Noise Gate Pedal: A Complete Buyer's Guide

Buying a noise gate pedal well means matching the unit’s capabilities to the specific noise problem you have and the signal chain you run. Here is what to weigh before spending money on one.

Know What Type of Noise You Have

Before buying any gate, identify the source of your noise. Plug your guitar directly into the amplifier with no other pedals. If it is quiet, the noise comes from your pedal chain — most likely from gain stages or poor power supply design. If the guitar itself hums or hisses when plugged straight in, the problem is the pickups, the guitar’s shielding, or the power at the venue. A noise gate will help in either case, but understanding the source helps you set it correctly and prevents you from expecting it to do more than it can.

Inline Gate Versus Loop Gate

An inline gate processes the full signal path. Simple, compact and effective for moderate noise. A loop gate has a send/return circuit that lets you run your gain stages through the gate’s detection loop. This means the gate tracks your clean guitar signal (accurate) while gating the output of your dirty pedals (effective). For high-gain playing, particularly with heavy distortion or fuzz, a loop gate produces noticeably tighter and more musical results. The Boss NS-2 and ISP Decimator G String II are the two most-cited examples of each approach.

The Boss NS-2

The Boss NS-2 is the standard reference noise gate pedal for budget and mid-range noise suppression. It has a send/return loop, threshold and decay controls, and runs on a standard 9V supply. It is robust, sounds transparent on clean settings, and works well in most guitar and bass setups. Its tracking can be slightly slow with very fast playing, but for the majority of applications it is entirely adequate. If you need a dependable, affordable solution and don’t have extreme high-gain requirements, it remains the default recommendation.

The ISP Decimator G String II

The ISP Decimator line uses a proprietary tracking algorithm that follows the signal envelope more accurately than most competing designs, avoiding false triggers and unnatural cutoff on sustaining notes. The G String II version has dedicated input jacks for both guitar and effects return, allowing it to track the guitar directly while gating the full chain. It is more expensive than the Boss NS-2 but performs better in extreme high-gain applications. Players using metal rigs with extended-range guitars or very tight rhythm picking often find the improvement worth the cost.

Budget Options

Compact inline units from brands including Donner, Mosky and Joyo are available at low price points and work adequately for mild noise situations. They typically offer threshold and release controls. For moderate hiss from a light overdrive or mild single-coil hum, they are acceptable. For complex high-gain rigs or professional live use, the tracking quality is generally inferior to the Boss or ISP options.

Rack-Mounted Units

For professional live rigs with multiple amplifiers, stereo effects chains or complex switching systems, rack-mounted expander/gate units offer more routing flexibility and often better tracking than pedal-format units. They are significantly more expensive and require a rack. For most players, a pedal-format unit is entirely sufficient.

Power and Bypass

Most units run on standard 9V DC, centre-negative, compatible with any quality pedalboard power supply. True bypass preserves your tone when the pedal is off; buffered bypass maintains impedance stability in longer chains. Either can be correct depending on your rig. Check the bypass type if your signal chain is sensitive to impedance differences.

For a full technical breakdown of how these pedals work, read our noise gate pedal overview. For setting one up for the first time, see our beginner’s guide.

Frequently Asked Questions