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Noise Gates/Suppressors

dont_go_on_medont_go_on_me Posts: 877
edited January 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
What can you all tell me about these? From what i gather, they're used to cut down on noise from your pedal chain, right? But can they also eliminate that annoying single-coil buzz/hiss as well? My strat's buzzing is driving me mad and i need it to stop as soon as possible...and i'm hoping one of these puppies will take care of it.

What do you recommend as the best ones to get? Right now i'm thinking the Boss NS-2. It gets pretty good reviews, and the ability to power additional pedals is also very appealing...
"I'll do whatever the song dictates - if it doesn't need a real lead, then I won't do one. But if it does, then I'll fuckin' go off." - Mike

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Comments

  • KillerIsMeKillerIsMe Posts: 208
    a noise gate works by you setting a level that you want it to kick in (Threshold) and then when whenever your outputed volume goes below that threshold it cuts everything. So basically when you arent doing anything it cuts everything including hiss from pedals pickup hum, whatever. When you are above the treshold it's not doing anything; all that stuff is still there when you're playing, but chances are you wont notice it. I'm sure everyone else can give you better recommendations then me, but the boss one is probably fine.
    http://www.myspace.com/cannedanimal
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    KillerIsMe wrote:
    a noise gate works by you setting a level that you want it to kick in (Threshold) and then when whenever your outputed volume goes below that threshold it cuts everything. So basically when you arent doing anything it cuts everything including hiss from pedals pickup hum, whatever. When you are above the treshold it's not doing anything; all that stuff is still there when you're playing, but chances are you wont notice it.


    That's pretty much it.

    It senses when you are and aren't playing, and when you aren't playing, it cuts the signal entirely. It has a knob that adjusts how sensative it is. Then, when you start playing, it's all there again. But, since you're playing, it's not as noticable.

    A better solution would be quieter pickups... Strats are notorious for noise.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • thingmaker88thingmaker88 Posts: 33
    Noise gates can be very nice for playing with lots of gain as it gets rid of that unwanted feedback that strikes when you stop playing and your too close to the amp. But it can be so anticlimatic when you are holding a long sustained note and its tapering off and then Blam its just gone like somebody hit the stop button.
    It's really great when your in a limo you can put your head to the window and look out at all the homeless people-E.V.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    An NS will not eliminate 60 cycle hum. You'd think it would but it dosen't cut the signal while you are playing. As aforementioned mainly the people that use them are cranking the gain on their preamps and they are using them so they can stand on stage without feedbacking all the time. To me gates are more fun when inside pedals like fuzzes for instance.

    you'll be much better served swapping pickups to noiseless or running a ground loop eliminator or improving your EMI/RFI shielding under the PG. A clean power supply and eliminating noisy flourescent lights certainly helps too.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    An NS will not eliminate 60 cycle hum.[...]

    you'll be much better served swapping pickups to noiseless or running a ground loop eliminator or improving your EMI/RFI shielding under the PG. A clean power supply and eliminating noisy flourescent lights certainly helps too.


    I would definitely recommend going to some form of noiseless pickup... the new Fender cobalt pickups are amazing, as are the Seymour Duncan stacked humbuckers (both give single-coil tone without the hum). There are a lot of other options out there, too...

    Essentially, a noise gate is a cheap fix, and will only do so much. I personally hate gates more than any other effect out there.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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