????Compression and Noise gates????

[unleashthejay]

Hey everyone, I have a alot of pedals and I was looking into geting a noise gate or using compression. The thing about that is I dont know enough to know If its one worth the money and two what it will do.I was wondering if anyone can tell me what they know about noise suppressors and compresion and tell me if its worth it, also make any sugesstions on which are good ones. BTW: I like Santana, Van halen and hrndix to give you an dea of what I like.

[vinterland]

Re: ????Compression and Noise gates????

You should ask yourself... why do you need a compressor? What sound are you trying to achieve that would warrant a compressor? If you're trying to get rid of noise then you shouldn't be looking at a compressor.

[unleashthejay]

Re: ????Compression and Noise gates????

You should ask yourself... why do you need a compressor? What sound are you trying to achieve that would warrant a compressor? If you're trying to get rid of noise then you shouldn't be looking at a compressor.

well I know it makes ur sound more "specific" as in that its something that can help ur sound if you want it more together and is a good idea if u have a chain of pedals. as for the noise im askin if a noise surpressorm is it worth it as in does it help reduce the hiss to the point of spending the $$?

and im asking about a noise pedal and compressor seperatly, i like santana and his sound seems to very together, dose he use compression because that would be a sound worth goin after for my taste

[HamerPlyr]

Re: ????Compression and Noise gates????

No, you don't want a compressor. Well, you may, but not to achieve the kind of tone that you've described. A compressor will put an upper limit on hot signals and boost a weaker signal, "compressing" the output into a defined range. It will limit expression of variations in pick attack, lowering volume, etc. It's a very desireable, useable effect for the right tone (country players use them fairly regularly as a part of their tone), but not for what you've described.

A noise gate will eliminate the noise below a level that you can set, so you may want to investigate them if you have a bunch of unwanted noise (hum) in your signal chain. Be advised that they can seriously color your tone, though. Sometimes, it's just better to put up with the noise to get the tone that you want to hear. It's different for everyone, though.

[matt_transition]

Re: ????Compression and Noise gates????

I would usually avoid compressors in live situations, only ever needed (if that is the word) on clean sounds if you want that sort of vibe: more balanced volume dynamics and a cushioned string attack.

I don't know much about pedal noise gates, but my HUSH super C is great for stopping that annoying feedback and reducing hum from lights & monitors etc.
Works even better when playing live at volume. An A/B test of the Noise gate has no effect on tone, but higher levels of gate will choke notes off when they decay.

[lex666]

Re: ????Compression and Noise gates????

If you're looking to eliminate noise, go with a noise suppressor. Compressing your signal will not eliminate any noise. If you play loud, or with alot of gain, the noise suppressor will do wonders for your sound. I use a Boss NS 2 with alot of my high gain stuff and it works great. When set properly, no tone is lost and any unwanted guitar noise, or amp hiss is pretty much gone. This is almost necessary if you music has alot of stops or quiet passages while using high gain.