The
Furman QN-44 is
a vintage, analog 4-channel (quad) noise gate housed in a standard 1U rackmount chassis. Produced in the United States, it belongs to Furman’s legacy line of pro audio signal processors. This unit is distinct from the brand’s ubiquitous modern power conditioners. It is widely used in studio recording, live sound reinforcement, and broadcasting to eliminate unwanted low-level noise (like hum, hiss, or signal bleed) from microphones and instrument signals.
Front Panel Interface & Controls
The unit splits its single rack space into four identical, independent channels. Each channel features four dedicated rotary control pots:
- Threshold: Sets the decibel level at which the gate opens or closes. Audio falling below this level triggers the gate to quiet or mute the signal.
- Attack: Controls how fast the gate opens once the input signal surpasses the threshold.
- Release: Controls the duration it takes for the gate to completely close after the signal falls back below the threshold.
- Depth (Range): Governs the maximum amount of attenuation (signal reduction) applied when the gate is fully closed.
Rear Panel & Hardware Specs
- I/O Connections: Standard unbalanced 1/4" TS/TRS phone jacks for standard line-level inputs and outputs.
- Sidechain Key Inputs: Includes external 1/4" key inputs on the rear panel. This permits ducking or gating driven by an external sidechain trigger source (e.g., using a snare drum mic to open a bass guitar gate).