Ever wondered why your guitar sound isn’t quite hitting the mark, despite tweaking every knob and pedal? I’ve been there, and the answer might lie in a question that often stumps even experienced players: Should you put the noise gate before or after compressor?
On the surface, this feels like a simple choice. But it’s one of the most debated topics among guitarists. Both the compressor and noise gate can be essential pedals for guitar players—one controls your dynamics, while the other keeps unwanted noise at bay.
But how to get their order right in your signal chain is a question that seems to have different answers depending on who you ask.
In this article, we’ll discuss whether you should put your noise gate or compressor first and the advantages of each. We will explore creative alternatives and help you determine the best setup for your needs.
Table of Contents
What Does a Compressor Do?
A compressor pedal plays an important role in a guitarist’s effects chain by managing the dynamic range of the guitar signal. Essentially, it evens out the volume levels, making softer notes louder while taming the peaks of louder ones. This can result in a more balanced and polished sound, which is particularly useful for maintaining consistency during live performances or recordings. By compressing the signal, the pedal can enhance sustain, giving notes longer life—perfect for solos or melodic lines.
However, this increased sustain, and consistency comes with a potential drawback: the compressor can also amplify unwanted noise along with those quieter notes, depending on where it’s placed in the signal chain. This is why the debate over whether to place a noise gate before or after the compressor is so crucial.
Be sure to check out our Ultimate Compressor Pedal Guide for a deeper look into compression.
What Does a Noise Gate Do?
A noise gate helps to remove unwanted sounds from a guitar signal by automatically cutting off the signal when it falls below a certain threshold. This is great for reducing hum, buzz, or any extra noise picked up by your guitar’s pickups or introduced by other pedals in your effects chain.
When the signal’s volume dips below the set threshold, the gate closes, effectively muting any noise. This makes it fantastic for achieving a clean sound, especially with high-gain settings.
The noise gate position in relation to other pedals, such as the compressor, plays a critical role in its effectiveness. If placed before a compressor, the noise gate can clean the signal before any unwanted noise is boosted. On the other hand, placing it after the compressor ensures that only the desired tones are boosted, helping to maintain a crisp overall sound.
You’re probably now starting to see why this is such a debated topic.
Compressor Pedal Before the Noise Gate
Here are some reasons you might want to put the compressor pedal before your noise gate, or in other words, your noise gate after the compressor.
Boost Quieter Signals
When you put your compressor before the noise gate, it allows it to boost any quieter signals that the noise gate might restrict. This ensures that any softer notes are heard clearly and consistently, which is especially useful for players who want to maintain an even volume across all dynamics in their playing.
I really like this approach in live settings where clarity and volume consistency are super important. I like to think it gives me a more polished and professional sound.
Remove Compressor Noise and Manage Hiss Effectively
When a compressor boosts the quieter parts of your playing, it can inadvertently amplify background noise and hum and even introduce a slight hiss, especially when set with a higher gain [1].
Placing the noise gate after the compressor is a strategic move to tackle this. This setup allows the noise gate to silence any unwanted noise that the compressor might have introduced or amplified.
The key is to set the noise gate to close just at the threshold of these unwanted sounds, ensuring that only the musical signal passes through, resulting in a cleaner sound or output.
This approach is particularly useful in high-gain rock and metal rigs where noise issues can be more pronounced. It allows you to maintain the benefits of compression, such as enhanced sustain and balanced dynamics, while minimizing distracting hums, hisses, and other noises.
Overall, I find this configuration leads to a tighter sound, ideal for both live performances and recording sessions.
Compressor Pedal After the Noise Gate
And here are some reasons you might consider putting your compressor pedal after the noise gate, or your noise gate before your compressor.
Clean the Signal Before Compression
Placing a noise gate before the compressor allows you to clean the signal at the earliest stage possible.
This setup ensures that the compressor only processes a clean, (mostly) noise-free signal and prevents amplifying any unwanted sounds. By removing the hums, buzzes, or any extra noise before they reach the compressor, you should maintain a purer tone.
This works really well when playing at high volumes or using high-gain settings, where noise can easily be introduced into the sound.
Removing noise at the beginning of the chain reduces the risk of these sounds becoming part of the amplified signal, leading to a more articulate and defined sound.
You might want to consider this option if you need clarity and precision in a high-gain sound.
Improves Dynamics Without Amplifying Noise
By placing the noise gate first, you can focus on setting up your compressor solely to enhance the dynamics of your playing without worrying about amplifying unwanted noise.
When the signal is already clean, the compressor can better highlight the subtle nuances of your performance, such as the sustain of a note or the attack of a chord, without introducing any extra noise.
This approach works really well in styles where dynamic expression is important, such as jazz or blues, where a clean, dynamic tone is key to conveying emotion and detail in your playing.
Complex Setups and Effects Chains
The interplay between a noise gate and a compressor in more complex setups can vary a lot depending on the entire effects chain and the sound you’re aiming for.
If you have a complex, intricate pedalboard, you’ll need to experiment with the order of your effects to suit your style. For example, if you’re using multiple modulation or time-based effects, the compressor and noise gate placement may change to optimize the overall tone.
Some guitarists might prefer the compressor to smooth out dynamics before adding delay or reverb. And others might choose to gate the noise after modulation to maintain a clean, consistent sound.
On top of all this, the specific characteristics of each pedal, such as whether they are true-bypass or buffered bypass, can influence their placement.
Break the Rules and Experiment
So, do you put your compressor before or after your noise gate? Your noise gate or compressor first? It’s confusing, but the truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, and maybe that’s the beauty of it.
Over the years, I’ve learned that your guitar rig is as unique as your playing style, and the perfect tone is often a product of trial and error and a little bit of magic (honestly).
I’ve found myself swapping the order of pedals more times than I can count, and each time, I discover something new about my sound. So, instead of seeking the “right” answer, why not embrace the experimentation?
Next time you’re tweaking your pedalboard, don’t just follow the conventional wisdom—dare to break the rules. Flip the order, add in another effect, or change the settings. Listen closely to what your guitar is telling you. For me, the journey to finding that sound I love has been just as rewarding, if not more so, than the destination. And who knows? You might stumble upon a configuration that solves this debate for you and sets you apart in a way that’s entirely your own.
FAQs
Should the noise gate go before the compressor?
Whether the noise gate should go before the compressor depends on your goal. Placing it before the compressor cleans the signal early, preventing noise from being boosted or amplified. For more details, check out Compressor Pedal After the Noise Gate.
Where should a noise gate be placed?
The ideal placement of a noise gate depends on your setup. It can go before or after the compressor, depending on whether you want to clean the signal first or reduce noise after compression. For more detailed information, read this article.
Does noise suppression go before or after gain?
Noise suppression typically occurs after gain to reduce the noise that high-gain pedals can introduce. For more information, read Compressor Pedal After the Noise Gate.
Should volume go before or after compressor?
Volume pedals are usually placed before the compressor to control the input signal or after the compressor to adjust overall output volume.
