Using a gate to create rhythmic performances from sustained sounds is a classic dance-music trick, but the same approach can work in almost any contemporary music style.
Hear The Difference For Yourself!
These audio files show the results of some of the techniques described in the main Cubase Techniques article on rhythmic effects.
1. 
cubasejun071.mp3 - This first example includes the overdriven sustained guitar part that is used in the other audio examples below, set against a drum track to give it context.
2. cubasejun072.mp3 - The same guitar part is being processed by the MIDI Gate plug-in in 'note-on' mode, triggered from a MIDI keyboard.
3. cubasejun073.mp3 - The MIDI Gate is being used in 'note off' mode and the velocity control is set to VCA control, to allow the MIDI velocity to influence the volume of the audio track.
4. cubasejun074.mp3 - The hi-hat pattern of the MIDI drum part is used to trigger the MIDI Gate.
5. cubasejun075.mp3 - The MIDI Gate, again in 'note-off' mode with VCA Control provides volume dynamics, but in this example the result is filtered by the Wah Wah plug-in, controlled by the Mod Wheel.
6. cubasejun076.mp3 - This example uses the same settings as 5, but with the Autopan plug-in adding movement across the stereo image.
7. cubasejun077.mp3 - This example uses two sustained guitar parts, resulting from the same track being processed in two different ways. Other elements provide a musical context.
8. cubasejun078.mp3 - The same sustained guitar part triggered from an audio track (a hi-hat performance) by Twisted Lemon's Sidekick plug-in.
