Gate-Talk

I will say i have only ever used zuul. I dont know what gate vs suppression means further than theory. But i dont necessarily need staccato to happen for me with a pedal as much as i hate artifacts and microphonic type sound drowning out clarity. If any of that makes any fucking sense
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
Alright. Highwind phalanx or zuul+?

@braintheory @PurityS.L.G

Also, sam, you still have the gatekeeper, or you move it?
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I haven’t had the + version, so maybe someone else can answer that. I still have the Wizard Gate Minder, but only use it as an always off pedal that slightly improves my sound with a some clarity and sparkle. I don’t like it as a gate as much as my others
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
I will say i have only ever used zuul. I dont know what gate vs suppression means further than theory. But i dont necessarily need staccato to happen for me with a pedal as much as i hate artifacts and microphonic type sound drowning out clarity. If any of that makes any fucking sense
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If you don’t need that really fast stop-start thing then I wouldn’t bother with the Golem unless you like the slight modern color it’ll add to your sound. You might be fine with the Zuul as is
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
Alright. Highwind phalanx or zuul+?

@braintheory @PurityS.L.G

Also, sam, you still have the gatekeeper, or you move it?
Click to expand...
Phalanx no question. I got the ZUUL+ for Xmas from my wife and was very disappointed. I still have it only because I feel bad and she said she would be pissed if I sold it. I’ll sneak a sale if you’re interested but if I’m being nice and honest, it’s not that great. Sucks tone big time and the decay is a joke. Donner Sophgate smokes it and that’s not saying much.
 
PurityS.L.G said:
Phalanx no question. I got the ZUUL+ for Xmas from my wife and was very disappointed. I still have it only because I feel bad and she said she would be pissed if I sold it. I’ll sneak a sale if you’re interested but if I’m being nice and honest, it’s not that great. Sucks tone big time and the decay is a joke. Donner Sophgate smokes it and that’s not saying much.
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I really appreciate it. There is too little transparency in this world, but especially when discussing gear
 
paulyc said:
I’ve always found it better to have two gates, one out front and one in the loop. A little in each spot seems better than trying to do it all in one spot.
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I have done this before. The reason i did it was that when you try to do it all at once, you end up turning threshold too high and it gates loop too much.

I had a zuul in the loop turned all the way down. It just killed the feedback and slight hum. The one in front quieted my pedals and would give.me the start stop. The start stop is a.lot.more effective in front than in loop in my opinion.
 
braintheory said:
If you don’t need that really fast stop-start thing then I wouldn’t bother with the Golem unless you like the slight modern color it’ll add to your sound. You might be fine with the Zuul as is
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This is the first i have heard that the Golem Changes your sound in some way.
 
All of them change the sound.

First you need to decide what kind of gate you need. Fast on / off is different than noise reduction.
Do you need it in the amp loop or out front ?
For some the gate is part of the sound. For others the guitar volume is all the gate they need.

I own a few gates. I usually just use the guitar volume to reduce noise. I do it so often and automatically that none of the gates are faster.
 
stephen sawall said:
All of them change the sound.

First you need to decide what kind of gate you need. Fast on / off is different than noise reduction.
Do you need it in the amp loop or out front ?
For some the gate is part of the sound. For others the guitar volume is all the gate they need.

I own a few gates. I usually just use the guitar volume to reduce noise. I do it so often and automatically that none of the gates are faster.
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Good points. Sometimes the suppressors will add a little extra touch from my experience. Not a bad thing depending but I do wish the technology was there for a 100% transparent and perfectly effective gate/supressor.
 
OldGtrGuy said:
But how do you even "key" the pedal?
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If a pedal has a key input or a through like the Decimator II, you run your guitar into the input somehow and then put the pedal in the loop. On a key input, you use your direct guitar signal as a sidechain to tell the gate how to act. This prevents your gate from closing on your guitar's sustain even though you set the gate high to kill the hiss of a high gain amp.
 
Another vote for the golem. Daniel has had some health issues which has prevented him from building any pedals(the demand was already difficult to keep up with). But he messaged me the other day saying he was starting to feel better. So he maybe building again soon.

Honestly I think I could make most gates work but the NS2 was terrible IMHO. I couldn't strike a balance where it wasn't choking out notes or tone.
 
I’m running a Decimate (mini) first in the loop on my board to kill the high gain hiss. It works well, I don’t need staccato action but it doesn’t tighten up the sound which is great for hard rock but aggravating while playing classic rock stuff. I’ve almost pulled the trigger a couple of times on a Zuul+ but maybe I’ll hold off.
 
OldGtrGuy said:
Good points. Sometimes the suppressors will add a little extra touch from my experience. Not a bad thing depending but I do wish the technology was there for a 100% transparent and perfectly effective gate/supressor.
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There really isn't anything new in almost 20 years. There is the digital units. But the ones I tried I liked less than the analog.

Santiago at Marshall designed the Kerry King signature amp, the 2203KK JCM800 has been around since 2007. It only took a decade for people to start cloning the noise gate.


This noise gate was cloned in the Zuul, Cock Blocker, Phalanx, Endless Blockade, Tannhauser, Revv G8 etc....


"Marshall’s engineers developed a special noise gate circuit with a threshold control.

Most noise gates completely kill the sound once it drops below a certain threshold,” Bowcott says. “This noise gate has an ultrafast expander circuit that’s similar to what you’ll find in a studio-quality noise reduction unit. It will work extremely fast during tight, precise staccato rhythms, giving you those desired ‘holes of silence.’

When it comes to sustained notes, though, the expander gradually attenuates the signal by following the dynamics of the note, giving you a much more natural-sounding gating that won’t prematurely cut off the end of a note or chord that you want to ring.”


This is considered by many to be the best noise gate for guitar.


Personally I use a BOSS NS-2. It adds a bit of midrange. But the only time I use it is when using a OD / boost....and they all pretty much add midrange. I have a Zuul + also. It changes the sound less than the NS-2. But does change the sound like the rest.

You probably noticed there is individuals that love or hate all of them. All you can do is try them and see what works best for your application.

A lot of it is your rig and the way you play. There really is no perfect one solution that fits everything.

I highly recommend using the "key" method. If in the loop or out front. I pretty much do this 95% of the time when using a gate.
 
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