Si600 Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 (edited) Morning all, I need a little help with my noise gate. I've got a TC Nova Dynamics, which I'm using the first half as a compressor and the second as a noise gate. The signal chain is BASS - GE7-B - COMP - ODB-3 - NG - AMP Either I have misunderstood what a noise gate actually does (most likely) or I'm going it wrong but... With the ODB-3 on there is quite a lot of hiss, a bit like wind through a gap if that makes sense. I can dial it out using the threshold control so that whilst doing nothing it's not there. All hunky dory, then once I start playing as the note decays the noise comes back for a bit. It's OK with a run of notes just at the fade/decay part of the sustain you notice it. Any ideas? I realise it's little difficult troubleshooting a sound issue on the internet but thought I'd ask Another thing I noticed with the ODB-3 on is that held notes just disappear into a fuzzy mush, but that's a user fault Edited June 29, 2012 by Si600 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 A noise gate silences the pauses - It will not reduce 'noise' while other things are going on as there is no way for it to identify what you consider to be noise. The point of the gate is to get rid of the hiss and squeals etc etc in the parts when you are not playing anything to keep the silence silent. The Nova Dynamics (which i use) is the best live Noise Gate in a pedal format IMO. The instructions don't really help explain amazingly well, so sorry if this is exactly what you know but it makes sense to explain for completions sake... The Threshold dictates how soon the gate reacts so the lower the knob is set, the less volume is required before the pedal thinks it's time to gate. The Level dictates how much volume is dipped out once the threshold is reached. The Attack and Release knobs allow you to control and the length of the fade in and out to the amount set on the level knob. This means that when the last note you played dies off to the threshold level you can make the gate instantly choke the 'noise' to silence, or produce a natural fade out (and then back in) when you start playing again. Importantly here the term 'noise' means your entire signal!! One tip is to ensure the gate is BEFORE the compressor as your compressor is effectively making the hiss and low level noise louder as your notes sustain - thats the compressors job! If you gate well and then apply compression to the remaining signal you will hear far less noise. Another very important thing to point out is that the ODB-3 is supposed to sound like that! It is a gain-based pedal and it's job is to amplify and enhance the gain in your signal chain - that means his in the silence! If you don't have noise when that pedal is off and your noise gate usage is purely to silence this unit then I would suggest you want to go and get yourself a gated-fuzz pedal (ZVEX Mastotron etc) and set the gain low to get an OD tone and let the pedal do all the gating for you!!! The only way to remove the hiss and noise completely and all the time is to identify what frequency the noise is at and then use an advanced EQ to remove the guilty frequencies from your signal - Fine in a studio but far too much work when live! Hope some of that helps and I'm not just teaching you to suck eggs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mancunianfox Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 A noise gate doesn't get rid of the noise. What it does is create a gate that cuts off any signal which is below the threshold. This is why you can't hear the noise when you are not playing. Once you play a note the signal rises above the threshold which opens the gate and you can hear the noise again because this is still a part of the signal. Some pedals will always add some levels of hiss because they add gain to the signal chain. However this can be controlled and reduced somewhat with proper shielding, isolated power supply, good cables etc. Single coil pickups also tend to be more prone to this than humbuckers. It sounds like the ODB is just amplifying the hiss that is already in your signal to an unwanted level so that is probably the best way to start. A gate is more useful as a rhythmic tool rather than something to improve tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I agree with a lot of the above, any kind of gain pedal will amplify and highlight any noise already present. I don't know a great deal about gates, but I know that some (like the Boss NS-2 [url="http://bossarea.com/loadpage.asp?file=boxes/ns2.xml"]http://bossarea.com/loadpage.asp?file=boxes/ns2.xml[/url] ) also has a 'noise reduction' circuit. It attempts to cut out hiss/noise whilst allowing the guitar signal through....but how well that works with hi-gain pedals I don't know, not used one Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 [quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1340961791' post='1711997'] I agree with a lot of the above, any kind of gain pedal will amplify and highlight any noise already present. I don't know a great deal about gates, but I know that some (like the Boss NS-2 [url="http://bossarea.com/loadpage.asp?file=boxes/ns2.xml"]http://bossarea.com/...e=boxes/ns2.xml[/url] ) also has a 'noise reduction' circuit. It attempts to cut out hiss/noise whilst allowing the guitar signal through....but how well that works with hi-gain pedals I don't know, not used one Si [/quote] It does very little - My understanding (and from my use of an NS-2) it seems to be pre-programmed to identify common problem frequencies such as 50-60Hz hum and certain high level whistles caused by too many transformers being near each other. The reason I stopped using the NS-2 was due to a small suck of bass 'punch' which I 'assume' is part of it's treatment to the 50-60Hz area... it may not be that, but something was certainly lacking with that pedal! Hiss etc remained untouched and is just a byproduct of high gain effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Thanks for all the info, it's clearly me not actually understanding what I'm trying to achieve rather than a problem with anything I've got. Especial thanks for clarifying the TC instructions, and you think the signal chain should look something like: BASS - GE7B - ODB-3 - COMP - NG - AMP? It's worth a try, I know very little about effects beyond what it says on the box! [quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1340957751' post='1711912'] Hope some of that helps and I'm not just teaching you to suck eggs... [/quote] I can't imagine that anyone on here can teach me to suck eggs, especially once you get beyond a 25w practice amp and a GE7-B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Ah - I have only just realised!!! You are using the noise gate BEFORE the noisy pedal!!! Ha. Yes.... put it after otherwise it will do NOTHING! I assume you were using the ins and outs of the separate inputs on the back to isolate the pedal? Wish I'd noticed that 1st! lol. Id suggest just putting the nova dynamics inline so only one input and one output is in use and use engine A as a NG and engine B as a compressor. So... BASS - GE7B - ODB-3 - Nova Dynamics (Noise Gate THEN Comp) - AMP I'd suggest starting with the attack at 9o'clock and the decay on minimum/zero... this means the gate will fade in fairly quick once the threshold is met and then it will open instantly when you start playing (so as not to cut off the attack of your 1st note). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 [quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1340964519' post='1712052'] Ah - I have only just realised!!! You are using the noise gate BEFORE the noisy pedal!!! Ha. Yes.... put it after otherwise it will do NOTHING! I assume you were using the ins and outs of the separate inputs on the back to isolate the pedal? Wish I'd noticed that 1st! lol. Id suggest just putting the nova dynamics inline so only one input and one output is in use and use engine A as a NG and engine B as a compressor. [/quote] I am using it after the ODB-3, it goes through the EQ - COMP - ODB-3 - NG. The port allocations are: EQ to Input A, Output A to ODB-3, ODB-3 to Input B then Output B to the amp. I'll try using it inline with the engines the other way around as you suggest though and see what happens. Thanks again for sparing the time to assit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 [quote name='Si600' timestamp='1340966180' post='1712091'] I am using it after the ODB-3, it goes through the EQ - COMP - ODB-3 - NG. The port allocations are: EQ to Input A, Output A to ODB-3, ODB-3 to Input B then Output B to the amp. I'll try using it inline with the engines the other way around as you suggest though and see what happens. Thanks again for sparing the time to assit [/quote] Hmmm... I recall trying this and finding odd results... I understand the 2 sets of inputs outputs were intended to allow you have one engine in line with your pedals and another connected to the effects loop of your amp so you can apply one engine (assumably the Noise Gate) after your amp EQ section. I'm unsure how it responds in the way you are using it. Give the inline a try (engine A effects the signal and then runs into section and let us know how/if it differs form the way you are using it? Shep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Shep, You've cracked it! Swapped everything around so the comp follows the NG and they both follow the pedals and no funny whistle. Thanks very much for your help and sharing your expertise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Great news!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.