Noise Gate

Noise gates are not the most exciting of pedals. Most players won’t consider one until they’ve driven themselves mad with a buzz or noise issue that won’t go away. Some sit at the start of a chain, eliminating pickup hum at source, while others do more advanced processing. Many have a send/return loop that allows for complex setups like the ‘four cable method’. Here, the amplifier preamp and drive pedals all go in the loop, and then the rest of the pedalboard follows, being returned into the amp’s FX return.

TG Recommends

ISP DECIMATOR II

Whether in front of the amp or in the effects loop, the ISP is the gate of choice for the djent crowd - the ones most in need of flawless gate operation. It can be chained with a second unit, which ISP say works better than the 4-cable method. This does add up to an eye-watering price tag, though.

Bestfor Dual-pedal setups – if your budget will stretch!

TC ELECTRONIC SENTRY

Despite being one of the more cost-effective noise gates on the market, the Sentry is one of the more sophisticated. It can be used at the start of your chain, to isolate problem pedals in its loop, or set up using the four-cable method. Fine-grained control is available via Toneprint, while its three-band mode has each band function independently, removing only problem band frequencies.

Bestfor Deeper editing with TC’S Toneprint technology

Also Try

MXR Smart Gate

An effective noise gate for most common problems, with three different band modes.

BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor

Not the most feature-rich, but effective when set-up using the four-cable method.

EHX Silencer

Works well at the start of your chain, with a send-return loop allowing for the four-cable method.