What I love about working with Boss is they know what my videos are about and will come to me with a video idea which is exactly something I'd make. This time they went "We have a new noise gate and we'd love to see 'Too Afraid To Ask: How Do Noise Gates Work' and you explain all of it. That will be an evergreen resource for guitarists that's always relevant", they fund a useful video I've been wanting to make since forever and they get their pedals prominently featured. Everybody wins! Boss don't want a bunch of identical pedal adverts, they want unique and helpful content that musicians can benefit from.
I simply can't say enough good things about Colin. His videos are always incredibly informative, and his humour, delivery, playing, and production are always on point. Of course, this video is no exception!
Aww man, thank you sooo much for this. Between the spoken explanation and the accompanying animated graphics, you've done a fantastic job of explaining how these things work!
The Boss NS-2 is such a powerhouse I use it on all 3 of my pedalboards to its fullest capability, and hearing your explanation of Boss’s MDP just blew my mind and now I need to upgrade them all. Along with my compressors to the CP-1X. I’m going to be broke now.
I love this series. Been playing since the beginning of time, and there's still tons of stuff like this that I've just taken for granted, without really understanding.
Can I just say: This video is an absolute lifesaver. I've only been playing guitar for a year, and have just now been trying to educate myself on effects, and how they work. Very overwhelming stuff, especially when my only electric is currently a single-coil, which needs a noise gate. Within 15 minutes, I went from understanding nothing about noise gates to understanding practically EVERYTHING about noise gates. Your instruction is so precise, easy-to-understand, and you really do wonders for the visual learners out there. DON'T STOP making videos just like these! You're doing the Lord's work!!
Wow this was amazing dude. I felt like I just took a university class Noise Gates 101. Seriously well put together. I would like to see a series of these for all types of pedals. Then maybe a 202 class for those that need it. Thanks Professor 😉
I was looking forward to this, it was really helpful the way you explained how it function as well as the graphic visuals. I’ll def consider looking into getting one in the future. Thanks Colin for your time, care, and consideration into this one.
I just can't live without a noise gate - and I know I'm like this because I'm a smelly little death metal gremlin and have about 5 of the buggers, but I use gates most on Strats and P90s to try and chill out some of that mains frequency hum. Was very happy with how the Reduction mode on the NS-1X handled single coils.
@@ScienceofLoudhehe I relate as I’m a effects pedal gremlin that likes to chase textures the same way, I was most impressed by the spilt of the seeds and returns at two different points of the chain so I can see what you mean by having them everywhere in your setup!
Decided to redo my entire pedalboard (don't worry, it's not very big) thanks to this video and I'm very happy with the new signal chain, using the Send and Return feature of the NS-2. Thanks Colin!
Colin, I have a TATA for you: Why would you use a boost/low gain pedal to boost your amp into high gain when your amp is capable of high gain and tone shaping already? Can you explain how a Tube Screamer or similar pedal is different than just adding gain, cutting the lows, and boosting the mids?
I've never really felt much need in the past for a noise gate, but the NS-1X is so good, that I'm seriously considering getting it. I'm a big fan of the Boss X series pedals. My main bass pedalboard uses the BB-1X Bass Driver and BC-1X Bass Comp. Now, if they would release an FB-1X Feedbacker/Booster, that would be great.
Knocked it out of the park again Colin. That is literally the first time I have ever understood what send and return are, and I've tried countless times. Thank you for explaining it in such a simple, practical, and visual way. Now I get it.
What a clear and really helpful explanation. I sort of knew how noise gates work, but avoided them because the cutoffs always seemed too abrupt and unnatural at the end of a sustained note. The digital algorithm really looks like a game changer here.
This is by far the most interesting TATA up to now. It would be amazing if you could compare different gate pedals and explain why some are better than others.
Great video, Colin! Finally someone using the Send and Return properly! So many NS-1X videos have completely missed the point. I kinda wish my MXR Smart Gate had that feature, but I mostly use it to tame my fuzz pedals when recording, so I don't need it to be too subtle!
Perfectly explained, the light bulb went off when you talked about your signal and noise being the same and not separate. I was that carrot.. I’ll admit it . Great video with some easy to understand explanations.
This makes me wonder why I ever even pined so much for the C***blocker pedal. This seems like it fits my use case perfectly and you even demonstrated that with the high gain too. Adding this to my wish list.
Thanks so much for this video, I was always avoiding picking up a noise gate for fear of it cutting the signal off too hard or early and sounding artificial. I just picked up the NS1X.
the best explanation of how noise gates work! Do you have tips for a 4 cable method using the amps effects loop (running delay reverb through loop also)?
Great video, Colin. You're explanations are always very helpful and enlightening, but I'm still a bit confused about something. The diagram at 9:54 shows compression/dirt in the Return/Send loop of the pedal and the Output going to delay/reverb then to the amp. However, I'm having trouble seeing how this matches up with your diagram at 8:08 showing the signal going through suppressor Input, then to dirt, then amp, while the Output (second "half" of the suppressor) of the pedal going to delay/etc. in the amp's effects loop. I'm fully aware your diagrams are for illustrating what you're talking about at that moment in the video, but if you could shed some light on this, my tiny pea brain would appreciate it! Cheers!
Guitar -> NS Input NS Send -> Comp, Dist, Amp in Amp Send -> NS Return NS Out -> Delay, Reverb, Amp Return Essentially, the compressor, distortion, and Preamp are all in the Gate loop, and the final output of the gate goes through the delays and reverbs into the Amp return. It makes more sense if you think of your amp as having "Preamp in, Preamp out, Power amp In" instead of "Input, Send, Return"
There are a lot of other RU-vidrs that should watch this. It's so sad watching someone talk, at length, about something they don't understand. You're the man! But I'm still undecided between this Boss pedal and the TC Electronics Sentry. Will have to endure some more videos I guess...
Very helpful explanation. I've been looking everywhere for information on this particular pedal for a very specific use in my signal chain. So far, you have been the only person I've came across to break it down for said specific use.
Years ago, I spent A LOT time time on my pedal board. I had my Boss NS-2 looped perfectly to stop distortion noise and let delay and reverb sounds through flawlessly..... And while I was typing this a car crash into a ditch my yard so I can't remember what else I was going to say.
Boss released their 'NF-1 Noise Gate' in 1979, this was in production for almost a decade until they brought out their new version with more features, which needed a different name, and they called it 'NS-2 Noise Suppressor' The 'Suppressor' name only exists to differentiate their 'new' 1987 pedal from the older model they were replacing. It would be like thinking a 'Super Overdrive' is something different from an 'Overdrive', or a 'Phase Shifter' is different from a 'Phaser'. Boss simply changed the names for the newer pedals. It really is that simple, but it's surprising how caught up people can get on a name.
Great job on the video and explanation. Do you have any videos that explain how to wire both the in and out and send and returns of the NS-X1 through a switcher like an ES -8?
I use the hex stomp gate which works out because all drives and amp emulation are before the stomp but delays and verb are after the input gate in the stomp
@@AeolianSeventh Appriciated, but I'm talking about when you have an FX loop on your amp etc. and put the "send" go to the amp input and the "output" to the amps FX loop return.
@@RohmanDarkwaltz It's the same principle, keeping in mind that the preamp (everything before the FX send, usually*) is a gain device just like a compressor or distortion pedal. The diagram at 8:06 is showing the four-cable method: -guitar to noise gate input, so the signal is sensed before any gain is applied; -noise gate send to pedals, which will add noise; -pedals to amp, which will add noise; -FX send, where hopefully all the noise has already been added, to noise gate return, where it will be gated; -noise gate output to delay, reverb, etc.; -delay, reverb, etc. to FX return, where the signal becomes loud. *I say usually because for some reason Soldanos have the FX loop right in the middle of the preamp, after most of the distortion but before the EQ. It's weird, and it's never worked well with any noise gate I've tried.
Gates are an extreme type of expander, which is very similar in operation to a compressor (with a limiter being the extreme). They just working in the opposite way. One decreases volume when the volume is low, the other decreases volume when it's high. Most features that can be applied to a compressor can be applied to expanders as well.
@@pimcramer2569 the side chain is the signal used to trigger the compression. It will usually be either the input signal to the compressor (feed forward), or the output signal from the compressor (feed back). The signal can be modified in any way, just like a normal audio signal. It can have it's volume changed to increase/decrease the compression threshold, or it can be filtered so only certain frequencies will trigger compression, or it can be a totally different signal (like a kick drum causing the bass to drop in volume).
This pedal is fantastic! I could barely even play, Silent Night when I bought this.. immediately after getting the pedal, I was ripping off EVH solos out of no where!!! My wife even said I am more attractive now (I noticed my posture is better and I am actually an inch or two taller since getting it.
One comment on the threshold, some (digital) noise gates have 2 thresholds, one for opening and one for closing. Which I found very handy, as it helps with tails and long vibratos
The iZotope gate I use on the post side has the open and close thresholds, which is super useful. It's great when it can be visualised in that way, but it would probably be difficult to implement properly on a compact stompbox.
I can say that upgrading from NS-2 to Sentry was the best thing, it works better (kicks in and keeps sustain much better). Despite NS-2 being a cheap alternative and a classic, more modern stuff is worth overpaying slightly. Just wanted to share with you, on case you use the old Boss gate. :)
Amazing content as always mate!!! very clear and informative! i too have a Boss NS2 =) i love it and i use it with a send/return as well. i'm not really heavy on the gain, but it really helps make my stage sound clean. cheers.
I realize that noise-control products are no less susceptible to confusing naming than anything else in the musical world, but there IS a difference between a noise *suppressor* and a noise *gate* . "Gating" reduces the *entire* signal across the whole spectrum. Some gates allow one to adjust just much they reduce the signal, from a slight quieting to complete shutting it off. "Suppression", on the other hand, generally addresses high-frequency noise. Many noise-control devices back in the days of vinyl, were intended to attenuate surface noise in particular, such that they would detect and filter out such noise during quiet passages. Both of these are distinct from what is called "downward expansion". Expansion is the polar opposite of compression and especially peak limiting. Where compressors and limiters can reduce dynamic range of higher levels, such that the signal acquires a kind of fixed level, downward expansion *exaggerates* differences in level for quieter parts of the signal, such that what is softer gets MUCH quieter, and leaves louder parts unaffected. I have a compressor that uses this and it is dead quiet. I have long held the view that there are two aspects of "noise hygiene" to attend to. Guitars themselves tend not to produce much broadband hiss at all. Generally, their contribution will be EMI "hum" from all those nearby sources that pickups and poorly-shielded wiring can be susceptible to. This can certainly be amplified by later stages in the signal chain, and can sometimes be added to by poor grounding or shielding in pedals, but is typically a guitar-sourced form of noise. The other source of noise is hiss and some forms of high-frequency clock noise coming from the pedals themselves, especially, but not restricted to, higher gain pedals. Modulation pedals can produce annoying "ticks" at the modulation rate, but if they are properly designed can avoid that. Same thing with delay-based effects (echo, flanger, chorus) that have a risk for clock noise leaking through but should be designed to avoid that. (Side note: The Boss CE-1 and A/DA Flanger both had noise gates built in to cut out the delay signal when you stopped playing) In an ideal world one needs an automatic bass-suppressor immediately after the guitar, before the first pedal, so that no hum enters the rest of the signal path, and a hiss suppressor further along, to prevent any hiss buildup from gain stages. The chief difficulty with any form of noise control is that such devices make decisions to act or not act, based on signal level. Some may make a more informed decision than others, but generally they simply respond to overall signal level. And when there is enough noise (i.e., the "noise floor" is high), that decision point - the threshold - has to be set in a manner that affects the onset and decay of your signal. Alternatively, if one sets the threshold modestly, you don't get rid of nearly as much noise as you'd like to. This is why so many contemporary noise-control pedals include a send-return loop, such that the difference between wanted and unwanted sounds can be *detected* at the point where it is easiest to differentiate, but *applied* where it will have the most productive impact. ( *Nicely explained, Colin!* ) . The introduction of DSP-based noise detection and suppression has hiked noise control effectiveness up several notches, again because it employs more sophisticated "decision-making". I suppose one *could* do all of that in the analog domain, but the pedal would likely need to be rather large. But much of this is why I have adopted the view that a dual gate/suppressor approach is the ideal. The guitar goes into the noise-control pedal which eliminates hum, and senses the overall signal level, and applies a high-frequency noise *filter* to the "return" signal. That is, you get'em coming in AND going out. In theory, this ought to result in much gentler application and less intrusive action in controlling unwanted noise. (Sidenote #2: Because compressors are generally designed to treat hiss, when you don't play, as soft signal desperately in need of boosting, compressors can often be depicted as excessively noisy. They aren't...as long as you make sure to feed them a clean and quiet signal. Stick a compressor after a gain pedal, and it will boost the hiss. Not good.)
My big question is pedal placement when using a germanium fuzz. Typically, nothing is supposed to come between the guitar and the fuzz so that you can get that nice clean-up. If you put the sensing input in front, and the fuzz in the loop, don't you lose that clean-up ability (and introduce whatever weird behavior comes with having a buffer before the fuzz)?
I‘m pretty sure we‘ll see a lot of evolution in noise suppression in the coming years. Noise vs. signal is something you can train neural networks pretty well on, and they, in turn, _can_ then actually filter the noise out, not just gate the complete signal. There‘s already some incredible advancements in image denoising coming in lately. And running a pre-trained NN is actually not that computation heavy-smartphones run tons of them for all kinds of stuff already. You don‘t need crazy fast processors or a lot of power for that.
I have another noise gate pedal that has a loop send/return as well. Can you offer some guidance on how to cable this with OD/distortion pedals outside of the amps's FX loop but using the send/return to quiet down the amp's internal noise?
@@ScienceofLoudPerfect. This was something i was a little unsure of as well, particularly whether the NG would be first or last in the effects loops send/return. But I guess it makes sense now that the NG output is before your delays/loops/etc as not to cut them off. the only problem with this is that if seems to add another set of cables from the pedal board back to the amp in my setup :(
Great video man! Informative, entertaining, and your logic seems spot-on! I was personally put my noise gate in my compressor at the end of the chain! If it wasn't such a pain in the ass to move pedals around on a pedalboard I'd try that! Are you absolutely positive about putting your compressor in front of your chain also? That just don't seem right. My signal chain is guitar, tuner, EQ, overdrive, distortions, compressor, noise gate, amp input. All Ambient effects I run to the effects loop. Do you have a separate video on compressors and how they work? I would so love to see that! Anyway awesome awesome video I really enjoyed it best one I've seen ever!
You've certainly got a unique approach to the order of your effects... Yeah, let's move your compressor and gate earlier in the chain and watch how everything works much better for you. Do you have a reason why you want to further compress your distorted signal?
hen i was first starting playing guitar, I was like 14, 15 and I wanted the cleanest "distorted" lead I could find now I'm 32 and the little "nggggggggggg" going through the amp is the best
I did 4 cable gating for a while. It works, but not for me. It's too much setup for minimal payoff as i only use my gate as feedback reduction. My NS-2 is too slow, so these days i just ride the volume or turn down the gain a little. I still keep it on to reduce feedback on the choppier riffs, but i can get by without if need be.
Hello @ScienceofLoud This is a great video on both how to use and how to set up! I had a question through... I just bought the NS-2 yesterday. I have is all plugged in correctly and it seems to be working great. The thing I noticed though is there is zero noise when I am not playing the guitar. However when I start to play the guitar I can still hear the noise over the guitar distortion. Is this normal? I have it hooked up correctly using the send/return into my distortion pedals.
Yes, this is normal. As I explained in the video: A noise gate doesn't remove noise from your signal, it simply shuts off the whole signal when it drops below a threshold amplitude. If your signal has a lot of noise, you're going to still hear it when the gate is open. If the noise is louder than your signal then a Noise Gate won't fix that - you have other problems which are creating noise that should be addressed separately.
Hi Im wanting to use one with a loop , but send the 'input/ send' on AMP A's input but put the send from another AMP B into the return and then output through the pedal back into AMP B's return. Im using a stereo setup and the Zombie 2 is really noisy , whilst AMP A only has an OD1 in front of it. I understand that the pedal is like an X path and think that the signals wouldnt mix. Theoretically using it on 2 amps ( one in front using the naked guitar's noise floor) and the other in AMP B's noisy FX loop. Good eh???
I use a Powerstage 170. How do I wire this for an amp without an Effects loop if I want to place it before and after my dirt/drive pedals? With delay and reverb after. Thanks
