dongle, works offline | Often fewer activations, or a dongle |
| Updates | Lifetime updates included | Often paid upgrades |
"Typical" describes what we commonly see in this category; it does not describe any particular product. Boom Gate facts are from the plugin and its manual, October 2026.
What you get
Vox Samples
90-day money back · Thank you
Specs and system requirements
- Formats
- VST3 and AAX on Windows; VST3, AU and AAX on macOS
- Operating system
- Windows 7 SP1 or later, 64-bit; macOS 10.13 or later, universal (Intel and ARM)
- Host
- Any 64-bit DAW that loads VST3, AU or AAX plug-ins
- Channels
- Mono or stereo
- Sample rates
- Whatever your session runs at
- Latency
- 0 samples
- Types
- ROOM, PLATE and NONLIN
- Gate
- Hold 50 to 1000 ms (300 ms default), release 25 % of the hold (40 to 120 ms), attack 1 ms; with SYNC, 1/32 to 1/2 note
- Slam
- Compressor 2:1 to 10:1 (4:1 at the default), level held, tube drive on the room
- Size
- Decay 1.2 to 3.0 s, pre-delay 10 to 40 ms (1.8 s and 25 ms at the default)
- Gate key
- The dry track, band-limited to leave out hats; a hit opens it within 8 dB of the loudest recent hit
- Presets
- 15 factory presets; your own as .gatedreverbpreset files
- Tail
- Reported to your DAW: 0.47 s at the default settings, up to 1.2 s (longer with a slow synced note)
- Window
- 960 x 600 at 100 %, resizable from 75 to 200 %
- MIDI
- MIDI Learn from any controller routed to the track
- Licence
- 5 computers per copy you buy. Unlock with your email and a code we email you. Checks in now and then and works offline in between.
- Internet
- Needed once to unlock, then for the occasional check-in
90Day money-back guarantee
Our guarantee
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90-day money-back guarantee
Not for you? Email contact@voxsamples.com within 90 days for a full refund.
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5 computers per copy
Use it on up to five of your own computers per copy you buy, and move it yourself from the plugin's Licence menu.
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Lifetime updates
Every future update and upgrade of Boom Gate, included.
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Platinum priority support
A real person at contact@voxsamples.com, first in line.
Try Boom Gate free
The whole plugin, with the same sound as the full version and no time limit. It goes silent for a moment every few seconds; the full version never does.
Windows and macOS installers in one download. Like what you hear? Get the full version on this page, with a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Questions
How do I get the 80s gated snare?
Put Boom Gate on the snare and play: Init already is the classic gated snare, a slammed room held for 300 ms after each hit. Snare / 80s Snare squashes it harder; the Classic presets recreate four classic 80s drum sounds.
Do I have to set a threshold?
No. Boom Gate listens to the dry drums and opens the gate on every hit by itself. Hi-hats and ghost notes more than 8 dB under the backbeat do not re-open it.
Does it work on a full drum loop?
Yes. Its key leaves out the hats, so a groove with eighth-note hats still gates on the kick and snare. On a very busy kick and snare pattern the room closes less often, because every hit restarts the hold: shorten GATE, or put it on the snare alone.
Can the gate follow my song's tempo?
Yes. Switch SYNC on and GATE becomes a note value from 1/32 to 1/2, read from your DAW's tempo.
Can I use it live?
Yes. It adds no latency, so you can play drums or pads through it in real time.
Does it work in my DAW?
Any 64-bit DAW that loads VST3, AU or AAX plug-ins, on Windows 7 SP1 or later or macOS 10.13 or later. There is no standalone app.
How many computers can I use it on?
Up to five of your own for each copy you buy. To move it, deactivate it in the plugin on the old computer and unlock it on the new one.
Does it need the internet?
Once, to unlock it with the code we email you. After that it checks in now and then and works offline in between.
Is there a manual?
Yes. The full manual explains every control, every preset and the menus, with tips. It opens from the help key (?) in the plugin's top bar, and lives at https://voxsamples.com/boom-gate-gated-reverb-effect-manual.
What if it's not for me?
Request a refund from your account within 90 days.
Founder's Story
"When COVID hit, I finally had time to dive into music production—only to discover I was missing the right tools. The plugins I tried were clunky, overloaded with unnecessary features, and killed my vibe with endless tweaking. I knew there had to be a better way.
So, with my engineering background, I started making free and simple audio plugins for my producer friends. They loved them! That’s when I set out on a mission to create plugins that save you time, streamline your workflow, and keep your creativity flowing."
- Ryan Svensson (Founder & CEO)
Every gated drum you've heard. One insert.
A slammed room on every hit, cut dead on time or on the beat, with no threshold to set, at zero latency.
$42.51 AUDPrecio habitual $141.74 AUD70% off
- 90-day money back
- Five computers
- Lifetime updates
Pairs with
Boom Gate Gated Reverb Effect
$42.51 AUDPrecio habitual $141.74 AUD70% off