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denied « The very best noise gate in pedal form »
Published on 04/28/11 at 17:16- Control for threshold
- Solid reliable construction
- High quality buffered bypass
- Powered by battery of Boss style 9v (-) adapter
UTILIZATION
Possibly the easiest pedal to set up and use. One knob which controls the gate threshold. Start it at zero, move it up until your noise is gone, and you are set. Its really that simple. Other gates will have multiple knobs, but threshold is really all you need.
If you are having trouble with feedback, place it in front of the amp. If you are getting amp hum even with guitar volume rolled off, place it in the effects loop (if you have one), but keep it in front of any time based effects(reverb, delay) as it will cut those off prematurely.
I also like that the battery compartment is very easy to access, Boss style, no screws needed.
All in all, very straightforward and easy to use.
SOUND QUALITY
The value of a noise gate is judged not by the quality of sound (obviously), but by its transparency. and here, the decimator excels. Similar gates like the Boss NS-2 or MXR smartgate will have a noticable impact on your sustain, while the Boss severely affects your bypass tone.
The Decimator can be set up and left on in any setup, unaltered through transitions between cleans and high gain.
It is not true bypass, but the buffer is of a very high quality, with minimal tone coloration while the pedal is off.
It does what a good gate should do, gating noise while preserving your tone and sustain.
OVERALL OPINION
Lets put it this way. I sold mine a while back thinking I didn't play high gain any more and wouldn't need it. I had picked up another one inside a week. You never know when your amp isn't going to mesh with some venues shoddy power source, and a solid, transparent noise gate is good to have in those situations. While mine isn't on a whole lot anymore, it has a permanent place on my board.
In my opinion, this is the best noise gate that can be found, short of going with a rack setup. Yes there is a "G-string" version that can be run in front of the amp and in the loop simultaneously, but it lacks separate threshold controls. So if your gate needs are actually that bad (not just a case of too much gain, or amp proximity), I'd pick up two of these or a rack Decimator.
- Solid reliable construction
- High quality buffered bypass
- Powered by battery of Boss style 9v (-) adapter
UTILIZATION
Possibly the easiest pedal to set up and use. One knob which controls the gate threshold. Start it at zero, move it up until your noise is gone, and you are set. Its really that simple. Other gates will have multiple knobs, but threshold is really all you need.
If you are having trouble with feedback, place it in front of the amp. If you are getting amp hum even with guitar volume rolled off, place it in the effects loop (if you have one), but keep it in front of any time based effects(reverb, delay) as it will cut those off prematurely.
I also like that the battery compartment is very easy to access, Boss style, no screws needed.
All in all, very straightforward and easy to use.
SOUND QUALITY
The value of a noise gate is judged not by the quality of sound (obviously), but by its transparency. and here, the decimator excels. Similar gates like the Boss NS-2 or MXR smartgate will have a noticable impact on your sustain, while the Boss severely affects your bypass tone.
The Decimator can be set up and left on in any setup, unaltered through transitions between cleans and high gain.
It is not true bypass, but the buffer is of a very high quality, with minimal tone coloration while the pedal is off.
It does what a good gate should do, gating noise while preserving your tone and sustain.
OVERALL OPINION
Lets put it this way. I sold mine a while back thinking I didn't play high gain any more and wouldn't need it. I had picked up another one inside a week. You never know when your amp isn't going to mesh with some venues shoddy power source, and a solid, transparent noise gate is good to have in those situations. While mine isn't on a whole lot anymore, it has a permanent place on my board.
In my opinion, this is the best noise gate that can be found, short of going with a rack setup. Yes there is a "G-string" version that can be run in front of the amp and in the loop simultaneously, but it lacks separate threshold controls. So if your gate needs are actually that bad (not just a case of too much gain, or amp proximity), I'd pick up two of these or a rack Decimator.