Have you used the gate function much? Not only the DSP-Gate in Renoise but in other environments as well? Well, I’ve tried a few other software onces and I always wonder if the Renoise one’s supposed to work like it does. Both the attack and release value works more like a time constant on when to shut on/off the signal, than the actual synth-term of envelopes - a volume-attack and a volume-release. I’m used to that the release-parameter is the fade-out time when the signal is below the threshold value (and when the hold-time has passed).
The Renoise manual explains the function like this:
A gate is to force a trackoutput to stay put within a certain amplitude. If the threshold is being exceeded, the whole track-output will be cutoff. The higher the threshold, the quicker the the sample meets it’s value. Depending upon the attack, hold and release values, the output cutoff will be triggered. The attack value sets the time to build up to the hold value (the time the track will be heard) after the threshold value has been crossed. The Hold value sets the time the track will be played after the attack period is over. The release value will make the track-sound slowly die out. Though it is not a fade-out, but waves of pulserating on-offs!
What are you other users view on the dsp-gate in Renoise? Do you use it? To me it’s pretty useless, but i’d use it if it was improved with real attack/release envelopes instead of how it works now.