Any tips for me in regard to using a Noise Suppressor Pedal? May get a Boss NS-2 or a Boss NS-1X

[Abe]

So I think I'm gonna acquire a Boss NS-2 or a Boss NS-1X for a Noise Suppressor Pedal.

If I understand correctly the NS-1X can accomplish everything the NS-2 can with some added features if I want to spend the extra dollars on it.

Pictured below are the pedals my PRS runs into from right to left then into Guitar Rig 7 on PC.

The Guitar RIg 7 actually has an emulator of the Boss NS-2, designed to be the equivalency of a Boss NS-2. It does block out some buzz and hum noise etc. However I'm figuring a physical pedal somewhere in my peddle chain prior to the computer connection can accomplish more than said emulator. Also in a jam setting with a band I'd only use the peddles so I'd like a Noise Suppressor Pedal to provide it's assistance.

One reason for this post is to ask who here might have a Boss NS-2 and/or a Boss NS-1X. What can you tell me about your experience with them? Any advice?

Second thing I want to ask is where do you think this cool white Boss peddle I'm getting should go for me with this rig of mine? I know people do use them as the first thing a guitar goes into, yet also after overdrives especially. Maybe have to try both ways to find out but I'm thinking from right to left my Noise Suppressor should go after my second overdrive (Mini Tube Screamer) either before or after the Morley Wah peddle.

Just wanting to clean up the sound a bit and cut out some of the non musical noise.

Thanks.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

I will drop my customary ISP decimator g-string 2 recommendation. The best ever. It's a double gate and super easy to use.

Also, I'd move the wah before the drives...but after the freq out.

 

[HomespunEffects]

i used the NS-2 for years before picking up an NS-1X. The extra control and LEDs are worth spending the extra loot.

Using it in the X configuration is a must. It gets triggered right up front but all the drive (including from the amps preamp) goes in its loop.

 

[maguchi]

So I think I'm gonna acquire a Boss NS-2 or a Boss NS-1X for a Noise Suppressor Pedal.

I been using a Boss NS-2 for awhile and it's been working great. I don't like the more muffled sound of flatwound strings and like the clearer more defined sound of pure nickel. Some types of playing have quiet passages with a lot of chord changes in a short period of time. With nickel strings sometimes that can mean string/finger squeak. So I sometimes use a noise suppressor/gate like the NS2 which gets rid of the squeak.

Also I use guitars with P90s a lot. P90 pickups are usually quiet with mild to medium gain, at least the places I play with cleaner power. However once you start to get into distortion, P90s can get noisy with 60 cycle hum (US and Canada), 50 cycle in Europe and some other countries. Anyways for those situations a EHX Hum Debugger works very well. It suppresses noise in only the narrow 50-60 Hz range (and it's multiples/overtones) and leaves the other frequencies unaffected.

 

[Abe]

Day 1 with my new pedal. I decided on the Boss NS-1X Noise Suppressor pedal. Was close to siding with the ISP Decimator II G String that was recommended to me but I figured I’d like more knobs and options to play with and the NS-1X seems to let me more so dial things in. I’ve seen and heard both good and bad reviews on the Boss NS-2 and the Boss NS-1X has added features, reduction and gate mode, and more settings. I also like the feature of the mute mode because that will give me the peddle to step on at times I’d otherwise turn my guitar’s volume knob to zero. Also with long presses of the peddle you can change between gate, reduction, and mute mode without reaching down which is nice.

Was looking on Reverb for a discounted used one but then I realized Sweetwater had a Demo one discounted and that way I get full warranty.

Really was just hoping to clear up my sound some when double overdriven. Like those dead stops with high gain abilities. And, yea, got it now and I’m liking what it’s capable of. Sweetwater candy and everything! Loving the pedal so far and it really improves my rig. With overdrives on it lets good sound and tone through but cuts out the nonsense making the overall sound of being plugged in be less polluted.

I recommend the pedal for anyone playing with high gain overdrive that wants a dead stop to go silent. Really neatens up my sound especially when overdriven. I’m happy with the purchase.

 

[Abe]

i used the NS-2 for years before picking up an NS-1X. The extra control and LEDs are worth spending the extra loot.

Using it in the X configuration is a must. It gets triggered right up front but all the drive (including from the amps preamp) goes in its loop.

I'm liking it.

 

[[Nathan]]

Good call on the NS-1X. The NS-2 is ancient and doesn’t hold up nearly as well as any modern 4cm gate for higher gain stuff. The NS-1X looks great but a noise gate is one of the least interesting pedals haha. Once you get one that does the job kind of no point or gas to change things out and try different ones.

 

[HomespunEffects]

Good call on the NS-1X. The NS-2 is ancient and doesn’t hold up nearly as well as any modern 4cm gate for higher gain stuff. The NS-1X looks great but a noise gate is one of the least interesting pedals haha. Once you get one that does the job kind of no point or gas to change things out and try different ones.

No, tone is in the gate!

 

[Abe]

Hmm. Would the 4 cable method be applicable for me without an Effects Loop of an amp? My floor peddles just run into an Audio Interface to a PC with Guitar Rig 7. Maybe I should try it.

 

[Abe]

Trying to figure out how to best order these, if I should use the 4 cable effects loop method with the Boss NS-1X Noise Suppressor peddle, and what peddles to put in that loop if I do.

An OD before compressor is unique from the traditional OD after Compressor, and I like some of each accessible. I seem to prefer the Wah after overdrives as well which I understand isn't the norm. I'll experiment.

So I guess I should try going into the FreqOut feedbacker peddle, then into the Boss NS-1X looped through OD, Compressor, OD back to the NS-1X then into the Wah > Looper > into the PC Guitar Rig.

Any suggestions?

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Loop 1 --- guitar...into gate usually it needs to see the first guitar signal first to track correctly.
gate out→comp→freqOut→ wah→drives→into loop 2 out of gate 2 into mod and the time based → looper

This is how I would do it...but not a rigid rule....be creative...but this will track, and also allow the cutoff before time based and mod....so you won't cut of any sounds or tails.

Without an amp this I technically 4cm

Just my advice.

 

[Abe]

Kind of a mixture of my preferences and advice I got and this is what I came up with.

Guitar into the DigiTech FreqOut feedbacker > into Boss NS-1X Noise Suppressor loop send through Tube Screamer, Compressor, Tube Screamer > returned back to Boss NS-1X > out to Morley Wah > out to Boomerang looper > out to Audio Interface of PC with Guitar Rig 7.

I have tried Wah first before and I think I prefer the Wah function after overdrives. I seen some other people prefer that as well. Also the FreqOut is said to work with the guitar's true initial tone so I didn't see any way to not have it first instead of the NS-1X.

Going to sip a coffee and partake in an herbal supplement then play some and compare to how it was last set up.

 

[Abe]

Hmm. All of a sudden it just wasn’t as good. Made sure it wasn’t the fault of the added patch cables but everything was good with the connections. Switched it to Noise suppressor first in chain with the stuff in loop including the FreqOut and it wasn’t any better than the FreqOut 1st then into Noise Suppressor with compressed overdrives looped. Seems for me with this rig it’s like the FreqOut, OverDrives, and Compressor need to work together followed by the NS-1X at the right threshold. I know the 4 cable method was supposed to be an improvement but I just couldn’t get it to be that at all. Swapped out cables for the newest but that just wasn’t the issue. I think it’s about my FreqOut and compressed overdrives shaping tonal response together and it just seems to dismantle the good thing I had going by putting the NS-1X up front with the 4 cable looping.

So to get the best tonal response I can with this rig I’m back to FreqOut > Screamer > Compressor > Screamer > Wah > Noise Suppressor > Looper > Guitar Rig 7. Fully overdriven this way the Noise Suppressor still cuts out the right amount of nonsense noise significantly. More so the right amount than the 4 cable effects loops method I just tried in the ways that were available to me.

Happy with it.

I like the Reduction mode for cleaner and Gate mode for the most heavily overdriven ways I play. A good purchase and addition.


upload pics online

 

[headcrash]

IMO the 4CM with noise gates makes most sense when there is the need to also gate the noise coming from a preamp. This is not the case with your setup, so using the "loop" feature in the Boss NS-1x doesn't make too much sense to me.
Usual setup would be:
guitar -> NS-1x Input -> NS-1x send to amp input -> amp fx loop send to NS-1x return -> NS-1x out to amp loop return
This way the NS-1x senses the dry, undistorted guitar signal, and gates everything from thereon up to its output back into the loop return. Big advantage is, that you can put delay and reverb between the NS-1x out and the loop return, i.o. to not gate delay repeats and/or reverb tails.
All this does not apply to your setup, I think.