NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Essential noise suppressor with X-pattern loop - tame high-gain rigs without tone suck.
The NS-2 solved a problem every high-gain player knows: how to kill noise without killing your tone. Released in 1987, its send/return loop design set the standard that noise gates still follow today.
The key is the X-pattern detection loop. Run your noisy gain pedals through the NS-2's send and return jacks, and it monitors the original guitar signal (before the noise) to decide when to gate. This means it tracks your playing accurately instead of fighting against the distortion's sustain. Mute mode kills the signal completely for silent tuning.
Threshold and Decay are the main controls. Threshold sets how quiet the signal needs to be before the gate closes; Decay controls how quickly it shuts. Getting these right is the difference between natural-sounding noise reduction and an obviously chopped signal. The Reduction/Mute mode switch offers gentle noise reduction for moderate setups or hard muting for extreme gain.
At 20mA and with a straightforward learning curve, the NS-2 has been the default noise gate for metal, hard rock, and high-gain players for nearly 40 years. It's not exotic, but it works every single time.
Reverb
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