Every guitar rig makes some noise. Single-coil hum, fuzz hiss, the buzz of a cranked high-gain amp between palm-muted chugs: once you stack gain, that noise floor rises with it. Picking the best noise gate pedal is about matching the gate to the problem. A light hiss reducer suits a blues player with a couple of drives, while a tight, fast gate with a send/return loop is what modern metal players use to get those razor-sharp stops. Below are nine proven gates across every budget band, how they differ, and how to wire and set them so they silence noise without chopping off your sustain.
What a noise gate actually does
A gate watches your signal level. When you play, the signal is above the threshold and the gate stays open. When you stop, the level drops below the threshold and the gate closes, muting or heavily reducing whatever is left. The two most important controls are threshold (how quiet the signal must get before the gate closes) and release or decay (how quickly it closes). Set the threshold too high and the gate eats the tail of sustained notes; set release too fast and chords end with an unnatural chop. If you want the theory in more depth, our explainer on what a noise gate is covers the basics, and the same principles apply to plugins in a DAW.
The best noise gate pedal picks
BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor
The BOSS NS-2 has been a pedalboard staple for decades. It offers threshold and decay controls, a mode switch that can also act as a mute for silent tuning, and a send/return loop so you can gate your drive pedals directly. It is tough, simple and widely understood by techs everywhere.
Best for: players who want a proven, no-surprises gate with a loop.
- Pros: send/return loop, mute mode, road-proof compact enclosure.
- Cons: buffered design and a slightly slower response than newer gates.
BOSS NS-1X Noise Suppressor
The BOSS NS-1X is the newer, smarter BOSS gate. It focuses on reducing noise transparently rather than simply slamming shut, and BOSS describes it as an ultra-fast gate for guitar, bass and other instruments. It suits players who found older gates too obvious.
Best for: players who want noise reduction they barely notice working.
- Pros: transparent behavior, fast response, compact BOSS build.
- Cons: no effects loop, so it cannot track your guitar signal in a 4-cable setup.
ISP Technologies Decimator X
ISP’s Decimator line is the gate many high-gain players swear by, thanks to its tracking that follows your playing dynamics rather than using a fixed release. The ISP Decimator X is the current single-loop version, small enough for crowded boards and simple to set.
Best for: rhythm players in rock and metal who want tight stops with natural decays.
- Pros: excellent tracking, minimal controls, compact.
- Cons: premium price for a single-function pedal; no loop on this version.
ISP Technologies Decimator X G String
The Decimator X G String adds a separate guitar input and loop, which is what makes the famous tight-metal gating possible. The pedal reads your clean guitar signal (which is quiet and accurate) while gating the noisy high-gain signal in the loop or the amp, so the gate opens and closes exactly with your picking.
Best for: djent, thrash and modern metal players using the 4-cable method.
- Pros: the benchmark for staccato riffing, works in amp effects loops.
- Cons: more cabling, and overkill for low-gain styles.
MXR Smart Gate
The MXR Smart Gate uses a three-way switch to target the kind of noise you have: hiss, mid-range noise, or full-range hum. Combined with a single threshold knob, it is quick to dial in and stays out of the way.
Best for: players with a specific noise problem who want fast setup.
- Pros: noise-type selector, simple controls, solid build.
- Cons: no loop, and the hard settings can clip sustain if pushed.
Electro-Harmonix Silencer
The EHX Silencer is a noise gate with an effects loop, giving you more hands-on control over how the gate opens and closes than most compact options. The loop lets you gate only your noisiest pedals and leave time-based effects to ring out after them.
Best for: tweakers who want detailed control and a loop at a mid-range price.
- Pros: effects loop, flexible controls, good value.
- Cons: takes longer to dial in than one-knob gates.
TC Electronic Sentry Noise Gate
The TC Electronic Sentry is a multiband gate, so it can attack noise in one frequency range while leaving the rest of your tone alone. It also has a hard-gate mode for aggressive stops and supports TonePrint customization, plus a send/return loop for 4-cable use.
Best for: players who want flexibility from subtle hiss removal to brutal gating.
- Pros: multiband processing, hard-gate mode, loop, TonePrint tweaks.
- Cons: the deeper options live in an app, which not everyone wants.
Donner Noise Killer
The Donner Noise Killer is the budget mini gate you see on countless beginner boards. It offers two modes (a softer and a harder response) and a single threshold knob in a tiny enclosure.
Best for: beginners and small boards on a tight budget.
- Pros: very affordable, tiny footprint, easy to use.
- Cons: less natural release than premium gates, no loop.
JOYO Noise Gate (2- and 4-cable)
The JOYO Noise Gate is an affordable way to try the 4-cable method. It has hold, release and threshold controls plus a send/return loop, features usually found on far pricier pedals.
Best for: budget metal players who want a loop-equipped gate.
- Pros: send/return loop, three controls, low price.
- Cons: build and tracking feel less refined than ISP or TC.
Comparison table
| Product | Best for | Key feature |
|---|---|---|
| BOSS NS-2 | Proven all-rounder | Send/return loop, mute mode |
| BOSS NS-1X | Transparent reduction | Ultra-fast modern gate |
| ISP Decimator X | Tight rock and metal | Dynamic tracking |
| ISP Decimator X G String | 4-cable metal rigs | Separate guitar input and loop |
| MXR Smart Gate | Fast setup | Hiss / mid / full selector |
| EHX Silencer | Hands-on control | Effects loop |
| TC Electronic Sentry | Flexibility | Multiband, hard-gate mode |
| Donner Noise Killer | Beginners | Mini size, two modes |
| JOYO Noise Gate | Budget 4-cable | Loop with hold and release |
How to choose a noise gate
Identify the noise source first. A gate treats symptoms. If the hum comes from a daisy-chain power cable or a dirty outlet, fix that first; an isolated supply from our best pedal power supplies guide often removes more noise than any gate. Single-coil hum, by contrast, is exactly what a gate is for.
Decide whether you need a loop. A send/return loop lets the gate “listen” to one point in the chain and mute another. Put your drives and fuzz in the loop and the delays after it, so echoes and reverb tails are not cut off when you stop playing.
Consider the 4-cable method for high gain. If you use your amp’s distortion, the noisiest stage is the preamp. Run the guitar into the gate input, the gate send to the amp input, the amp’s FX send back to the gate return, and the gate output to the amp’s FX return. The gate then reads your clean signal and mutes the noisy preamp. Our best amps for metal roundup flags which amps have the FX loop you need.
Watch placement. Without a loop, the gate normally goes after your gain pedals and before modulation, delay and reverb. Placing it after a long delay chops the repeats. Fuzz pedals with low input impedance usually need to sit first, so gate after them.
Mind the bypass type. Some gates are buffered and some true bypass. A good buffer helps long cable runs, but stacking several buffers is rarely needed. Check the 9V current draw too, though most gates need very little.
Setting a gate without killing sustain
- Turn the threshold fully down, play with your loudest gain setting, then stop and raise the threshold until the noise just disappears.
- Hold a long note and let it fade. If it cuts off abruptly, back the threshold off a little or lengthen release.
- For tight metal stops, use a shorter release and test with palm-muted riffs at your real performance volume.
- Re-check at gig volume: amp noise rises with level, so a home setting may be too low on stage.
Recording rather than gigging? You can also gate in software after tracking, as covered in how to use a noise gate, which gives you undo and automation a pedal cannot.
FAQ
Do I need a noise gate pedal?
Not always. Low-gain players with humbuckers and clean power may never need one. Once you use high gain, fuzz, or single-coil pickups in a noisy room, a gate makes silences between phrases clean and helps tight riffs sound precise.
Where does a noise gate go in the signal chain?
Without a loop, put it after drive, distortion and fuzz and before modulation, delay and reverb. With a loop, put the noisy pedals inside the loop. For amp gain, use the 4-cable method through the amp’s effects loop.
Will a noise gate change my tone?
A well-set gate should not change tone while you play. What it changes is decay: an aggressive threshold or release can clip note tails. Modern gates such as the ISP Decimator and BOSS NS-1X are designed to be as transparent as possible.
