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Post subject: Best Noisegate or reducer for a Strat with noisy pedals?
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:17 pm
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I've tried a MXR Smartgate, that worked pretty decent..but it did take some tone out.

The ISP decimator, although had rave reviews did not suck any or hardly any tone..but killed the sustain. It also does not cut the noise quickly after I do abrupt stop on chords. Yes, I turned the dial correctly right when the noise stops at around 11 o clock..no more and no less. Nonetheless, I returned it.

The Boss NS-2 I've had before. It did cut a little bit of tone, but not so bad that I would hate it. It did the job of quieting down and does not cut the sustain. I would assume the ISP would blow the NS-2 as players favor it over the Boss unit and been hearing such great things about it. From my personal experience with my own setup, I did not like the ISP at all.

Any other suggestions?

I have not tried the Rocktron Hush yet.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:20 pm
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If not, I will probably buy the Boss NS-2 again, because it's the best one out there by far.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:22 pm
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One thing I would do is try to get rid of the noise from source .. is it the pickups or the pedals? are they powered by a properly grounded source ? I hate noisy stuff :)


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 12:42 pm
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Synkronized wrote:
One thing I would do is try to get rid of the noise from source .. is it the pickups or the pedals? are they powered by a properly grounded source ? I hate noisy stuff :)


It's both, since the strat has the usual 60 cycle hum and the overdrive pedals are just all around noisy. The cables and connections are fine. I hate noisy stuff too!


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:08 pm
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What's your power supply?


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:21 pm
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A/C Adapters


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:44 pm
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Yes, but are they plugged into a transformed source or just naked into a wall or power bar?


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:48 pm
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Hi Morrissey: the only noise suppressor I've used much is the Boss, so I can't usefully compare brands. I can't say I've noticed vital differences when I've tried other people's, but that's hardly a scientific test.

I just fundamentally don't like noise gates. As soon as they are turned far enough up to cut hiss they also hurt your sound. Not so much the tone as the feel of the instrument. They are the enemy of subtlety in your playing.

The fact is, if you play at high gain levels then background noise is just a part of life. Use a noise suppressor if you must, but turn it down to subliminal levels. Then see if you can't train your ears to love a slightly less overdriven tone. You'll have to play a bit more accurately - but then that's part of the mission. And finally of course, there's always that handy little knob on your guitar called "volume", very good for turning off your hissy output when you're not playing...

These things are nearly always a bit of a compromise, I'm afraid.

Good luck - C


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:11 pm
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Something like a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power/ Supply cleans up a lot of mess. It's outs are individually grounded and shielded, and it's a properly transformered Power Supply. Also with this type of PS, you plug each pedal unit into the supply by itself, no daisy chaining one into the next into the next and so on. I'm not caring which brand of PS one choses, but chose one! Every player pro or amateur should use a dedicated supply like this. No brainer! :)


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:18 pm
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theres only one option for high gain noise free sound, the marshall 2203kk. The noise gate on it is as near to transparent as i've ever experienced. The only downside is that it shares a on switch with the mid boost. You cant have it without the boost, but you can turn the boost down to zero.
I've always found noisegates to be like compressors when you set them. Dial in your sound and reduce the settings by half. I atleast always dial in way more than i need to get mine sounding right to me. Then i reduce it by half of what i set it to.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:57 pm
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Pete55 wrote:
Something like a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power/ Supply cleans up a lot of mess. It's outs are individually grounded and shielded, and it's a properly transformered Power Supply. Also with this type of PS, you plug each pedal unit into the supply by itself, no daisy chaining one into the next into the next and so on. I'm not caring which brand of PS one choses, but chose one! Every player pro or amateur should use a dedicated supply like this. No brainer! :)


Thanks Pete, They are individual power supply's on a power strip. I have used batteries previously, but it is not that much worse nor better. I think that having a clean power supply source would tidy things up a bit, but I'm afraid it'll still be noisy, not too mention my single coil hums. I watched Malmsteen's video on how he uses the boss ns-2 and without it, that's what my rig pretty much sounds like...with it on...well...much better. I'll probably buy the ns-2 again as I've tried others and this is the best that I can get for a noise suppressor.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDzNsFjEk1E


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:41 pm
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I've heard great things about the EH Hum Debugger. It's a little more expensive than a noise gate or suppressor because it isn't one. Apparently it has some kind of technological advancement that recognized 60 cycle hum and adds the perfect amount of reverse hum to the signal. It's like a automatically variable humbucker.


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:38 am
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I've had good experience with the Boss and the Electro Harmonix. I'd say that they are equal in performance but the EH looks so much cooler so..

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:42 pm
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So I got the Boss NS-2, and well..give or take it didn't mask as much noise as the decimator, but I managed to get my sustain back. I was also wondering if its ok to use regular 9v 200ma Adapter on a Boss pedal. It so far works fine with the boss, but is there a difference going from that to the actual 9.6V Boss Adapter?


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