# TC Electronic Sentry Noise Gate accentuating white noise...normal of a noise gate?



## TheShreddinHand (Dec 13, 2015)

Hey guys, so let me start by saying I've been in the digital game for a while now (Line 6, Axe-FX, Kemper) and just went back to tube amps. So I know that any high gain amp is gonna have some noise out of the speaker, but I wouldn't think a noise gate would make that noise worse. I just reached out to TC Support and we'll see what they say, but here's the deal:

I just bought a TC Sentry Noise Gate pedal to use with my EVH 5150 III 1x12 combo amp. The gate does a good job of blocking noise/feedback from the guitar while decaying naturally, BUT it has added a lot of white noise coming out of my speaker when I'm not playing. There is of course going to be a little white noise coming out of a speaker of any high gain amp, but the Sentry makes it even louder than when I have my guitar volume off and no Sentry in between the guitar and the amp. Is this normal or do I have a defective unit? I've recorded a video of this and posted to youtube:



There are no pedals in the loop (despite everything laying on the floor) and there is nothing else between the guitar and the amp except the Sentry. Guitar is an Ibanez RG752 with Dimarzio pickups.

0:00 - Guitar volume all the way up, TC Sentry on in Hiss mode
0:06 - Guitar volume all the way up, TC Sentry bypassed

This is showing that the Sentry is doing a good job of gating the feedback and noise from the guitar.

0:10 - Sentry turned back on to stop feedback but you can still hear quite a bit of white noise out of the speaker.

This next part is to demonstrate how the white noise is worse with the Sentry on.

0:23 - Guitar volume off and Sentry turned off (notice white noise drastically goes down, not completely away)
0:29 - Guitar volume off and Sentry turned on (white noise comes back amplified)

So is there something wrong with the pedal? Is this typical of any noise gate? Do I need to look into something else to deal with white noise out of the speaker or is this just how it is?

Thanks guys!


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## Pav (Dec 13, 2015)

That definitely should not be happening. With the gate turned on and you not playing anything, you should be hearing next to nothing. Look for a response from TC and see what they say, it's not impossible that your pedal has an internal issue. If anything you'll hear the inevitable faint hiss that all tube amps make when turned on, but that disturbing alien signal is pretty strange.


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 13, 2015)

Yeah, I will absolutely be posting what they respond with.


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## mongey (Dec 13, 2015)

is it running off battery ? 

could be defective. I had to send a hall of fame reverb back that was defective a few years ago .so it can happen


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 14, 2015)

mongey said:


> is it running off battery ?
> 
> could be defective. I had to send a hall of fame reverb back that was defective a few years ago .so it can happen



It is running off battery. And actually tonight when I get home I'm going to pull the battery and use the AC Adapter from my flashback and see if that's the issue (different power source).


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## InFlames235 (Dec 15, 2015)

I had the same problem with mine - an insane amount of white noise came through that was, I guess, covering up the noise coming through my pickups. Ended up returning mine even though it was pretty cool for a bit - I've decided to go all out and upgrade to the ISP Pro Rack G - had it in the past and it's definitely the best noise gate I've ever heard to this day.


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## rewihendrix (Dec 15, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> It is running off battery. And actually tonight when I get home I'm going to pull the battery and use the AC Adapter from my flashback and see if that's the issue (different power source).



battery should have less noise issues than adaptor though, right?

weird.


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## mongey (Dec 16, 2015)

rewihendrix said:


> battery should have less noise issues than adaptor though, right?
> 
> weird.



Yeah. As long as the battery isn't flat it will be isolated and no power noise issues.


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 16, 2015)

Well TC wrote me back and told me I should return it and that it sounded like it's defective. So it's going back today and Sweetwater already sent out a replacement (arrives today). We'll see if this one does the same thing.

InFlames235, that's disheartening to hear yours did the same thing.....if this replacement does the same I think I'll be returning for something else.


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## TheRileyOBrien (Dec 16, 2015)

Mine definitely does not do that. Maybe they had a batch of bad components?


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## ArtDecade (Dec 16, 2015)

TC seems to be having more and more QC problems of late.


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## Zeriton (Dec 17, 2015)

I think my one had the same problem. Ended up returning it and not bothering to get it replaced...


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## decreebass (Dec 17, 2015)

I had to send a G-string back. I guess pedals nowadays sometimes just don't work 

TC - let us know if the new one is better!


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## thraxil (Dec 17, 2015)

I had the exact same problem... with a $20 Behringer noise gate. I would expect and require better from TC.


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 17, 2015)

Well.....second one came in last night....exact same issue. Gonna send it back.

So question now is, what do I go with? Decimator II? The G String version seems a little pricey and I really don't like the 3 jacks on one side (my patch cables are 90 degree angles so it's gonna look crappy. I used to have a Boss NS-2 that worked ok but I remember it didn't have the most natural cutoff. Let me know what you guys think.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Dec 17, 2015)

When a lot of these companies that used to have very high end, very expensive product lines like TC Electronic, Lexicon, & even Alesis started building the lower priced, consumer type of products, their QC went down along with their prices. You used to be able to get some of these items like the TC 2290, or the Lexicon PCM70, or Eventide H3000 and the price came with the benefit of reliability and consistency. 

Nowadays, you have to be very careful, but fortunately, user reviews can provide a reasonably wide range of results so you can make an objective decision.


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## Dantas (Dec 17, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Well.....second one came in last night....exact same issue. Gonna send it back.
> 
> So question now is, what do I go with? Decimator II? The G String version seems a little pricey and I really don't like the 3 jacks on one side (my patch cables are 90 degree angles so it's gonna look crappy. I used to have a Boss NS-2 that worked ok but I remember it didn't have the most natural cutoff. Let me know what you guys think.



I have the Decimator II, and it's probably a good choice after the whole ordeal with the TC. Only one knob, it does the job perfectly, and I have no complaints about. I'm also not too fond with the G String because of the whole cable system (which is nice and helpful for the gate not cut your clean sound when you turn off the distortion, but I prefer to have a simple pedal chain).

There's the MXR pedals (Noise Clamp and Smart Gate), which I don't have any experience about it. EHX also just released a noise gate called Silencer...I saw a video demo, and it seemed like a good pedal.


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## vick1000 (Dec 17, 2015)

I really liked the MXR Smart Gate, but it pretty much is a one trick pony, no loop and only one useful setting as a gate. It's supposed to be able to be used in the loop to reduce noise, but I found it difficult to get much use out of it in that posistion.

But as far as gates go, it was better than the G string II or Boss NS2. I heard the original Decimator is the best, but you would have to try and find a used one.

The best gate I have found is on my GSP1101 though, bieng digital it should be expected.


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## Zeriton (Dec 17, 2015)

Dantas said:


> EHX also just released a noise gate called Silencer...I saw a video demo, and it seemed like a good pedal.



How have I not heard of this before?!

Is it any good? Looks great value (which weirdly worries me hehe).

I own an MXR Smart Gate and it's decent but kind of confusing if I'm honest. I have no idea which setting to use on them. It works really well though on the hiss mode dimed for high gain, or the gate mode low for high gain.

ISP will still win out for me for a while... If it aint broke...


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 18, 2015)

Decimator II incoming. Will let everyone know how it is.


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## Dantas (Dec 18, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Decimator II incoming. Will let everyone know how it is.



Yay! 

Hope it works fine. Let us know how it is for sure


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## TheRileyOBrien (Dec 18, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Decimator II incoming. Will let everyone know how it is.



I have one of those as well. You won't be disappointed.


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## jc986 (Dec 18, 2015)

ISP makes good stuff. I have an original Decimator and haven't even thought about trying any other noise reduction pedal. It works so well in my setup I don't see how it could be improved. You should be very happy with the Decimator II.


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## op1e (Dec 18, 2015)

Have you tried any of the toneprint settings to remove that frequency? I've always only used NS-2's. Have one in front of my chain, then the 1101 gate, then G Major's gate in the loop. If I were to gig again just digital, the 1101 gate would be enough.


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 19, 2015)

op1e said:


> Have you tried any of the toneprint settings to remove that frequency? I've always only used NS-2's. Have one in front of my chain, then the 1101 gate, then G Major's gate in the loop. If I were to gig again just digital, the 1101 gate would be enough.



I didn't mess with any of the tone print stuff. When TC support wrote me back and said the pedal was not acting right I just accepted that and sent it back.


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## ArtDecade (Dec 19, 2015)

I use an NS-2 in front of the amp with a dirt box and boost in the pedal's loop. Those two pedals are _just in case pedals_ depending on the situation, because most of the time I just use straight amp gain. I also have an ISP Decimator II in the effects loop of my Mesa. This set up works well for me. Dead quiet.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Dec 19, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Decimator II incoming. Will let everyone know how it is.



Nice! I've a Decimator II and an original in my main rig and they're untouchable as far as noise reduction goes. 

I've also owned an MXR Smart Gate, which was pretty good but very touchy with the controls, a Boss NS-2, and a DBX 266xl. The NS-2 is okay, but not my first choice, especially if I were to only use one gate in my rig. The DBX was actually the next best thing to the Decimators IMO, but once I got my second Decimator pedal it was redundant and just taking up space in my rack.


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## decreebass (Dec 20, 2015)

TheWarAgainstTime said:


> Nice! I've a Decimator II and an original in my main rig and they're untouchable as far as noise reduction goes.
> 
> I've also owned an MXR Smart Gate, which was pretty good but very touchy with the controls, a Boss NS-2, and a DBX 266xl. The NS-2 is okay, but not my first choice, especially if I were to only use one gate in my rig. The DBX was actually the next best thing to the Decimators IMO, but once I got my second Decimator pedal it was redundant and just taking up space in my rack.



Agreed. Like I said, though, I'm on my second one because the first one just up and stopped working. It wasn't even abused. But this one's been going strong for quite some time. Best noise killer pedal on the market if you ask me.


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 22, 2015)

Thanks to everyone's advice. Decimator II is awesome. Kept everything quiet and no accentuating of any white noise. Decay is great and does its job darn well. Thanks everyone. Highly recommend this pedal!


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## eviltoaster (Dec 23, 2015)

I compared my ISP Decimator (1. Gen.) and my new Sentry for days.
I have another point I recognized and that Sentry users may check in that regard: the bypass that is used. By default the pedal is in true-bypass mode, which means the impedance is changed when the pedal is engaged because there will be a buffer in use! This slightly changes the frequency response (especially with ODs/boosters afterwards) and can be heard easily imho. Especially in terms of white noise. When I turned the buffer of the TC on, there is no such change anymore between ON and OFF.
The ISPs are always buffered, there is no true bypass. So you cannot get this effect there. 
But they are anyhow always on, so what. 

For my in-house noise problems I liked the Sentry more, but it was a close call.


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## InFlames235 (Dec 23, 2015)

eviltoaster said:


> I compared my ISP Decimator (1. Gen.) and my new Sentry for days.
> I have another point I recognized and that Sentry users may check in that regard: the bypass that is used. By default the pedal is in true-bypass mode, which means the impedance is changed when the pedal is engaged because there will be a buffer in use! This slightly changes the frequency response (especially with ODs/boosters afterwards) and can be heard easily imho. Especially in terms of white noise. When I turned the buffer of the TC on, there is no such change anymore between ON and OFF.
> The ISPs are always buffered, there is no true bypass. So you cannot get this effect there.
> But they are anyhow always on, so what.
> ...



IMO, having owned both, the ISP Decimator 2 is way better than the Sentry Noise Gate. Can't speak for the first Decimator version but they made some drastic improvements on the 2


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## eviltoaster (Dec 23, 2015)

thraxil said:


> I had the exact same problem... with a $20 Behringer noise gate. I would expect and require better from TC.



funny thing is: the TC group (TC and more) is actually owned by Behringer.


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 23, 2015)

eviltoaster said:


> I compared my ISP Decimator (1. Gen.) and my new Sentry for days.
> I have another point I recognized and that Sentry users may check in that regard: the bypass that is used. By default the pedal is in true-bypass mode, which means the impedance is changed when the pedal is engaged because there will be a buffer in use! This slightly changes the frequency response (especially with ODs/boosters afterwards) and can be heard easily imho. Especially in terms of white noise. When I turned the buffer of the TC on, there is no such change anymore between ON and OFF.
> The ISPs are always buffered, there is no true bypass. So you cannot get this effect there.
> But they are anyhow always on, so what.
> ...



I will say that the Sentry had a very very natural decay to it (really shined in that respect). But overall, the DII was what I needed for my application for sure. Glad your Sentry is working out for you though!


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## eviltoaster (Dec 24, 2015)

I guess bbove a certain level, it's generally a thing of specific application, personal preference and for noises: usage environment.

However, I wonder what is the actual difference between Decimator 1 and 2? I always thought it prunes down to the link functionality? 
Since I never intended to use any loop-gating (never had super noisy equip or the need to go below that "equilibrium-fizzle") I never saw the need for linking or the G-string. I was always super happy with my ISP and only bought the Sentry for its multi-band and tunability features.


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 24, 2015)

Yeah I'm not sure either. I've just got the D2 in front of my amp and it does a perfect job. No need for another one in the loop.


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## ArtDecade (Dec 28, 2015)

TC has not been on an upward path for a while in the QC department.


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## MattThePenguin (Dec 29, 2015)

Glad my Sentry is doing good! I can do 4CM for $100 (dat holiday sale) so I'm happy! It lets my guitar sustain forever with very natural decay. Anything but the NS-2.. I wouldn't even run a gate live with that trash.


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## jc986 (Dec 29, 2015)

ArtDecade said:


> TC has not been on an upward path for a while in the QC department.



Perhaps that has something to do with them being owned by Behringer now. I have a couple of TC pedals and haven't had any issues whatsoever though.


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## NinjaRaf (Dec 29, 2015)

I still love the NS2. After owning a few decimators, a couple of g strings, a decimator 2, rocktron hush, mxr smart gate, pigtronix gatekeeper, a couple others, and the TC Sentry, I still find the NS2 to be the best pedal noise gate around. I get no tone suckage (I never understood this claim because I have never heard it, and Ive owned about 10 NS2s haha), 4CM lets me completely silence my rig, and the cut off always seems more natural to me than most others.

I didnt notice the white noise thing with the Sentry that I had, but I couldn't get past the fact that their marketing implied that it did 4CM, but it doesn't actually do that. So it went back.


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## Zeriton (Dec 30, 2015)

NinjaRaf said:


> I still love the NS2. After owning a few decimators, a couple of g strings, a decimator 2, rocktron hush, mxr smart gate, pigtronix gatekeeper, a couple others, and the TC Sentry, I still find the NS2 to be the best pedal noise gate around. I get no tone suckage (I never understood this claim because I have never heard it, and Ive owned about 10 NS2s haha), 4CM lets me completely silence my rig, and the cut off always seems more natural to me than most others.
> 
> I didnt notice the white noise thing with the Sentry that I had, but I couldn't get past the fact that their marketing implied that it did 4CM, but it doesn't actually do that. So it went back.



The NS-2 was terrible for tone suck for me, but mine was a newer one. Supposedly the solder changed in the newer ones makes a huge different and people say the older NS-2s are better.

The TC Electronic Sentry had the problem described in this thread for me (the white noise) and the decay just never ever felt quite as natural as a Decimator (the first Decimator version mind you as well). 

The MXR Smart Gate I've never understood how to use haha. It was either too hard-gated or not gated enough. I could never find that middle ground through tons of tweaking.


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## devastone (Dec 30, 2015)

Since it even makes noise on a battery, it sounds like background digital noise, which would make sense since the TC pedal is digital. Hard telling what it is, especially since it seems to affect some and not others. Could be the PCB layout with some capacitive coupling between traces somewhere, could be getting picked up in the wiring, could be that the filtering is on the edge and depending on the tolerances of components, some work and others don't.


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## Grindspine (Dec 30, 2015)

thraxil said:


> I had the exact same problem... with a $20 Behringer noise gate. I would expect and require better from TC.



Behringer owns TC now... This unfortunately doesn't surprise me.


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