This paper describes a means of signal processing specifically designed for use with electron microprobe analyzers. The method of ``pulse rate analysis'' (PRA) can, however, be applied to many areas of data gathering and signal processing where it is desired to suppress randomly distributed background noise pulses. A variable rate control allows selection of the incoming pulse rate required to produce an output signal at the display unit. The pulse rate range has been optimized for microprobe work and covers a PRF of 10 Hz to 40 kHz. A binary scaling arrangement extends this range by a factor of 2 or 4 while providing anS‐fold interval distribution. Improvement of up to 50:1 has been observed in the apparent signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio.