Noise Gate with your Boogies?

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

I just ordered some custom road cases for my rig before we go on tour...pics to come soon. It'll be sexy

I wanted to ask who here bothers with a noise gate on their amp?

My Roadster, even after boosting, is pretty damn quiet. But, since we're going on tour, I'm debating whether it would be a good idea to add a noise gate to the rig. I don't know the stages, power situations, etc. that we will be dealing with, and I'm thinking of it as more of an insurance than anything.

So, would you take a noise gate to run outfront with you? In your opinion, will it benefit my situation, or is it a waste? I don't want it to hurt my tone drastically if it won't do me much good.

I was thinking to grab a Boss NS-2...seems to be a favorite with Boogies. Never been too crazy about the ISP decimator...

Appreciate the input!

Eric

 

[R_ADKINS80]

Hey guys!

I just ordered some custom road cases for my rig before we go on tour...pics to come soon. It'll be sexy

I wanted to ask who here bothers with a noise gate on their amp?

My Roadster, even after boosting, is pretty damn quiet. But, since we're going on tour, I'm debating whether it would be a good idea to add a noise gate to the rig. I don't know the stages, power situations, etc. that we will be dealing with, and I'm thinking of it as more of an insurance than anything.

So, would you take a noise gate to run outfront with you? In your opinion, will it benefit my situation, or is it a waste? I don't want it to hurt my tone drastically if it won't do me much good.

I was thinking to grab a Boss NS-2...seems to be a favorite with Boogies. Never been too crazy about the ISP decimator...

Appreciate the input!

Eric

I run the NS2 in front of the amp and put my overdrive in the loop of the NS2. I also have a rackmount Hush IICX that I use in the loop once in a while when I want that really staccato machine type riffage,

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Thanks for the input sir.

I'd love for anyone else to chime in!

Eric

 

[Silverwulf]

I swear by my NS-2. I run it last in my chain in front of the amp and I have no noise at all. I've been able to stand in front of my amp cranked in a small practice room with crappy outlets all the way to venues with 10,000+ watt PA's alongside major label bands and it's always been so quiet you wouldn't know my rig was turned on unless I was playing.

The ISP is nice...if you like overpaying for a noise suppressor. There's a reason why you see an NS-2 in the rig of just about every other major label artist... :wink: Best $50 (used) I ever spent on my rig. If I could only have one pedal at a gig, that would be what I would take.

 

[Daxman73]

Good question and topic...I actually have a Boss NS-2, but rarely do I ever use it with either of my amps (Roadster 2x12 combo and Mark V half stack)...In fact, I'll be taking it out of my signal chain shortly...I can tell you this much, it definitely changes/colors your tone...With the ISP, there is none of that...I couldn't believe how much better the tone was without it in my signal chain...On the other hand, do you use a power conditioner or better yet, a voltage regulator?...Both of these would eliminate most any unwanted noise derived from where you get power...The voltage regulator is pricey, but it's an incredible investment...Don't get me wrong, the NS-2 is a great buy and works well, which is why I have one...But the ISP is better and it is true bypass, so if you're some where that you don't need it, turn it off and keep your tone true...with all that said though, go for a voltage regulator...That's my two cents.

 

[fluff191]

I didnt care for the NS-2. It sucked out some of the high end IMO.

I swear by my ISP Decimator.

You would never even knows its on cause its totally transparent in the signal path.

Either way its never a good idea to gig without some kind of a gate. Just more professional sounding.

 

[steve_k]

MXR Smart Gate. Besides the adjustable gate, it has a frequency control for hiss, mids, and highs. I don't use it so much for white noise, but for feedback control at higher volumes and so I can get some really good chops for the chugga-chugga and palm muting. I use this when noodling around at the house or when I don't feel like messing with the rack.

For the rack though, I have ordered a dBX 266XL. Dual channel combination compressor/gate/limiter. Or, I may stay with the MXR Custom Shop stuff. They make a dual channel rack mount gate.

Steve

 

[jaquetapus]

I use the gate in my G-Major and it works quite well. Don't hear it unless you're looking for it and you know what you're looking for. I only use it on the highest gain patches though, never had a problem with the low gain/clean stuff.

-dave

 

[Geiri]

I never tried the ns 2. But I used to have a g system that had a nice noicegate. These days I use the very cheap hush the pedal and it works. Used it with a recto, stiletto and now a mk4 and it always delivers. I've been skeptical about boss in the past but since I got myself the dd 20 giga delay I stand corrected, I would not hesitate to try the ns 2 if I didn't have the hush.

 

[theroan]

I have an ISP Decimator. It's better than the MXR and Boss.

Truly an awesome pedal.

 

[JSutter]

Ive had both the NS2 and ISP. Both do there own thing great. I prefer the NS2 since it has a loop where my od goes. It really just depends on your taste and rig.

 

[pjrake]

I've used an NS2 for years with my old 5150, then with my Dual Rect. About a year ago I switched to the ISP (pedal). Great improvement. Then recently I reprogrammed my MIDI board to have one channel with the gate on and one without it. So far I've been using the channel without it. In the studio it's noticeable (the hum, but still no feedback), but on stage you can't tell... so to me, the less pedals my signal has to travel through, the better

-PJ

 

[Triple Cheeseburger]

The NS-2 is cool, with the whole loop thing with it. i think ISP have a decimator with the same similar thing? any how i use the decimator as it doesnt colour my tone at all and its so so so so sooo simple