FabFilter PRO-G Users Manual
Table of contents
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Table of Contents
About FabFilter Pro-G
Overview
Loading presets
Purchasing FabFilter Pro-G
Support
2
Introduction
Quick start
Using FabFilter Pro-G
Knobs
Dynamic controls
Time controls, style and knee
Metering
Expert mode
Oversampling
Mid/Side processing
Input and output options
MIDI Learn
Undo, redo, A/B switch
Presets
Saving presets
How presets are stored
Purchasing FabFilter Pro-G
Entering your license key
Support
Manual installation
VST plug-in versions
External side chaining
License agreement
Acknowledgements
About FabFilter
About FabFilter Pro-G
3
A gate/expander is one of those workhorse studio tools that you probably use in every mix. Whether you need
to suppress noise on your vocal tracks, reduce bleed on your drum recordings, gate a guitar before distortion or
enhance the dynamics on your drum or master bus, FabFilter Pro-G will do the job in style!
Key features include five meticulously tuned, program-dependent expander/gate algorithms, including an
Upward expansion style, high-quality 64-bit internal processing, adjustable threshold, ratio and range, attack
and release settings, adjustable hold time up to 250 ms, optional look-ahead time up to 10 ms, mid/side
processing, up to four times linear-phase oversampling and an expert mode that offers highly customizable side
chain options.
FabFilter Pro-G is available in VST, VST3, AU (Audio Units), AAX Native and AudioSuite formats (all both 64-bit
and 32-bit), as well as RTAS (32-bit only), for Mac OS X and Windows.
Windows requirements
32-bit: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP
64-bit: Windows 10, 8, 7 or Vista (x64)
VST 2/3 host or Pro Tools
Next: Quick start
See Also
Using FabFilter Pro-G
Acknowledgements
Mac OS X requirements
OS X 10.6 or higher
AU or VST 2/3 host or Pro Tools
Intel processor
Quick start
4
The installer will copy the FabFilter Pro-G plug-in into the common VST, VST 3, AU (macOS only) and Pro Tools
plug-in folders on your computer. On macOS, the global plug-in folders in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins are used.
In most cases, your host will then recognize the plugin automatically. However, if the instructions below do not
work, see Manual
Cubase
Choose an empty insert slot, for example in the Mixer, and select FabFilter Pro-G from the menu that
appears. To use the MIDI features in Pro-G, create a new MIDI track and set its output to the Pro-G
instance you have just created. (The VST 3 version of Pro-G can be found in the Dynamics section.)
Logic Pro
Choose an empty insert slot on one of your audio tracks, instrument tracks or buses and select FabFilter
Pro-G from the pop-up menu. You will find FabFilter Pro-G in the Audio Units > FabFilter section (named
FF Pro-G).
Ableton Live
In Session view, select the track you would like to place FabFilter Pro-G on, for example by clicking the
track name. At the left top of Ableton Live's interface, click on the Plug-in Device Browser icon (third icon
from the top). From the plug-ins list, double-click FabFilter/FabFilter Pro-G, or drag it onto the track.
Pro Tools
Choose an empty insert slot on one of your audio tracks, instrument tracks or buses and select FabFilter
Pro-G from the pop-up menu in the Dynamics section.
To begin, just open the plug-in and adjust the Threshold knob. Enjoy!
Next: FabFilter Pro-G overview
See Also
About FabFilter Pro-G
installation instead.
Overview
5
The interface of FabFilter Pro-G is designed to be easy to use while providing all necessary information and
controls. It consists of the following elements:
Real-time level display and level metering
In the middle section of the plug-in, the real-time moving level display and the level meter show you at a
glance what's happening to your audio. They show the output level (light blue) on top of the input (dark
blue), with a 60 dB scale. See Metering
Dynamic controls
To the left of the level display are the controls that determine the range and amount of gating/expansion:
Threshold, Ratio and Range. See Dynamic
Time controls, style and knee
To the right of the level display are the controls that affect the reaction speed, hold time and look-ahead
time of the gate/expander algorithm, together with a style selection button and a custom knee setting.
See Time controls, style and knee
Expert settings
Via the Expert button under the level display, you can enable or disable expert mode. When enabled, the
interface will resize itself to offer additional options for customizing the side-chain triggering signal and
adjusting the wet and dry signals separately. See Expert mode
MIDI Learn
MIDI Learn lets you easily associate any MIDI controller with any plug-in parameter. See MIDI Learn
Oversampling
The Oversampling setting sets the amount of internal oversampling, which reduces possible aliasing for
fast attack or release settings at the cost of additional CPU usage. See Oversampling
Input and output options
On the far right of the bottom bar, you can bypass the entire plug-in and adjust the initial input and final
output levels. See Input and output
Presets, undo, A/B, help
With the preset buttons, you can easily browse through the factory presets or save your own settings so
you can re-use them in other songs. The Undo, Redo, A/B and Copy buttons at the top of the plug-in
interface enable you to undo your changes and switch between different states of the plug-in. Finally, the
Help menu provides access to help and version information. See Loading presets
switch.
.
controls.
.
.
.
.
options.
and Undo, redo, A/B
Next: Knobs
See Also
6
Quick start
Knobs
7
It is easy to control FabFilter Pro-G's parameters with the large round knobs. They will light up when you move
the mouse cursor around to indicate that you can adjust them. The moment you move the mouse cursor over a
knob, a parameter value display will pop up, which shows the name and the current value of the parameter.
All knobs support four ways of control:
1. Vertical mode
Click on the center area of a knob and drag up or down to rotate it. The knob reacts to the speed with
which you are dragging, so if you move the mouse slowly, you make precise adjustments.
2. Rotate mode
Grab the arrow of the knob and drag it around. By moving the mouse cursor further away from the
knob while dragging it, you can make precise adjustments.
3. Mouse wheel mode
Perhaps the easiest way to make adjustments is by using the mouse wheel when you hover over a
knob. This mode works for all the knobs and possible panning rings. (On Windows, you might need to
click in the plug-in interface first to make sure it is the active window.)
4. Text entry mode
Double-click a knob to enter an exact value using the keyboard.
Tips
To reset a knob to its default position, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (macOS) and
click the knob once. Note: In Pro Tools, Pro-G uses the default Pro Tools keyboard shortcut for reset:
Alt+click.
To fine-tune a value when using vertical drag mode or the mouse wheel, hold down the Shift key while
dragging or moving the mouse wheel. Note: In Pro Tools, Pro-G uses the default Pro Tools keyboard
shortcut for fine tune: Ctrl+drag on Windows or Command+drag on macOS.
There are several handy shortcuts in text entry mode. With frequency values, you can type e.g. '1k'
to set the value to 1000 Hz, and also 'A4' for 440 Hz, or even strings like 'C#3+13'. With dB values, you
can type e.g. '2x' to get +6 dB (the value that corresponds to two times louder). With all values, you can
also type a percentage (e.g. '50%' will put a knob exactly in the middle position).
Sometimes, knobs in our plug-in interfaces are linked: these be adjusted simultaneously by holding
down the Alt key (Shift key in Pro Tools) while dragging on one of them. For example, an output level
and input level setting of a plug-in could be adjusted simultaneously (in the opposite direction) this way.
Next: Dynamic controls
See Also
Overview
Dynamic controls
8
The section in the top-left corner of the FabFilter Pro-G user interface is where the conventional gate/expansion
settings can be found: threshold, ratio and range. These determine the dynamic behavior and the amount of
expansion.
Threshold
The Threshold knob sets the threshold at which the gate/expander will open. With a lower threshold, the
gate/expander will open earlier. Finding a good setting always depends on your audio, and the real-time display
and metering will help you set the right level.
Ratio
The Ratio knob sets the amount of expansion when the signal level drops below the threshold. At a ratio of 4:1,
every dB under the threshold results in an target reduction of -4 dB. If you set the knob to 1:1, no expansion
will take place at all. If you set the ratio to values larger than about 5:1, Pro-G will starting acting more and
more as a gate.
Range
With the Range knob (often also called floor), you can specify the maximum expansion range of Pro-G. For
example, when you set it to 20 dB, Pro-G will reduce the signal level with a maximum of 20 dB. This way, you
can choose to suppress unwanted background noise only a bit, or expand only a specific area of the dynamic
range.
Tip
Instead of using the incoming audio to open the gate/expander, you can also trigger it via MIDI. If
MIDI is enabled (see MIDI Learn
controller, using the Note On event.
Next: Time controls, style and knee
See Also
Quick start
Oversampling
), the gate will open when you hit any key on your MIDI Keyboard
Time controls, style and knee
9
The section at the right of the interface contains the controls that affect the speed and feel of the current
chosen gate/expander style.
Style
With the Style selection button, you can choose between various gate/expander styles, all tailored and finetuned carefully to meet specific needs or offer a certain character:
Classic
This style brings you the flavor of gating and expansion as often found in vintage, high end mixer channel
strips. It can be quite aggressive, but also subtle when needed. It's a great all-round style for mixing
purposes and works especially well on drums.
Clean
Designed to be as clean as possible and minimize flutter and distortion, the Clean style is great for
transparent gating and expanding.
Vocal
Since a gate/expander is very often used on vocals, we have developed a special vocal gating algorithm.
It retains the natural feel of the vocal, opening the gate gently when the singer breathes in, and releasing
gently, yet fast enough to reduce unwanted noise or bleed.
Guitar
Another common application of a gate/expander is on electric guitar before distortion, to reduce or
miminize rumble. With this style, expecially when used in the lower ratio range (2:1 to 5:1), Pro-G gently
follows the natural decay of the guitar sound, ensuring that even after distortion, the result still sounds
very natural and lively.
Upward
As a special treat, an upward expansion algorithm is also included. When you choose this style, separate
Threshold and Ratio parameters are used with custom, smaller ranges. In Upward mode, the expander
will amplify signals above the threshold instead of reducing them below threshold. When used moderately
and with care, you can achieve very natural and transparent sounding expansion effects.
Ducking
Finally, Pro-G also features a dedicated ducking mode, as found in many classic gates. A typical
application of ducking is to automatically lower the level of a musical background track when a voice-over
starts, and to automatically bring the level up again when the voice-over stops (in movies and on radio
broadcasts). It is similar to compression with a side-chain, but it can sound quite different, because it's
processed as 'inverted' gating instead of compression. Ducking can also be used to achieve the wellknown and very popular 'pumping' effect, much used in modern dance music.
All styles have built-in, carefully tuned hysteresis where needed. This will cause the gate to close at a slightly
lower threshold level than the threshold at which it will open (as set by the Threshold knob), avoiding flutter
when the incoming audio signal hovers around the threshold.
Attack
The Attack knob sets the speed with which the expander/gate will open when the signal level exceeds the
threshold. For transient-rich program material like drums, fast attack times are needed to preserve punch.
FabFilter Pro-G is capable of very fast attack times and they are program dependent.
Release
The Release knob sets the time that the expander/gate takes to close and reach maximum gain reduction. Just
like the attack, the behavior is very program dependent, depending heavily on the audio you're processing.
Hold
10
The Hold knob sets the minimum time that the gate/expander will remain fully opened after the sound level has
exceeded the threshold.
Knee
By choosing a custom soft knee setting, the gate/expander will react more gradually when sound drops below
the threshold. You can of course clearly see the effect of the Knee in the transfer curve shown within the level
display.
Lookahead
With the Lookahead knob (often also called pre-open), the gate/expander can be set to open up to 10 ms
before the audio level actually exceeds the threshold. This is an excellent way to preserve transients, while still
avoiding ultra-fast attack times that might cause distortion or aliasing.
You can enable or disable look-ahead with the Lookahead Enabled button, just at the right-top of the
Lookahead knob. When look-ahead is disabled and oversampling is off, Pro-G works without any latency. When
enabled, the latency will be 10 ms, plus a small additional latency if oversampling is enabled.
Tips
When using Upward expansion, it's best to avoid using high ratios in combination with a low threshold,
because this can lead to quite extreme amplification.
Next: Metering
See Also
Dynamic controls
Oversampling
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