What Is A Noise Gate And A Compressor? |
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Oct 22 2007, 08:09 PM
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What is a noise gate and a compressor?
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Oct 22 2007, 08:16 PM
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a noise gate supresses weak signals from your pickups. If you turn your amp loud there will normaly be feedback if you don't turn the volumeknob down. The noiseagte kills those noieses and feedbacks.
A compressor makes loud signals quieter and quiet signals louder  Fabian -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez RG 2550, Squier Showmaster Jimmy Shine Signature
Amps: Marshall G30R CD Combo, Marshall MG100HDFX Halfstack Pedals: Digitech DF-7, Boss RC-2, Dunlop Cry Baby Wishlist: Brunetti XL R-Evo II or Brunetti Mercury EL34 and a Fabian Schulz Signaturemodel by Ibanez :D Check out my video lessons! |
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Oct 22 2007, 08:31 PM
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They are both important playing and recording tools.
A Noise Gate will shut off all noises below a certain loudenss. IF your guitar hums, you tunr your noise gate on and turn it up until it just cuts in and goes quiet. When you play for real you are making more noise than that, so the noise gate switches off and lets all the sound through. When you stop playing again, it kciks in and turns of the hum. Can be very useful, but a better solution is to get rid of the hum in the first place if you can, because they can effect your sustain. A compressor is a more difficult concept. Put simply, it irons out changes in volume. So any noises below a certain volume are made a little louder, any noises above that point are made quieter. The effect is that the average volume is pulled towards that middle point. You can make adjustments as to how aggressive that action is. Why would you want this? FOr two main reasons. The first is in recording, it lets you keep more control over instruments whos volumes vary a lot and that would otherwise be hard to mix, for instance drums, and often bass. But a more subtle reason is that compressors change the character of a sound as well, depending on how they are adjusted, and they are often used to get a particular effect as well as to control the level. For instance, a well used compressor can really make a vocal sound a lot more "solid", or it can emphasise the attack of a guitar not to make it sound like a big click. Another main use for compressors is to increase the sustain time of a guitar note. EDIT : Scooped by Fabien & Fkalich! This post has been edited by Andrew Cockburn: Oct 22 2007, 08:32 PM -------------------- Check out my Instructor profile
Live long and prosper ... My Stuff: Electric Guitars : Ibanez Jem7v, Line6 Variax 700, Fender Plus Strat with 57/62 Pickups, Line6 Variax 705 Bass Acoustic Guitars : Taylor 816ce, Martin D-15, Line6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon Effects : Line6 Helix, Keeley Modded Boss DS1, Keeley Modded Boss BD2, Keeley 4 knob compressor, Keeley OxBlood Amps : Epiphone Valve Jnr & Head, Cockburn A.C.1, Cockburn A.C.2, Blackstar Club 50 Head & 4x12 Cab |
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Oct 22 2007, 08:41 PM
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Sure Andrews was much better
 P.s.: my Name is Fabian not Fabien
-------------------- Guitars: Ibanez RG 2550, Squier Showmaster Jimmy Shine Signature
Amps: Marshall G30R CD Combo, Marshall MG100HDFX Halfstack Pedals: Digitech DF-7, Boss RC-2, Dunlop Cry Baby Wishlist: Brunetti XL R-Evo II or Brunetti Mercury EL34 and a Fabian Schulz Signaturemodel by Ibanez :D Check out my video lessons! |
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Oct 22 2007, 08:52 PM
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QUOTE (fkalich @ Oct 22 2007, 03:44 PM)  I blame Andrew, I copied him. I looked up your city when you first arrived, looks like a nice place. How would you describe it? Sorry Fabian! QUOTE (fkalich @ Oct 22 2007, 03:39 PM) I may feel different later, and not saying I would use it always, but it does add something in smoothness, while still (if you don't get too carried away with the settings) maintains your attack. Some units come with a separate control for the attack - my Keeley 4 knob for instance. I got this unit for the very purpose you describe, to prevent over enthusiastic attack for the most part, but I also like to dial it in occasionally for specific effects. QUOTE (fkalich @ Oct 22 2007, 03:39 PM) I think a lot of these settings are very subtle, sort of like salt. A little is great, too much the stew goes into the dumpster, even the dog won't eat it. edit: type Agree - especially in mixing, compression should be very subtle - along the lines of you miss it if it isn't there but don't really notice it. -------------------- Check out my Instructor profile
Live long and prosper ... My Stuff: Electric Guitars : Ibanez Jem7v, Line6 Variax 700, Fender Plus Strat with 57/62 Pickups, Line6 Variax 705 Bass Acoustic Guitars : Taylor 816ce, Martin D-15, Line6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon Effects : Line6 Helix, Keeley Modded Boss DS1, Keeley Modded Boss BD2, Keeley 4 knob compressor, Keeley OxBlood Amps : Epiphone Valve Jnr & Head, Cockburn A.C.1, Cockburn A.C.2, Blackstar Club 50 Head & 4x12 Cab |
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Oct 22 2007, 08:57 PM
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QUOTE (fkalich @ Oct 22 2007, 09:44 PM) I blame Andrew, I copied him. I looked up your city when you first arrived, looks like a nice place. How would you describe it?  I think Cuxhaven is very boring for living, here not so much you can do in your freetime, but i like it because nature isn't far away from where i live and i't not so crowded like in Berlin or Hamburg. Cuxhaven is a nice place to make vacation i think (never made vacation there  ) we have a nice beach here and the air is very fresh and vitalising. Also there are a lot great fish restaurants here Edit: no problem Andrew
This post has been edited by Fabian Schulz: Oct 22 2007, 08:58 PM -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez RG 2550, Squier Showmaster Jimmy Shine Signature
Amps: Marshall G30R CD Combo, Marshall MG100HDFX Halfstack Pedals: Digitech DF-7, Boss RC-2, Dunlop Cry Baby Wishlist: Brunetti XL R-Evo II or Brunetti Mercury EL34 and a Fabian Schulz Signaturemodel by Ibanez :D Check out my video lessons! |
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Oct 22 2007, 09:24 PM
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Compression is perhaps the most overlooked but one of the most useful audio tools for guitar.
BTW Andrew - on the 2 knob Keeley there are the extra two pots internally. It's just more a set it, screw the box together and forget it - 4 knob you can make adjustments on the fly. Personally I'm not overly fond of noise gates and go with Andrew's comments of eliminate the source of noise rather then use a gate. A badly set gate can seriously and adversely affect your tone, even a well set one takes the shimmer away imo. Cheers, Tony -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Oct 22 2007, 09:36 PM
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QUOTE (fkalich @ Oct 22 2007, 04:31 PM) Not sure, not exposed enough to stand alone boxes. But with the Zoom g9.2tt, integrated noise gate, at the setting they use the most (5) it does not seem to hurt the tone at all. I have heard others rave about that item on the Zoom, in reviews. Possibly in the multi effects they are able to work around the tone degradation you mention, but I am not sure. Have not seen enough. They tend to be a little more sophisticated these days in the digital world - rather than cut off dead they tend to fade which gives a nicer sound - the problem really comes at the cutoff point, and how smoothly that happens, and also, how much sustain you lose (albeit sustain that is increasingly masked by hum). The gate in my Line6 Pod does a good job of hiding the fade out, but sustain does of course suffer and I hate that. I'd imagine with your LP you have more sustain to play with so it isn't nearly so much of a problem. -------------------- Check out my Instructor profile
Live long and prosper ... My Stuff: Electric Guitars : Ibanez Jem7v, Line6 Variax 700, Fender Plus Strat with 57/62 Pickups, Line6 Variax 705 Bass Acoustic Guitars : Taylor 816ce, Martin D-15, Line6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon Effects : Line6 Helix, Keeley Modded Boss DS1, Keeley Modded Boss BD2, Keeley 4 knob compressor, Keeley OxBlood Amps : Epiphone Valve Jnr & Head, Cockburn A.C.1, Cockburn A.C.2, Blackstar Club 50 Head & 4x12 Cab |
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Oct 22 2007, 09:51 PM
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One way to check though is to record with and without the gate and do an A/B comparison.
Cheers, Tony -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Oct 22 2007, 10:01 PM
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Not to worry fkalich - think I just was writing my comment when you posted yours.
Cheers, Tony -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Oct 22 2007, 10:22 PM
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WOW!!!
Many thanks to everyone for the replys. I too have learnt loads now. Cheers. |
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Oct 22 2007, 10:36 PM
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Pleasure guys,
glad to have helped a bit. Cheers, Tony -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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