EHX Humdebugger vs. MXR M-135 Smart Gate

ElectroStompbox · #1 09-04-2007, 04:18 PM

im looking for something to get rid of all of the buzz hiss humm squell and so on of my rig.......im deciding out of these 2 and so far it seems to be very hard.......

first:

does anyone use either of these?

do they do what they are supposed to?

wich do you prefer?

and my luck people r gonna rag me about posting this like everything else because im "disrespecting them"

Sean S · #2 09-04-2007, 04:36 PM

I've been interested in what's inside the Hum Debugger...anyone have any gut pics/schematics?

bongomania · #3 09-04-2007, 06:29 PM

FWIW, I had an MXR Smart Gate for a while, and it worked OK but not brilliantly. With pretty much any noise gate, you can expect artifacts such as slow or choppy attack or release of your note, or weird rises and drops in noise level if you pause between notes. You'll want to read up on the Boss NS-2 as a probably better option, and there's also the ISP Decimator for a lot more money. But if you can get the MXR for cheap, it's not terrible; I just wouldn't pay the "new" price for it.

JanusZarate · #4 09-04-2007, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElectroStompbox

and my luck people r gonna rag me about posting this like everything else because im "disrespecting them"

Actually, there is a decent reason for ragging on you... and it's that they're nothing alike. We've had threads on it before

Don't worry - I'll spare you the grief this time, and give you a summary of both.

The EHX Hum Debugger isn't a noise gate - it targets pickup hum. If your pickups are the problem, this will fix it, and fix it beautifully. Jetpackbassist did a review of it a long while back, and had nothing but praise for its surprising effectiveness with zero flaws. I'll see if I can dig it up.

I'd recommend the Debugger if you're using noisy single-coil pickups or vintage pickups. Otherwise, it can't help you on other noise sources.

The M-135 Smart Gate is a traditional noise gate - good for dealing with noisy pedals. But it only kills that noise between notes. I've rarely seen it used by bassists, but it's popular for guitarists.

I'd also consider the Boss NS-2 (Noise Suppressor) as well if pedal noise is an issue. It takes a different approach than the Smart Gate for noise reduction by isolating the culprits in its on effects loop. Again, it only kills noise between notes. See Joe P's praise of it for more info. I've seen the NS-2 more often than the Smart Gate on bassists' pedalboards.

RevGroove · #5 09-04-2007, 11:58 PM

I use BOTH!

The MXR gets rid of the hiss...the DeBugger gets rid of the noise/hum...especially at my house with it's lousy wiring, and in similarly wired clubs/bars.

Contrary to the instructions, I found the Debugger works best at the END of the pedal signal chain rather than right after the bass...it debugs my pedals...I put the MXR right before it...

Well, it goes GK Diesal Dog: Morley Dual Bass Wah: EB JR. Volume Pedal: MXR Smart Gate: Hum Debugger.

Signal is DEAD quiet, no change in tone...the MXR's switch is set to "Hiss" (as in remove the...) and the High Trigger is switched off (I've only noticed the change in level and chopped notes if it's switched on.)

The Debugger's switch is set to Normal.

So, I guess I use it more to deal with the noise from my pedals rather than from my bass (MTD Z5, before that a Spector with active EMGs).

niftydog · #6 09-05-2007, 12:49 AM

There's a few people here that would be your friend for life if you posted some pics of the guts of your hum debugger!

bongomania · #7 09-05-2007, 12:57 AM

I thought we had decided for sure it was a leprechaun in there? Or was it elves?

niftydog · #8 09-05-2007, 01:38 AM

Elves I'm pretty sure. Or was it Gnomes? I've just never seen an elf, so...

Sean S · #9 09-05-2007, 04:05 AM

I REQUIRE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THESE LEPRECHAUNS AND/OR ELVES

niftydog · #10 09-05-2007, 05:46 PM

..and I bags the pot of gold if it is a Leprechaun!

JanusZarate · #11 05-07-2008, 01:33 AM

Bump for the legendary photos.

(This has nothing to do with Sean S' bump of the OTHER Hum Debugger thread

)

niftydog · #12 05-07-2008, 02:36 AM

Come on Leprechaun...

niftydog · #13 05-07-2008, 02:37 AM

Um... ewww...

bongomania · #14 05-07-2008, 08:04 AM

*Leprechaun removes hat, wipes face, plans lawsuit*

rustynuts · #15 05-07-2008, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Um... ewww...

That's just nasty.....

For what it's worth, I use the Smart Gate, a leftover from my thirty some years of playing guitar. And it's pretty much everything that's been said in this thread but it does have it's uses, such as dead quiet when muting strings for pauses.