Floor: keep the gaps quiet
Module 08 of 14 · Post-compression gate
- One Move knobFloor
- Latency0 ms
- CPU, iPad Air M31.0 %
- Default position8 of 14, after Tape
Floor is a gentle downward expander that keeps the gaps between phrases quiet. Compressors raise everything quiet, including hiss, room and breaths between lines. Floor lowers those gaps again and leaves the singing untouched.
Hear it
Floor: quiet gaps
We added fan noise to a demo vocal. Floor (Tight Gaps preset, knob at 100) turns the gaps between phrases down and leaves the singing alone. Listen in the pauses; headphones help. Before and after are set to the same loudness, so you hear the change, not a level jump.
"Lost_Pella" by queeniemusic (ccmixter.org/files/queeniemusic/65508), licensed CC BY 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0). Excerpt, processed by OneMove Vocal Console. Generated fan noise added for this demo.
The One Move: Floor
The knob deepens how far the gaps are lowered (from 0 to −30 dB) and raises the threshold (from −65 to −45 dBFS, measured before compression), so more of the space between phrases counts as a gap.
Expert
| control | range | what it does |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold | −80 to −20 dBFS | the level, before compression, below which Floor lowers the signal |
| Range | −40 to 0 dB | how far the gaps are lowered |
| Hold | 0–500 ms | keeps it open over short pauses inside a phrase |
| Release | 20–1000 ms | how long it takes to settle after the voice stops |
| Meter | how far the gaps are pulled down right now |
Why it listens before the compressors. Floor sits after them in the audio path, but it decides with the voice as it was before compression. After compression a quiet breath and the end of a word can be almost as loud as each other; before compression they are not. So Floor knows when you are singing even though the compressors have lifted the noise.
Specs
| Opening time | about 1 ms |
| Latency | 0 ms, no look-ahead |
| CPU, iPad Air M3, only Floor on | 1.0 % of one core |
FAQ
Is Floor a noise gate?
It is softer than a gate. A gate shuts the signal off; Floor lowers the gaps by a set range and opens in about a millisecond, so breaths and word endings stay natural.
Do I need Floor if I use Clean?
Often not. Clean removes noise everywhere; Floor only lowers the gaps. Floor helps when heavy compression lifts room sound and breaths that Clean leaves in on purpose.