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Noise gates/ hissing sound at high gain

icarus88

icarus88

Jun 18, 2024
491
232
#1
Do noise gates block static white noise at high gain? I don't have any problems with ground loops or EMI interference,I solved 2 of all, only white noise remains. my only problem is a natural hiss/white noise at high gain, thank you for your interest

I know that white noise is normal at high gain, but I want to play at high gain.

I don't use an amplifier

EQ pedal+guitar+interface
 
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#2
Noise gates usually have an adjustable threshold. You should be able to set it to whatever level is necessary.

If there's too much noise in the line and you set the gate threshold to suppress it, you can end up having a problem with sustain or softly-picked notes; they'll be suppressed by the gate.

Your DAW should have a noise gate to experiment with, or else there should be a compatible plugin to do the same job.
 
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#3
ardgedee said:
Noise gates usually have an adjustable threshold. You should be able to set it to whatever level is necessary.

If there's too much noise in the line and you set the gate threshold to suppress it, you can end up having a problem with sustain or softly-picked notes; they'll be suppressed by the gate.

Your DAW should have a noise gate to experiment with, or else there should be a compatible plugin to do the same job.
Click to expand...
I don't like software, or rather I can't do it 😊 Maybe something like ISP decimator. But I wonder if it can suppress static white noise
 
#8
Noise Gate just mutes with no signal. With signal the noise is not suppressed.
If analog in for your soundcard is low in level. You might be getting additional noise
since the software has to boost the incoming signal more.
Of course with high gain effect plugins for distortion noise become more and more avoidable regardless.
 
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#9
BuglerBass said:
Noise Gate just mutes with no signal. With signal the noise is not suppressed.
If analog in for your soundcard is low in level. You might be getting additional noise
since the software has to boost the incoming signal more.
Of course with high gain effect plugins for distortion noise become more and more avoidable regardless.
Click to expand...
I have no knowledge of music production. I'm not even an amateur. My goal is just to eliminate the white noise (if possible)
 
#11
icarus88 said:
Okay. Thank you very much. I'll have to tinker with the reaper.
Click to expand...
I'm mostly suggesting this because it's a way to understand how a gate works and how to use it with the tools you have right now. It's possible that ultimately the problem is better solved with an outboard effect or a third-party effect or something else.

The big advantage of using a gate in your DAW is that it will be gating the sum of all signal and noise that comes in through the line; a noise gate pedal can only handle what's fed into it, so it can't help if there's a noise problem between the pedal and the interface.

If it makes the sound flat, the threshold might be set too high. Work on fine-tuning the settings. It looks like the one bundled with Reaper has some pretty advanced controls.
 
#12
ardgedee said:
I'm mostly suggesting this because it's a way to understand how a gate works and how to use it with the tools you have right now. It's possible that ultimately the problem is better solved with an outboard effect or a third-party effect or something else.

The big advantage of using a gate in your DAW is that it will be gating the sum of all signal and noise that comes in through the line; a noise gate pedal can only handle what's fed into it, so it can't help if there's a noise problem between the pedal and the interface.

If it makes the sound flat, the threshold might be set too high. Work on fine-tuning the settings. It looks like the one bundled with Reaper has some pretty advanced controls.
Click to expand...
I do not want software intervention as much as possible.
 
#13
Depending on the frequency of the hiss and the the sonic requirements of audio source a low pass filter set very high can remove the hiss instead of relying on a noise gate. Another thing to keep in mind is that a track in a mix doesn't have to be perfect, a lot of modest unwanted noise tends to disappear in a thick mix. If you need a reference try and find some proper isolated track, not AI generated but actual separated tracks from a studio. You'll see that the isolated tracks are not always very clean but in context of the entire mix it isn't noticeable.

Back on topic of noise gates, yes they can be very effective and have a wide range they are used at, only thing to be concerned about is gates will remove a small amount of transient attack.
 
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#16
icarus88 said:
I am against software intervention, if it were possible, I would convert everything to analog
Click to expand...
Felt the same way many years ago, big benefits for home studio. Software even 20 years ago was mind blowing.
Far as a gate for live just used the same old Boss. When needed of course only useful for when palm mutes dont suppress
incredibly high gain distortion for quick stops in songs.
Otherwise I believe noise suppressor is somewhat misleading title. Just a triggered gate with threshold for silent parts.
To remove high hiss it is usually filters that cutoff the highend to a acceptable cutoff point.
Basically hiding the noise , more or less than actually fully removing it.
Can use a low pass, high order filter 18 to 24 dB , maybe 5k cutoff for guitar 3k for bass. Something easily tested with a digital mixer in the software. Use the EQ or plugin.
 
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#17
The TC Sentry noisegate pedal does exactly what you're looking for. No need to use the Toneprint app, the stock "Hiss" mode removes high gain hiss and fizz, even while you're playing. Multiband gating for the win!
icarus88 said:
Do noise gates block static white noise at high gain? I don't have any problems with ground loops or EMI interference,I solved 2 of all, only white noise remains. my only problem is a natural hiss/white noise at high gain, thank you for your interest

I know that white noise is normal at high gain, but I want to play at high gain.

I don't use an amplifier

EQ pedal+guitar+interface
Click to expand...
 
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#19
I used to have a Decimator pedal, then a Boss NS-2 on my board just for the times when my bass was sounding a bit hot through the system and causing some static hiss when everything was quiet. As mentioned, it only reduces that high gain hiss when no signal is coming through, even though you can adjust how sensitive the gate is as far as when it opens and how quickly it shuts down the sound. I kept it very light so that if needing to play quietly, it would still open with little to no effort, but as soon as the signal died out, it would mute all sound coming from the bass. If you find that the hiss is problem while playing, perhaps a highpass/low pass filter pedal(Broughton HPF/LPF?) would alleviate some of the unwanted sounds? ydsjefrozrfitapuaaeb.jpg
 
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#20
JReno said:
I used to have a Decimator pedal, then a Boss NS-2 on my board just for the times when my bass was sounding a bit hot through the system and causing some static hiss when everything was quiet. As mentioned, it only reduces that high gain hiss when no signal is coming through, even though you can adjust how sensitive the gate is as far as when it opens and how quickly it shuts down the sound. I kept it very light so that if needing to play quietly, it would still open with little to no effort, but as soon as the signal died out, it would mute all sound coming from the bass. If you find that the hiss is problem while playing, perhaps a highpass/low pass filter pedal(Broughton HPF/LPF?) would alleviate some of the unwanted sounds?View attachment 7051236
Click to expand...
Yes, this and Josh's BBA are excellent hiss reducers.
 
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