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Post by thomas on Aug 27, 2016 17:32:01 GMT
Good morning Ethan, I use several 50watt HiGain amplifiers and noise reduction (Hiss) has always been an issue. I bought a Decimator Pro Rack G (ISP Technologies) and the concept of using both a Dynamic low pass filter with low level downward expansion is causing me grief. A simple explanation of how the two work in conjunction to deliver quality noise reduction would be awesome. Thank you for any info.
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Post by Ethan Winer on Aug 30, 2016 17:02:20 GMT
Sorry for the delay replying, I've been busy with a new project. I'm usually here every day!
Most amplifiers are inherently clean, with any hiss coming from foot pedal effects and the like. So the first thing I need to ask is if you can list your entire chain from the guitar through to the amplifier. Also, if you turn up the amplifier with nothing plugged in, do you get hiss there too?
In the mean time, both automated low-pass filters and downward expanders are similar. But they can only get rid of the hiss when you stop playing, and you always hear a bit of hiss as it fades away. If your devices have attack and release time controls you might be able to maximize their effectiveness. But such cures are more a band-aid than a real solution.
--Ethan
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Post by Hexspa on Aug 31, 2016 4:16:59 GMT
Hey thomas. Glossing over the site I gather this: One channel for the amp, another for the guitar. The low pass is probably sensitive to threshold and sweeping downward to eliminate hiss. The downward expander is basically a gate that's also threshold-dependant. In your pic you're posing with a Strat. If noise is a problem the Strat is probably contributing. If you're not already, consider using stacked pickups (humbuckers in a single coil form factor) or some active pickups like EMG's. Maybe turn down the gain? I haven't heard your material but a lot of Metal guys use less gain than one might imagine. Then again you don't look 17 (maybe 18 ) so you probably know that. In either case, like Ethan said, the more you've got going on - especially with pedals - the more noise is introduced. I know what he's saying about amps being clean but maybe he's forgotten that when you crank that preamp stage, noise becomes an issue regardless. On a side note, the dynamic LPF should handle that hiss well - it isn't really much typically. So ya, change your pickups, maybe stop using fluorescent lights or just turn the gain down. If all else fails you can always try reamping later in a recording scenario. Lastly, besides what's in your signal chain, the order of effects matters too. The mnemonic I use is LST (rhymes with a popular substance) which refers to Level Spectrum and Time. So, place your gain and EQ first. Then move to distortion or exciters and place delays, reverbs, choruses, phasers and flangers in the FX loop. I know Metallica used like 10 EQs for Justice but then again they used humbuckers for rhythm and recorded leads in a pricey studio. Another idea I have is you can use serial gates - deploy a pedal gate just for the guitar prior to your rack unit (or prior to any noisy pedals) then adjust their interaction to get the result you need. Then again I haven't played high-gain guitar in over a decade. Good luck, -m
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Post by jackofallears on Sept 29, 2016 1:21:15 GMT
Good morning Ethan, I use several 50watt HiGain amplifiers and noise reduction (Hiss) has always been an issue. I bought a Decimator Pro Rack G (ISP Technologies) and the concept of using both a Dynamic low pass filter with low level downward expansion is causing me grief. A simple explanation of how the two work in conjunction to deliver quality noise reduction would be awesome. Thank you for any info. Off Topic: I was amazed to find electric guitar amplifiers (name brand) have a fair amount of distortion (saw your photo). Just curious, can't you use digital audio software after the fact to remove any hiss noise, if you are recording?
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Post by Ethan Winer on Sept 30, 2016 17:22:19 GMT
Software noise reduction works pretty well, but exactly like MP3 file conversion it removes some of the music when set aggressively. This is just a part of that section from my Audio Expert book:
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