Experiencing unwanted noise when your guitar’s signal is amplified can be highly distracting. Whether it’s hissing, buzzing, or humming, these sounds often stem from high-gain signals, single-coil pickups, or even issues with the mains electrical supply. Such interference might be a minor nuisance during practice, but in a live performance, it can become a glaring issue, especially if the venue’s AC supply exacerbates the problem.
Fortunately, noise gate pedals have been engineered to tackle this problem. They eliminate unwanted noise, leaving only your guitar’s true tone to reach the amplifier. This simple yet effective solution is particularly valuable for certain genres like metal, where clarity and precision are paramount. As we explore some of the leading noise gate pedals, we will provide insights into their effectiveness and value, offering guidance on how to ensure only your best sound is heard.
In this article, we look at the market-leading products and give our honest verdict about which are best at eliminating unwanted noise.
Contents
Best Noise Gate Pedals – Product Guide
Boss NS-2
- Noise Suppress/Noise Gate Guitar Pedal
- Compact noise suppression pedal for eliminating noise and hum in guitar and bass effects and amplifier setups
- Unique noise detection circuit preserves the natural attack and envelope of an instrument’s sound
This NS-2 Noise Suppressor pedal has been around since the late ’80s, and you’ll find it’s one of the most popular noise gate pedals out there. So popular in fact, that some of the best guitarists include it on their pedalboards (such as U2’s The Edge and James Hetfield).
It does its job very well. Namely, it eliminates unwanted noise and hum without altering tone. It also preserves the natural attack and envelope of your guitar’s sound.
The reduction light tells you when the reduction is actually working. The Threshold control lets you set how much noise you want to filter out, allowing you to set the level at which the gate opens and closes. The decay lets you adjust how sharply the sound fades out.
As well as reduction mode, there’s also a mute mode so you can completely stop all sound should you need to.
What we like:
- Eliminates unwanted noise without affecting tone
- As well as the standard input and output jacks, it has send and return jacks, which gives you the option to hook pedals into a loop and reduce unwanted noise on only the noisiest pedals (e.g., fuzz, distortion)
- Threshold and decay knobs allow for shaping the elimination/suppression as desired
- Send and return jacks gives you the option to hook pedals into a loop
ISP Technologies Decimator II G-String
- Guitar Noise Reduction/Noise Gate Pedal with Direct Instrument Tracking Linking Function
The Decimator II is a premium noise gate pedal and, for many, is the best noise gate pedal money can buy.
If you run a high-gain rig, it’s indispensable and can quiet the highest-gain amp without cutting notes way too prematurely.
Design-wise, you couldn’t get much simpler. It’s just one knob.
What makes it a cut above the rest is how it tracks the input from your signal and adjusts the threshold automatically, letting you go from clean to high gain without changing the threshold.
This gain tracking technology is what they use in their popular ProRack G system. You can also link two Decimators side by side for a stereo signal.
This is the most highly-priced noise gate in our round-up, but it’s also the one that’s popular with professionals (including Jerry Cantrell).
What we like:
- Fabulously effective tracking performance
- Smooth sustained note decay with virtually no release rippling
- The decay is intuitively fast, which gives you absolute clarity and precision
Electro-Harmonix The Silencer
The Silencer is a superb budget gate pedal.
You can use it as an inline noise gate, of course. But it also has the all-important effects loop that lets you silence specific noisy pedals. For example, you can send your distortion pedal into the Silencer’s effects loop.
You also get a ton of control via its three knobs – Release, Threshold, and Reduction – let you choose exactly how much noise reduction you want (many other pedals only let you control threshold).
For the price, it’s really great value.
What we like:
- Can tame a single pedal or an entire effects loop
- Plenty of control thanks to the three controls (Release, Threshold, and Reduction)
- Superb value
MXR Smart Gate
- Three selectable noise reduction ranges
- Reacts gradually to long, sustained notes and quickly to short, syncopated notes
- Fast attack time reserves picking transients and harmonic overtones
The M135 Smart Gate uses what MXR called ‘intelligent gating’, allowing your pick attacks to come through clearly.
This noise reduction pedal differentiates between long, sustained notes and staccato playing, and adjusts the decay accordingly without you needing to change a thing. This is great for high gain players, as the automatic responsiveness recognizes when to reduce the sound quickly and when to have a slow decay.
It also has an easy-to-use trigger level knob, which sets the threshold of your unwanted sounds, and even a ‘hi trigger’ button that works in extremely noisy situations.
If you gig a lot from venue to venue, this ‘hi-trigger’ option is a lifesaver when you’re dealing with unexpectedly noisy mains supplies.
It has three modes of noise reduction: hiss, mid and full. You can set it to leave out the frequencies that are bothering you at the flick of a switch.
If you need to switch it off at any point, it’s also got true bypass so that no excess sound will bleed from the pedal itself.
While it’s not as ‘smart’ as the IPS Decimator II, its perfect for guitarists looking for something small and simple with a clever bit of tech behind it.
What we like:
- Differentiates between long, sustained notes and fast picking to kick in the decay you need automatically.
- Has three settings for reduction, making it easy to eliminate any unwanted sounds quickly
- There’s a ‘hi-trigger’ button which is used to adapt to extremely noisy situations quickly
TC Electronic Sentry
- State-of-the-art Multiband or Hard noise gate modes for instant noise removal
- Send/Return for cleaning up noisy pedals or for creative side chaining
- Tone Print enabled – for a world of signature and customizable effects
The Sentry is a versatile noise gate pedal. The first mode is multiband mode, which removes noise by frequency range, which is particularly handy for bassists who can remove high-frequency noise without altering their sustain.
The second mode is a classic “hard noise gate” which you can use for instant noise removal.
Its standout feature is its multiband technology, which lets you hone in on very specific frequencies without compromising your core tone.
There is also the Send/Return loop for an effects loop, and true bypass.
In addition, as it’s a TC Electronic product, the pedal is also Toneprint enabled, so you tweak your gate or load custom-made presets created by some of the biggest names in rock.
What we like:
- Multiband noise-gating pedal, based on the same algorithms used in system 6000 studio processor
- Send/Return loop for noisy pedals
- Toneprint options up your options further
Electro-Harmonix Hum Debugger
- Absolutely eliminates hum from any audio source
- Tough and compact die-cast chassis
- Power adapter included
The Hum Debugger is a simple-as-it-gets hum reducing pedal.
There is one toggle switch, which flicks between ‘strong’ and ‘normal,’ and an on/off footswitch. You can’t get much simpler than that.
It’s purpose-designed to deal with single-coil hum and does so effectively at the flick of one of its two switches. The strong/normal toggle lets you increase the effectiveness of the gate when the going gets tough, and the pedal itself is sturdy and looks bulletproof.
It’s an ideal pedal for those who gig with single-coil guitars in multiple venues where the electric and lighting can unexpectedly make things go awry.
This isn’t a full gate pedal – its only real capability is reducing the 60hz hum. If you need more than that, you’ll need to take a look at one of the other pedals
What we like:
- This is a straightforward, no-fuss noise reduction for single-coil pickups
- True bypass
Donner Noise Killer
- [Noise Gate pedal] Noise reduction range: -70—+10dB.
- [2 Modes Noise Gate] Hard/Soft Mode. Hard: Faster, harder noise reduction. Soft: Softer, smoother noise reduction.
- [Noise Killer] Donner Noise Killer features fast noise detection and smooth attack/release, which keeps everything quiet without affecting the notes you played.
The Donner Noise Killer is a super budget-friendly gate pedal and could be a good first noise gate pedal. It won’t win any prizes for looks or functionality, but if you’re running low on funds, it’s not a bad option.
It can reduce noise up to 70 dB, about as small as you can get (so ideal for fitting on cramped pedalboards), and is absolutely transparent.
Stick it after a distortion pedal, and it will get rid of unwanted hum without too much fuss.
It’s perfect for guitarists on a tight budget, who suspect a gate will clean up their sound. If you can afford a little extra, the EHX Silencer is a slightly better choice, but this is ok too.
What we like:
- Reduces noise up to 70 dB
- Simple to use – select hard or soft mode, then adjust the threshold until unwanted noise is gone
- Good value for money
Interference Issues
So, what are the main culprits of annoying hum issues?
- Signal chain issues / noisy effects pedals (problem pedals such as fuzz pedals in your pedal chain).
- High gain amps (amp hum). For those rocking on a high-gain amp, a gate preserves the intensity of high-gain riffs while maintaining clarity.
- Problematic power supplies and electrical appliances.
- Noisy pickups. Single-coil pickups tend to generate more noise. Humbuckers, on the other hand, are designed to reduce hum.
- Fret noise: The sound of fingers sliding on strings. The gate responds to playing dynamics, allowing sustained notes to decay naturally.
- Allows for clean transitions between notes, enhancing playing dynamics.
- EQ. Boosting treble or mid frequencies.
Noise Gate Pedal Controls
How does a noise gate work? Let’s take a look.
Threshold
The threshold control on your noise gate pedal specifies the trigger level for the noise suppression to activate. When the input signal from your guitar falls below this threshold knob setting, the gate starts to attenuate the sound, effectively muting unwanted noise such as hums and hisses. For a cleaner guitar signal, adjust the threshold knob carefully; setting it too high can inadvertently silence quieter aspects of your playing, like harmonics or ghost notes. Conversely, a low threshold ensures these subtleties are preserved in your gated signal, but may allow some noise to pass through.
- High Threshold: Cuts more noise but risks losing soft musical tones
- Low Threshold: Preserves quiet notes but might let some noise in
Decay
The decay knob dictates the speed at which the noise gate disengages after the signal drops below the threshold. Adjusting this control influences the sound’s naturalness and tightness.
- Fast Decay: Offers crisp silence as soon as playing stops, ideal for staccato and precision playing.
- Slow Decay: Allows brief noise between notes, lending a more organic feel to the transition into silence.
Remember, the decay adjustment should complement your playing style. If the decay is set too slow, the noise gate might not entirely mute the unwanted noise, failing to clean up the effects loop or amp/preamp. Some advanced pedals can intelligently adapt the decay to align with your dynamics, ensuring seamless noise suppression without sacrificing musicality.
When incorporating a noise gate pedal into your setup, you’ll want to place the noise gate wherever the noise is, for example, after your fuzz pedal.
Honorable Mentions
Other pedals to check out that didn’t quite make the cut:
- TC Electronic Iron Curtain
