# Whats the best Noise Gate/Supressor for Feedback only?



## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 23, 2008)

Hey fellas, i'm needing a noise gate/supressor pretty badly, but not to eliminate noise. I really have no noise as i'm just running a boss sd-1 into a mesa rectoverb, but at high volumes, feedback is of course a problem. 

I'v been reading reviews on the boss ns-2, boss ng-1, mxr smart gate, isp decimator pedal, and the rocktron hush pedal. Pretty much all of the reviews say that each of these pedals are respectivly good, but of course there are also a few people in each of the reviews that say that the respective pedal licks balls and then go on to recommend one of the others mentioned. Its quite confusing.

So basically, i dont want a tone sucker, and probably wont be laying it on too thick as its really only ment to stop feedback at high volumes in my case. But most reviews i read, the gate was ment to stop pedal loop and single pup buzz, Which is the best for just high volume feedback. Hizzelp!


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## LordOVchaoS (Mar 23, 2008)

There is no better noise reduction pedal than the Decimator. No contest. The NS-2 works but it will color your tone a bit and the action of it isn't as fast as the Decimator. The Decimator also has a more natural "feel" to it if that makes any sense. It's not such an abrupt on/of type of gate like the NS-2. It will most certainly destroy all feedback for you if you put it between your guitar and amp and you will notice no loss of tone.


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## Ramsay777 (Mar 23, 2008)

Never used one, but the ISP Decimator is supposed to be the bee's knee's


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## zimbloth (Mar 23, 2008)

LordOVchaoS said:


> There is no better noise reduction pedal than the Decimator. No contest. The NS-2 works but it will color your tone a bit and the action of it isn't as fast as the Decimator.



Simply 100% false. The NS-2 is completely, totally, 100% transparent, and its as fast as anything. That just could not be any more false. 

The Decimator is cool, I tested that one out extensively. The NS-2 is every bit as good however. When I bought the NS-2 I tested it for HOURS to make sure the tone wasn't altered and it wasn't effecting sustain, natural feedback, etc. It's 100% perfect. Anyone who says otherwise is grossly misinformed. I've been using it for years with a multitude of amps and in each case it didn't affect the tone or sustain one bit, and it responds instantaneously while doing stop/start off. It's an absolutely perfect unit.

I don't mean to sound harsh but reading stuff like that that I know to be false is just aggravating. Any NS-2 owner out there who uses it properly knows how completely transparent and flawless the unit is. I would not use the unit if it affected the tone or response even 1/1000000th of a percent. 

I've read negative reviews for all of them too. It's just an indication that people don't know what they're doing. In the case of the NS-2, if you run the unit in front of your amp, with the decay knob off, and the threshold as high as you want (in my case I have it all the way up when we play at gig levels), it's flawless. Everyone I've ever met that had it setup this way achieved perfect results.

Anyways to answer the original poster's question: the Boss NS-2 or ISP Decimator are the way to go.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 23, 2008)

see what i mean? i find both joe and nick to be very credible sorces for info,and its even a divided review there too  
I'v actually used a ns-2 very brefily and it seems to be pretty decent, but i didnt really get anytime to test anything out. BUT, that being said, i think i'm going to try the ns-2 first. Reasons being that a.I know it is said to suck a little of your highs out, but i'm not going to be clamping it down too much, so i dont think it will be anything i really worry about, and b.the isp is 120 bucks and you barly find them used, where the ns-2 is 50 bucks or so used. I would pay for the isp no prob, but it seems that peoples opinions on these pedals are as varied as could be, so i guess its a very personal thing, so i'm going to start at the cheapist fix and work up if i have to untill i find somehthing i'm happy with


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## Axel (Mar 23, 2008)

I use a Rocktron Guitar Silencer. I don't think I'll ever part with it. I highly recommend it.


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## Horizon Whore (Mar 23, 2008)

i use an mxr smartgate, its the shiz yo.


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## Edroz (Mar 23, 2008)

zimbloth said:


> Simply 100% false. The NS-2 is completely, totally, 100% transparent, and its as fast as anything. That just could not be any more false.
> 
> The Decimator is cool, I tested that one out extensively. The NS-2 is every bit as good however. When I bought the NS-2 I tested it for HOURS to make sure the tone wasn't altered and it wasn't effecting sustain, natural feedback, etc. It's 100% perfect. Anyone who says otherwise is grossly misinformed. I've been using it for years with a multitude of amps and in each case it didn't affect the tone or sustain one bit, and it responds instantaneously while doing stop/start off. It's an absolutely perfect unit.
> 
> ...





Nick, i think you're the only person i've come across that claims the NS-2 is 100% transparent... as an almost decade long user of the NS-2, and using it exactly the way you describe you use yours, i've had very different results. first off, i think the NS-2 is awesome because i like the tonal coloration it offers on a distorted guitar sound, it does tighten up your sound a little bit almost like a tube screamer, but only WAY more subtle.

it most definitely does kill sustain and natural feedback, that's why i couldn't use it anymore with Season Of Mourning, because there's loads of sustained notes and clean work where sustain is crucial.

for heavy, distorted stacatto riffing, the NS-2 is second to none because it cleans up your sound and cuts out squeals that would occur without it.

i dunno man, if you can't hear this stuff, maybe you have a special one, or maybe NS-2s are inconsistent. but i've found the exact opposite of what you claim, and i know how to use it. 

i really don't care to get into a big debate about it either, just sharing my experiences. i don't even use the NS-2 or have a use for any noise gate anymore with my Brunetti, and i use a tube screamer in front of it too!


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## Heavy Ed (Mar 23, 2008)

I haven't used or know anyone who has the decimator so I can't comment on that. 

I currently use the Hush pedal and think you'll probably want to avoid it. I have to have my 31 band eq set to counter the tonal changes (it'll really suckout your tone set at max) from the hush. The only reason I still use it is I can get good sustain and useable feedback when I want it and dead stop/starts when I need it but this took years of tweaking my amp and eq. I'm the only person I know out of 5 or 6 friends to have any luck/success with this pedal.

The NS-2 I've seen (heard) mixed results. The last band I was in the 2nd guitarist had one and could not get it to work for him. Set it too high it robbed tone, set too low it would feedback constantly. Now the guy I'm jamming with now got a new amp and is using the NS-2 and has no trouble at all. No tonal changes, just got rid of unwanted feedback.

I'm probably just adding more confusion to the mix sorry, but I think your best bet is to pickup the NS-2 and decimator and keep the one that works best for you.


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Mar 26, 2008)

I agree about the NS coloring the tone. It does..plain and simple. You can alter it so it's not so obviously changed, but it does give the tone a different feel. It compresses it just a bit and tightens it up. It's a slight change but you'd notice it because it's dealing with your sound. Others might not hear the difference. I like my NS-2, it tailors my sound with a light touch and that's why I keep it around.


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## LordOVchaoS (Mar 26, 2008)

zimbloth said:


> Simply 100% false. The NS-2 is completely, totally, 100% transparent, and its as fast as anything. That just could not be any more false.
> 
> The Decimator is cool, I tested that one out extensively. The NS-2 is every bit as good however. When I bought the NS-2 I tested it for HOURS to make sure the tone wasn't altered and it wasn't effecting sustain, natural feedback, etc. It's 100% perfect. Anyone who says otherwise is grossly misinformed. I've been using it for years with a multitude of amps and in each case it didn't affect the tone or sustain one bit, and it responds instantaneously while doing stop/start off. It's an absolutely perfect unit.
> 
> ...



Dude, I've had 3 NS-2 pedals in my life so I do have some experience with them. I even sold off a Decimator to get one, didn't like what it did to my tone, didn't like the response, sold it, and got another Decimator which doesn't color my tone, doesn't kill sustain, and reacts faster. I can see somebody liking the tone coloration but to say that it doesn't color your tone is simply 100% false. I don't speak from misinformation I speak from experience.


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## Regor (Mar 26, 2008)

7 Strings of Hate:

I've owned just about every noise gate there is. I can go into details as to why I prefer what I prefer, but here's a quick synopsis.

I've never liked the 'tweakability' of the NS-2.
The Hush Super C is fucking worthless.
The ISP Decimator used to not be good for high-gain, but they've recently added a mod that will fix that perfectly (Wish I didn't sell mine now )
The Rocktron Guitar Silencer is the most tweakable noise gate I've ever found.
The MXR Smart Gate is great as a front end gate for feedback.


I use a Guitar Silencer after my preamp as a noise gate, and the MXR Smart Gate pedal between my wireless and my preamp for feedback reduction. Works perfectly and like a charm. Couldn't get the NS-2 to work for me. I'd highly recommend the MXR. Even if you're not using super ultra high gain like I do, its very nice and easy to use. 3 settings on a switch, just pick which works best for you, and dial to taste. Sustains very very well and trails off naturally. Considering you just want one for feedback control, and not for noise gating... try the MXR.

As for tone sucking... I'm not the best to give advice on that issue, as I run so much gain, tone isn't a problem


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## Austin (Mar 27, 2008)

the MXR smart gate works great for me (just vs. feedback, in front of 5150). When not in use it seems transparent, probably because of the hard wire bypass, but when engaged I do notice that it takes off a teeny bit of high end-- not enough for most people to notice, but I figured I'd mention it.


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## 7 Dying Trees (Mar 27, 2008)

Regor said:


> I've never liked the 'tweakability' of the NS-2.
> The Hush Super C is fucking worthless.


I agree. The hush super C was a pile of crap, I hated it, it didn't work without serious tone issues and was just a waste of money. Shit shit shit shit. Appalling piece of gear. It's like they really didn't care, as the hush pedals they made were awesome (the old ones), and I bought it because I liked the pedal version. Since then I've also owned the midi controllable hush-pro (which I still have) but accidentally blew one side of the stereo pairing. it still works though, just one side produces techno beats...

The NS-2, well, it's OK, I had one for touring, but eventually just ended up using the gate on the g-major + quick volume off on riffs. I can't bash it, as it's a cheap very good solution for the money, and miles ahead of the other stuff in it's price range. If I was on a budget, that's what I'd get.

However, if the decimator pedal is anywhere near as good as the rack, well, then it's a clear winner. Fire and forget setings, it allows for sustain, allows you to get feedback when you want it with a dip in guitar signal and allows natural decay of chords. 

The decimator (no experience with the pedal, but own the rack) is superb. Without doubt the easiest to dial in and best noise gate I've used. Mine's an older one, and I haven't done the resistor mod to it yet, but it still works perfectly fine and I'd never get a seperate noise gate that wasn't a decimator again.


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## FoxZero (Mar 27, 2008)

What's this resistor mod you speak of about the Decimator? How does it effect high gain? I don't run my gain ridiculously high or even that much to begin with, but I wouldn't want any interference. I'm highly considering this pedal, but I wanna be aware of any problems I might have with it.

I'm considering putting my BBE MaxCom in my FX loop as a noise gate, I take it that won't fix feed back?  my amp actually seems perfect, noise and feedback aren't an issue... until I turn my screamer on


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## Regor (Mar 27, 2008)

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...p-decimator-prorackg-mod-high-gain-users.html

There's a wee bit of reading in there... but TRUST ME its worth it if you're planning on getting a Decimator.


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## zimbloth (Mar 27, 2008)

Edroz said:


> Nick, i think you're the only person I've come across that claims the NS-2 is 100% transparent... as an almost decade long user of the NS-2, and using it exactly the way you describe you use yours, I've had very different results. first off, i think the NS-2 is awesome because i like the tonal coloration it offers on a distorted guitar sound, it does tighten up your sound a little bit almost like a tube screamer, but only WAY more subtle.
> 
> it most definitely does kill sustain and natural feedback, that's why i couldn't use it anymore with Season Of Mourning, because there's loads of sustained notes and clean work where sustain is crucial.
> 
> ...



That's fair enough Ed. I don't know what to tell you man. All I can say is if you were able to come down and jam with me, you'd see that through my rig, the NS-2 doesn't color the tone one bit, nor does it affect sustain/feedback one iota. If I cared enough I'd make a video on the sustain/feedback front and prove it. My notes sustain seemingly forever, and decay in a very natural musical way. Tone-wise, obviously I could only prove by an in-person demonstration.

All I can say is I A/B'd it for hours and hours trying to hear even the slightest difference in tone/response, and it simply did not exist. I'm a complete tone freak, if I discovered even the slightest hint of coloration or loss of sustain/natural feedback, I wouldn't use it. I can certainly afford an ISP if it did.

When my main rig was a Mesa Triaxis/2:90, and then the ENGL Fireball, the NS-2 worked flawlessly with them too. My bandmate's Mesa didn't seem to like it as much however (doesn't hurt tone, but it's hard to find a threshold setting that was perfect for some reason).

Perhaps I do have a magical NS-2 and you guys got duds, I don't know, but I speak the truth


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## Andrew (Mar 27, 2008)

Horizon Whore said:


> i use an mxr smartgate, its the shiz yo.


so true.
the pedal is underrated!
my friend has a decimator.. and he was shocked by this pedal.
it's awesome.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 27, 2008)

question guys, would it be better to put these pedals in the loop or infront for the feedback issue? and remember, i have a parallel loop on my mesa that i have a knob to blend the loop with the original sound(still figuring it out)


Oh, and everyone, i really appreicate the help and suggestions you all are giving


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## zimbloth (Mar 27, 2008)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> question guys, would it be better to put these pedals in the loop or infront for the feedback issue? and remember, i have a parallel loop on my mesa that i have a knob to blend the loop with the original sound(still figuring it out)



In front. A gate in the loop helps more with some pre-amp hum/hiss more so than feedback. Personally my NS-2 in front of the amp kills all the noise, but some amps are really noisy like the Triaxis, in which case I used the gate on my G-Major to kill that part of it along with the pedal in front.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 27, 2008)

thats what i figured. I dont like the loop on my head anyway, i hate having to blend the loop to the existing sound, i guess its actually better because of the control, but i dont really know. I'v come off using line 6 shit only 6 months ago or so, i'v never really had to worry about the loop. I just went pod to a mesa 2:100


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## Regor (Mar 27, 2008)

Like Zim said.

Guitar->Noise gate->Amp = fixes feedback

Guitar->Amp->Noise gate in FX loop = fixes hum/hiss/etc.

That's exactly why I have the MXR and the Guitar Silencer. Nothing is as tweakable as the Guitar Silencer (The Decimator is 1 knob really. Not able to tweak it very much, but then again so is the MXR pedal). The MXR is really really good at tracking the sound and gating when necessary and sustaining when needed. Very natural roll off too. Not a digital clip at all.


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## NegaTiveXero (Mar 27, 2008)

Well, I've got a Rocktron Pro Rax Hush IIX that needs a 15V power supply that I'll probably never use.

You can have it for $15.


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## FoxZero (Mar 27, 2008)

Regor said:


> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...p-decimator-prorackg-mod-high-gain-users.html
> 
> There's a wee bit of reading in there... but TRUST ME its worth it if you're planning on getting a Decimator.



Thank you sir! I'll look into this MXR pedal too. About how much do they go for used?


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