How to stop that irritating buzz when you hit the pedal

MEKer · #1 03-12-2009, 01:03 AM

OK, I searched under buzzing--no answers but maybe my search was approached wrongly. Here's the deal:
Everything is quiet in my effects chain on or off--that's perfect. I hit a distortion box and get the bs noise buzz/hum we all hate (until you start playing). Lightly touch the strings--it helps only a bit, obviously put some distance between me and the rig--it helps just a bit.
Yes, I also try to find the balance between gain/level/volume to no avail that still keeps it at a playable volume. This is both with a Digitech and a ToneMod.

What STOPS it? Grrrr.

dannybuoy · #2 03-12-2009, 01:38 AM

Maybe a Boss Noise Supressor, ISP Decimator or EHX Hum Debugger would help you... But the noise could be down to a lack of shielding in the control cavities of your bass, poor quality cables, or noisy power supplies, so I'd look at those areas first.

cheapbasslovin · #3 03-12-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannybuoy

Maybe a Boss Noise Supressor, ISP Decimator or EHX Hum Debugger would help you... But the noise could be down to a lack of shielding in the control cavities of your bass, poor quality cables, or noisy power supplies, so I'd look at those areas first.

+1

I sheilded the cavity of my bass and that buzz went down to an annoying hiss. I think I need better pickups, but I definitely traced it down to my bass being the root. It's not bad now, but when I throw high gain in the mix with not playing it is very audible.

MEKer · #4 03-12-2009, 09:22 PM

Hmmm----wouldn't the Noise pedal just be halting the sound wave past a certain peak? Clipping/gating it off at a certain point? Mind you, the noisiness is only a big bother when the one type of pedal is on but I am not playing.

No other type of pedals are the culprits--just distortion pedals. And that makes me believe the cables are fine, shielding is not a problem either.... Whaddaya think??

bassman1185 · #5 03-13-2009, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEKer

Hmmm----wouldn't the Noise pedal just be halting the sound wave past a certain peak? Clipping/gating it off at a certain point? Mind you, the noisiness is only a big bother when the one type of pedal is on but I am not playing.

No other type of pedals are the culprits--just distortion pedals. And that makes me believe the cables are fine, shielding is not a problem either.... Whaddaya think??

It's actually exactly the opposite of what you just described. You're talking about a compressor or a limiter. I'm not familiar with the Hum Debugger or the ISP Noise Decimator, but the NS-2 cuts off the sound once it falls below the threshold that you set. So, once you stop playing or have a pause, the gate closes and you have silence.

I use a Boss NS-2, and I don't know what I did without it. It works perfectly for me. I use a lot of distortion, so I would have a lot of noise to deal with.

MEKer · #6 03-13-2009, 06:27 PM

Hey Bassman1185---------Thank you very much for the clarification. I will go by your experience, as it addresses exactly what I am doing, and go get the NS-2!
I've always avoided the Noise pedal thing, figuring its a waste, but not now! Oh and might as well put it last in the pedal chain, yes?

RickenBoogie · #7 03-13-2009, 06:41 PM

Yes, last.

kevteop · #8 03-13-2009, 06:50 PM

Gated fuzz?

Something like the Woolly Mammoth, Flying Tomato, Brown Dog, Hairy Balls - kills your signal inbetween notes, reacts very quickly but no good if you want endless harmonic sustain. The overall effect is a lot choppier than a traditional fuzz but works well for bass.

I still think the best-sounding fuzz I've used in terms of sheer tone on bass is the old green Sovtek Muff, but for most of the music I play a gated fuzz has the vibe I want. Tight and gnarly.

18eranaRic · #9 03-13-2009, 06:53 PM

I think it's the sweet sound of rock n roll.

megadan · #10 03-13-2009, 07:36 PM

As touched up, that buzz when you hit the pedal is really just the distortion/fuzz pedal (which has a huge amount of gain) indisciminatly applying that gain to the regular ground hum/buzz from your bass. That sound is always there, and is a result of the pickups and electronics in your bass. Gain pedals just amplify the noises greatly.

Eliminate the root causes of the problems (single coil pickups, poorly shielded electronics, missing/broken/insufficient ground to bridge/pickups/pots), and you'll help the noise a great deal.

IMHO, "noise suppressor" pedals just mask the problem and can just make your signal chain worse.

bassman1185 · #11 03-16-2009, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEKer

Hey Bassman1185---------Thank you very much for the clarification. I will go by your experience, as it addresses exactly what I am doing, and go get the NS-2!
I've always avoided the Noise pedal thing, figuring its a waste, but not now! Oh and might as well put it last in the pedal chain, yes?

I wouldn't put it last, but that can work. The NS-2 has an effects loop, and I would recommend using that instead. It is most effective for silencing the signal between notes. If I were you (since according to your profile you don't have any delay or reverb) I would just run all of my pedals in the loop. If you do have delay or reverb, you may want that after the NS-2.