What setting is causing the softest of touches on the string to not emit sound?

[bxlgotham]

You know when you plug your axe into a compressor or noise suppressor (or often one after the other for obvious reasons) and then with a certain setting in each or either suddenly it sounds like the guitar is totally silenced unless you really attack the string? I'm finding this the case with a custom made amp block I threw together. Wondering what it is I am doing to make this the case. Anyone know what I mean?

 

[Rane]

The input block has a noise gate in it.

 

[bxlgotham]

The input block has a noise gate in it.

Interesting so it's acting like a BD-NS pedal?

 

[bxlgotham]

I just turn that threshold down and it will be close to gone and noisier as a result.

 

[phil92]

although I would argue that you want to employ proper dampening technique to reduce unwanted string noise. If you you use aggressive gate settings for that you are at the same time killing all kinds of playing nuances.

 

[randyman]

You’ll want to use different threshold settings for different patches. High gain patches, for example, are generally more likely to exhibit background noise than say, cleans … so you can expect to adjust the threshold setting accordingly.

But phil92 is right; you don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 

[Chuck P]

To @bxlgotham and anyone else who is new to this Intelligent noise gate function- I can't encourage you strongly enough to experiment with the threshold and other settings on a high-gain and a medium-gain patch - this noise gate is a really great feature, the best gate I've encountered. It can make metal and hard rock patches more enjoyable to play and easier to record.