A signal processing system for signal processing in a bilateral hearing implant system having left side and right side hearing implants, the system comprising: at least one sensing microphone for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for sensing a sound environment for that hearing implant to develop a corresponding microphone signal output; a filter bank for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for processing the microphone signal to generate a plurality of band pass signals for that hearing implant, wherein each band pass signal represents an associated band of audio frequencies; an interaural coherence analysis module configured to receive input signals from each of the left side and right side hearing implants including the microphone signals and the band pass signals and configured to analyze the input signals to produce an interaural coherence signal output characterizing reverberation-related similarity of the input signals; characterised by : a pulse timing and coding module for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for processing the band pass signals to develop stimulation timing signals, wherein the processing includes selecting from the band pass signals a subset of one or more selected band pass signals, and wherein for the one or more selected band pass signals, the processing includes using an envelope gating function developed from the interaural coherence signal; and a pulse generation module for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for processing the stimulation timing signals to develop electrode stimulation signals to electrode contacts of the left side and right side hearing implants implanted in a patient cochlea for perception as sound. at least one sensing microphone for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for sensing a sound environment for that hearing implant to develop a corresponding microphone signal output; a filter bank for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for processing the microphone signal to generate a plurality of band pass signals for that hearing implant, wherein each band pass signal represents an associated band of audio frequencies; an interaural coherence analysis module configured to receive input signals from each of the left side and right side hearing implants including the microphone signals and the band pass signals and configured to analyze the input signals to produce an interaural coherence signal output characterizing reverberation-related similarity of the input signals; a pulse timing and coding module for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for processing the band pass signals to develop stimulation timing signals, wherein the processing includes selecting from the band pass signals a subset of one or more selected band pass signals, and wherein for the one or more selected band pass signals, the processing includes using an envelope gating function developed from the interaural coherence signal; and a pulse generation module for each of the left side and right side hearing implants configured for processing the stimulation timing signals to develop electrode stimulation signals to electrode contacts of the left side and right side hearing implants implanted in a patient cochlea for perception as sound. <EOS>