Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? :( help

[benjaminc]

So bassically I have a gibson Lp and an Engl fireball its a monster really but like my previous amp it has hum on distortion channel. I know that its normal because its a tube amp but a lot of people on concerts use tube amps and when they gotta be silent for just one second for example because the song goes like that they can mute the strings and its completely silent without any hum and they have such baddass higain metal sound. How is that possible? I reckon that they dont use noise gates because it kinda messess up your tone and the sustain. Here are examples:
https://youtu.be/cU1Uav0T8S4 1:06 A7X critical acclaim
and
https://youtu.be/jNDGjnE9mU4 1:10 Godsmack realign
Thanks for the replies.

[Chistopher]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Drop the gain and use a good distortion pedal. Or if your amp has an effects loop, a decent noise gate (Boss NS-2) can work wonders. They don't mess up sustain at all unless there are obscene levels of noise, and even then, you rarely need to sustain long enough for you to notice.

Or if the issue is from the guitar making a lot of noise, shielding the control cavity can help you out.

Can you determine where exactly in your signal the noise is being introduced?

[Adieu]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Noise gates, shielding, cables, power supplies, multiband EQs, tube swaps, correctly balancing stombox pre and post gain, etc etc


Its not a one step solution... although a noise gate would probably be the biggest step

[benjaminc]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Yeah well the noise is from the amp since and on every amp since i said its logical because its a tube amp and distortion channel but ive heard that the noise gate really messes up the tone :/ dont know how true that is if so i was thinking of buying the isp decimator maybe? I have an fx loop and i run my reverb through there i love it

[Adieu]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Tubes =/= noise

not by default

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Pro metal guitar players are definitely absolutely using noise gates.

[Jacew]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Well shielded guitar and good cables and connections should be number 1 concern if you have noise.

Pointless to add noise gates and deal with separate gain pedals and such if that's not dealt with first.

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

The noise gate is the answer.
The NS-2 or ISP G-String is the way to go.
I doesn’t mess up the tone.
I run a G-String in the fx loop of my Quickrod and it sounds amazing. No tone suck.

[devastone]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Start with good quality cables, make sure your guitar is well grounded, and yes, pretty much everyone is using a noise gate with really high gain amps.

FWIW, high gain amps can be noisy, tube, solid state, or digital.

[Securb]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Hum could be coming from anywhere. Is this a slight hum or loud deafening noise? You didn't mention if you are using any pedals. Some pedals can be noisy even if they are not engaged.

I would start with a quality cable straight to the amp bypassing any effects. If you are still getting hum plug another guitar into the amp to see if the hum is still there, preferably something with humbuckers. You want to isolate if this is a guitar or amp situation. If you do not get a hum going straight to the amp, start adding the effects in your signal chain to deduce the noisy culprit.

If the amp is still humming with both guitars straight into the amp, it could be multiple things. Most likely something to do with the amp. One question is do you take the amp outside of the house for practice? If the hum stops outside of your house, it could be the house's wiring.

Also how old is the amp did you buy it brand new? Do you hear any crackling when you turn the knobs? Sometimes dirty pots and dust can be the culprit behind the noise.

FWIW I am clinically psychotic when it comes to line noise. My set up is super quiet, I play very high gain both with the amp's gain and pedals, and I do not use a noise gate.

[devastone]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Securb makes a lot of good points. Yes, knowing your signal chain helps and narrowing down possible sources.

FWIW, I've used the ISP Decimater and the Boss NS-2, and I preferred the NS-2, if you use the loop in it right it works great. A good starting point is the threshold at min (full counter-clockwise) and release at max (full clockwise).

I still will say that the bands in the videos are most likely using noise gates, not only to keep the signal quiet, but it is also an effect, it actually accents the sharp cutoffs on the "chugs" and makes everything sound tighter.

[Securb]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

I still will say that the bands in the videos are most likely using noise gates, not only to keep the signal quiet, but it is also an effect, it actually accents the sharp cutoffs on the "chugs" and makes everything sound tighter.

Agreed. I do not say a noise gate is a bad thing, but he should be able to get the setup relatively quite without one. Especially if there isn't a long signal chain involved. The humming is telling me something is funky.

OP, I am also curious about the amp to cab connection are you using a speaker cable or guitar cable? They are very different connectors.

[devastone]

Re: Need to sacrifice gain in order to have less amp hum on distortion channel? he

Agreed, depending on the level of gain, maybe not dead quiet but a livable level. I would also say that even if you are going to use a noise gate, you should shoot for the quietest signal possible without it first.

Yes, speaker cables will be nasty noisy, I've had to fix that numerous times at church were people just grab a cable with connectors that fit.