Threshold -	This tells the gate at what level to start to turn down the signal passing through the gate.
Attack -	This tell the gate how quickly to start to turn the signal down.
Release -	This tells the gate how long it will take to turn the signal down.
Hold -	This comes in between attack and release, and controls how long the level should stay the same after the initial attack.
Range -	This tells the gate how much to turn dow the signal by.
Filters -	These are available to limit the range of frequencies that will trigger the threshold of the gate

The best way to get great results from using gates is simply to think about exactly what the controls are all doing.

e.g. to gate a tom,

1. start off by listening to the Key signal, set the filters so that all you can hear is roughly the frequency range of a tom.
2. Then, set the attack, hold and release controls to their minimum setting, and the range control to the maximum setting. This is to make the gate turn the signal down as much as possible, as fast as possible and to hold it there for as short as possible.
3. Adjust the threshold until it only briefly opens when the tom is hit, and then closes again.
4. finally adjust the release until the gating sounds natural after the tom has been hit, preserving the natural decay of the drum.

Using this simple step-by-step guide it should be possible to successfully gate any percussive instrument, quickly and effectively.