New in v2
Per-layer arpeggiators
Create advanced rhythmic performances. Each layer can run its own arpeggiator — different rates, rhythms and patterns playing against each other.
Squeaky Gate
Clean-tone squeaky gate sound design
A unique sound-design experiment: metal gate squeaks reveal surprisingly clean, cello-like resonation that, through granular processing and layering, becomes something else entirely — a practical palette of intriguing ambient pads, organic-synth textures and cinematic plucks. Perfect for adding distinctive character to IDM, soundtracks and atmospheric productions.
£8.00 GBP
Personal License
40 production-ready presets from a singing gate hinge
Ambient pads, organic-synth plucks, resonating basses and cinematic textures — all from the clean, cello-like resonation of metal gate hinges.
Expressive control with the dynamics knob
Smoothly blend between soft and intense versions of each sound, granular-processed from recordings of garden and farm gates.
Powered by Floe
Our free plugin for expressive performance — simple yet highly customisable with layers, FX, granular and more (CLAP/VST3/AU).
A sound design experiment with practical results
The premise was simple: could a squeaky metal gate become a genuinely useful instrument? Two fully metal gates were recorded — a small garden gate and a heavy farm gate, both with metal hinges. By slowly opening each gate, long consistent-pitch squeaks and vibrations could be drawn out; these sustained recordings are the core of Squeaky Gate.
Each sample was cleaned and tuned to musical pitches. Some were further processed with granular synthesis and effects, while others remain as the raw tuned recordings. The result is an intriguing organic-synth hybrid tool you can reach for when you want to add distinctive character to your track.
Videos
Note: This video shows Mirage, now succeeded by Floe. All features shown are available in Floe with full compatibility.
Squeaky Gate plays in Floe, our free plugin for Windows, macOS and Linux. It's where your library lives, on its own or alongside any others of ours: a preset browser, three layers for blending instruments into a single sound, and filters, envelopes and a rack of effects to shape them with.
Squeaky Gate belongs to our Originals Series. It was first made for Mirage, Floe's predecessor, but is now fully at home in Floe: every instrument is tagged and ready for all of Floe's features, arpeggiators and granular synthesis included. Its factory presets are the original bank, made before Floe's newer features existed, so they're yours to take further.
Floe is free and open source: install it, add your library, and start playing.
New in v2
Granular synthesis
Stretch, freeze and reshape any instrument into evolving clouds and textures — even multisampled instruments.
Pro effects rack
Eleven high-quality, reorderable effects — including pro-standard reverb and delay, and convolution reverb with creative IRs.
Built for the studio
Four macro knobs for expressive performance of multiple parameters. MIDI CC, sustain pedal, undo/redo, A/B comparison for preset edits, visual EQs and a random variation generator.
Free and open source
Floe is a companion project to FrozenPlain — totally free and open source for longevity and ethical service to the music-making community.
Layer across libraries
Blend instruments from any library in a single patch. Floe's three-layer architecture, each with its own controls, allows for creating hybrid textures.
Details
Requirements
Runs inside Floe v2 or later, the free plugin
- Windows 10 or later
- macOS 11 or later (Apple Silicon or Intel)
- Linux (x86, glibc 2.31 or later)
- 64-bit DAW
Plugin formats
CLAP and VST3, plus AU on macOS.
Works in Cubase, Logic Pro, Studio One, Ableton Live, Reaper, Bitwig, FL Studio, Ardour, and more.
Library
- Floe format, fully tagged and integrated in Floe
- Download size: 42.1 MB
Help and support
Contents
Full preset list 42 presets
42 presets (complete production-ready patches) in Squeaky Gate - Factory Presets (v1.2).
Basses 5 presets
- Bass Pluck
- Bass Pulser
- Basspad
- Double Bass Pizz
- Simple Sub
Leads 11 presets
- Alien Spacecraft
- Cathedral Organ 1
- Cathedral Organ 2
- Cathedral Organ 3
- Chamber Strings
- Distorted Lead 1
- Distorted Lead 2
- Distorted Lead 3
- Glam Lead
- High Saw
- Horror Hit
Pads 14 presets
- Background Plucks
- Chorused
- Distorted Pad 1
- Distorted Pad 2
- Glimmering High Strings
- Long Swell
- Radio Tones
- Radio Tones Degraded
- Slow Phasers
- Strings 1
- Strings 2
- Terror Highs 1
- Terror Highs 2
- Wind Pass
Plucks 12 presets
- Atmosphere Pluck
- Charming Key
- Pluck Drops 1
- Pluck Drops 2
- Pluck Repeater
- Simple Pluck 1
- Simple Pluck 2
- Simple Pluck 3
- Simple Pluck 4
- Simple Pluck 5
- Steel Hand Drum
- Tiny Bells
Full instrument list 13 instruments
13 instruments (sound-sources loadable into each of Floe's layers) in Squeaky Gate (v1.2).
01. Processed 9 instruments
- Dual Pitch
- Gate Ensemble 1
- Gate Ensemble 2
- High Squeak
- Long Swell
- Low Resonation
- Pure Gate
- Smoothed Ensemble
- Windy
02. Cleaned Source 4 instruments
- Gate Rumble
- Gate Vibration A
- Gate Vibration B
- Gate Wobble
All preset tags 54 tags
Every tag used on the presets, with how many presets have it
Sources 2
hybrid
42
synthesized
42
Sound types 4
pad
15
pluck
12
lead
11
bass
5
Moods & genres 28
cinematic
24
bright
17
electronic
16
ambient
15
ethereal
7
sci-fi
7
dreamy
6
horror
4
dark 4tense 4eerie 3aggressive 3industrial 3mysterious 3quirky 3playful 2pop 2dramatic 2nostalgic 1peaceful 1hypnotic 180s 1fantasy 1EDM 1subdued 1synthwave 1dystopian 1world 1
Timbres 20
metallic
14
glassy
7
digital
7
resonant
7
harsh
6
distorted
5
gritty
5
warm
4
lush 3airy 3dissonant 3smooth 3pulsing 2lo-fi 2noisy 2strings-like 2thin 2pure 1cold 1whining 1
All instrument tags 19 tags
Every tag used on the instruments, with how many instruments have it
Sources 2
found sounds
13
hybrid
9
Sound types 3
texture
9
drone
2
pad
1
Timbres 14
metallic
11
resonant
7
evolving
3
harsh
3
rumbly
3
dissonant
2
muddy
2
gritty
2
multi-pitched 1pulsing 1fluctuating 1ringing 1airy 1smooth 1
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Squeaky Gate
£8.00 GBP
Personal License
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