DEADBOLT — Free Noise Gate and Expander Plugin (VST3, Windows)
DEADBOLT is a free noise gate and expander plugin for Windows 10/11 (64-bit), available as a VST3 and a standalone app. It has hysteresis and HOLD, which is the polite way of saying it never machine-guns: GATE mode slams shut to a set floor, EXPAND mode leans on quiet parts gently, and a history strip shows the detector against your threshold and exactly when the bolt was thrown. It is part of BSMT.DSP, the free suite by Dr.dawgOG, a mix engineer from Anand, Gujarat.
What DEADBOLT does
A noise gate mutes a track when the signal drops below a threshold, which is how bedroom rap vocals lose the fan hum, the chair creak and the headphone bleed between lines. The classic gate failure is chattering: a signal hovering around the threshold opens and closes the gate dozens of times a second, the machine-gun sound. DEADBOLT prevents it with hysteresis, a separate open and close threshold so the gate needs a clearly louder signal to open than to close, and HOLD, a minimum time the gate stays open once triggered.
GATE mode closes hard to a floor level you set, from full silence to a few dB of attenuation that just cleans the gaps. EXPAND mode is the gentler cousin: instead of slamming shut it turns quiet parts down proportionally, which is more natural on singing and on drums with room. The history strip draws the detector signal against your threshold over time and marks each moment the bolt was thrown, so you can see exactly why a word got clipped and fix it.
Cleaning rap vocals and tightening drums
On a rap vocal, DEADBOLT goes first in the chain, before WINDPIPE and ELEVATOR. Set the threshold just above the room noise, add HOLD of a couple of hundred milliseconds so the ends of words are not chopped, and use a floor of minus 15 to minus 20 dB rather than silence so the gate is not audible when it closes. Check the history strip for any throws during words, and raise HOLD or lower the threshold if you see them.
On drums, GATE mode with a short hold tightens a kick or snare sample by cutting the room tail, and EXPAND mode reduces hi-hat bleed on a live-sounding break without making it sound gated. DEADBOLT runs as a VST3 in FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase and Bitwig on Windows.
How to use DEADBOLT
- Insert DEADBOLT first on the vocal chain, before breath control and compression.
- Raise the threshold until the room noise between lines is gated, watching the detector on the history strip.
- Add HOLD so the tails of words are not cut, and set the floor to a few dB of attenuation rather than full silence for a natural sound.
- If the source is singing or live drums, switch to EXPAND mode for gentler, proportional reduction.
DEADBOLT features
- Hysteresis: separate open and close thresholds so the gate never chatters
- HOLD keeps the gate open for a minimum time after triggering
- GATE mode slams shut to an adjustable floor
- EXPAND mode reduces quiet parts gently and proportionally
- History strip shows the detector, threshold and every throw of the bolt
- VST3 and standalone for Windows 10/11 64-bit, free with no signup
DEADBOLT vs the alternatives
How DEADBOLT compares with the free and paid gate / expander plugins producers usually shortlist. The row for DEADBOLT is highlighted.
| Plugin | Price | Windows formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEADBOLT (BSMT.DSP) | Free, no signup | VST3, standalone | Hysteresis, HOLD, gate and expander modes, visual history strip |
| Dead Duck Gate (Free Effects Bundle) | Free | VST2, VST3 | Straightforward free gate inside a larger bundle |
| ReaGate (ReaPlugs) | Free | VST2 | Cockos' flexible gate; VST2 only outside Reaper |
| FabFilter Pro-G | Paid (around USD 169 list) | VST2, VST3, AAX | Paid anchor with lookahead, sidechain filtering and multiple styles |
Prices are vendor list prices as seen in August 2026. Formats listed for Windows only.
DEADBOLT specs
| Plugin | DEADBOLT (gate / expander) |
| Category | DYNAMICS |
| Price | Free. No account, no email, no trial, no watermark. |
| Formats | VST3 (64-bit) and a standalone app |
| Operating system | Windows 10 / Windows 11, 64-bit. macOS build in progress (the download button switches when it ships). |
| Works in | FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase, Bitwig and any other VST3 host on Windows |
| Installer | One BSMT.DSP installer for all 27 plugins; tick the ones you want. It detects and updates older versions in place. |
| Version | Shown on the download button, fetched live from the releases repository. |
| Developer | Dr.dawgOG (BSMT.DSP), Anand, Gujarat, India |
| Support the project | buymeacoffee.com/dawgog (optional) |
DEADBOLT FAQ
Why does my noise gate chatter or machine-gun?
Because the signal is hovering right at the threshold, so the gate opens and closes rapidly. DEADBOLT fixes this with hysteresis, which uses a higher threshold to open than to close, and HOLD, which keeps the gate open for a minimum time once it fires.
Gate or expander for vocals?
A gate for rap vocals in a noisy room, where you want the gaps clean. An expander for singing and for anything with natural decay, where a hard close would be obvious. DEADBOLT has both modes; the history strip shows which one is behaving.
Where does a noise gate go in the vocal chain?
First. Gate before breath control, riding, tuning and compression so the later plugins never react to room noise. In BSMT.DSP that means DEADBOLT, then WINDPIPE, ELEVATOR, LOCKJAW and KNUCKLE or MOUTHPIECE.
Is DEADBOLT really free?
Yes. Completely free, no account, no email, no trial. It ships inside the BSMT.DSP installer on GitHub Releases, and you can install just DEADBOLT.
Does DEADBOLT work in FL Studio, Ableton Live and Reaper?
It does. DEADBOLT is a 64-bit VST3 for Windows 10/11 and works in FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase, Bitwig and any other VST3 host on Windows.
Install, SmartScreen and Mac questions are answered on the BSMT.DSP suite FAQ.
More from BSMT.DSP
See all 27 free BSMT.DSP plugins, the guide to mixing rap vocals with free plugins, and the list of free alternatives to paid vocal plugins. Need the vocal mixed by the person who built these? Mixing and mastering is open.