Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor

Not too complicated.

This pedal is useful for taking the noise out of OTHER pedals, not so useful as a noise gate.

Run your noisy distortion or compression pedals through the LOOP of the NS2, NOT the input/output. POOF - pedal buzz gone, Decay and Threshold settings have no effect on this, you can just leave them all the way down.

However, if you're trying to quiet down noisy single-coil pickups, get ready to turn the threshold and decay WAY up. Really kills your attack and sustain. I suppose the only way to do this is find a threshold you can live with, and then add a delay pedal AFTER the NS-2 to get back some of the ambience it clips. I would really not recommend using it for this purpose. Which is too bad, because it seems to be its MAIN purpose.

Seems reliable, i have yet to have a problem w/ a Boss pedal.

Like I said: Useful to quiet down OTHER pedals. Any other application will probably leave you dissatisfied.

If I were rating it at quieting down other pedals: I'd give it a 10, takes the buzz right out and doesn't color tone. Have your distortion pedals cranked full up without a whisper until you hit the strings.

But because it's supposed to be a noise gate too, it gets a 6.

Let me start by telling you that I'm running a les paul loaded with burstbucker pro's through an engl blackmore 100 head to play metal. Drop C bone-crushing metal with as much gain as the amp lets me achieve.

It seems simple enough at first, plug in the guitar at input, amp at output and all set right ? WRONG! So I tried the NS-2 in the amp's effects loop to cut out the distortion hum... still no good at keeping the feedback out no matter how I set the threshold/decay buttons.

The manual actually contains a clue as to what the best setup is, but you have to treat the preamp like it was a noisy distortion pedal. So the way I run it now is:
Guitar->NS-2 input and then NS-2 send->amp input, amp send->NS-2 return, NS-2 output->amp return
It kills all feedback and noise so I can do (extremely loud) choppy riffs without any beeps coming in between chops. Because my amp lacks a fx loop on/off switch, I run the output of the NS-2 into a line selector which has chorus/delay/reverb in its loop to switch the fx on and off. The nice thing is when the NS-2 cuts the sound, the reverb and delay get to finish their chimes naturally without any feedback going on.

Is this easy to use ? On simpler setups you can probably just follow the manual to set fx in the NS-2 loop, but when using heavy preamp distortion like engl's or mesa's you have to work it out a bit and realize the preamp is just a supermegadeluxe metalzone which should go in the NS-2 effects loop.

Sound is awesome when not playing... i.e. it's dead quiet. When playing I don't notice it's there, but you have to turn the pedal off and on when doing slient phrases in songs.

Could just be me cause I have to set threshold to max and decay to minimum to avoid the feedback on my setup. I just turn it off for cleans or when I have to play crunchy through the heavy channel of the amp. The reduction causes a more subtle cutoff so the reverb and delay can fade out naturally.

It's boss. Have about 8 pedals and all are still in perfect health after 12 years.

I thought 80 euro's was a bit much for something that would just cut sound. But after 1 rehearsal I am incredibly happy with it. I can actually use my expensive equipment (Engl head, gibson guitar etc.) for what it was meant (play loud and heavy music) instead of worrying about feedback. On small stages it's just impossible to get away far enough from the amp so this little bugger is truly a must.

If it broke, got stolen or lost I would get one the next day.

With this pedal it is critical that you know what the threshold and decay do. If you do not know how to set this pedal than it will not work well for you. You have to experiment with you settings to get a good functional noise gate for your set up. It is also very important to know how to set this up in your signal path. The best way to run these Boss noise suppresors are by inserting you guitar straight into the input, from there take the effect send and insert into your first pedal in your effects chain that are not timing based effects like mod delays, reverbs, and any long time based delays. ie. wahs, filters, gain based, eq's, boosts, octaves, and the like. After you send it through all of those type of effects pedals, return the signal back into your Ns-2 and it will eliminate all that added noise now before you run to your delays and reverbs so you get a nice clean signal to all those timed based effects. so the last thing is to take that signal out of your ns-2 output and run it to your delays and reverbs and then to your amp. This is by far going to make the difference in your tone.

If you complete the signal chain as I described up top this thing is amazing. Get your settings dialed in and it will keep your entire pedal board SILENT when you are not playing and you can't even tell you are running it when you are playing.

So far this thing has been very reliable.

Boss is great

Overall this pedal is a must if you like nice quiet pedal boards, it does not color your tone if you set it up right! Great pedal.

Easy as hell. If you read the manual.

Okay, i felt i had to write a review for this cause i nearly didn't buy this after seeing all the bad reviews it's had on here. 'Tone sucking' and 'tone coloring' blah blah. I dont see what everyones crying about, no one obviously knows what there talking about when it comes to this pedal. If it sucks your tone, then its obviously cause you havent set the threshold right, or got the right setting on.
I play through a mesa boogie single rectifer, modern channel with a tube screamer on to give it more bite. Sounds awsome but with the tube screamer on its feed back galoreeee. I set the thresh hold to just past half way, decay to 0, press it on and the noise is gone. Its awsome! Doesnt suck your tone in the slightest, great for solo's , breakdowns and everything. Its probably one of the most useful things in my rig.

Built like a tank, just like all boss pedals.

I cant really comment on this as i've never dealt with Boss customer support.

10/10. This is just an awsome noise gate.

Very easy, especially if you have a basic understanding of noise gates and follow the clear instructions provided in the instruction manual (available online from Boss if you buy used or lose the manual).

Tried in various setups...single coil and humbuckers, placed at end of effects chain using NS-2 input/output, placed with guitar/amp in input/output and effects chain in the NS-2 send/return loop (best results with this setup). My other effects used for testing were the Boss TU-2 (tuner) and AC-2 (acoustic simulator), Blues Balls wah, and a Bigg Muff.

The NS-2 works beautifully with my effects chain placed in the NS-2 effects loop. The decay is natural even with the threshold set high enough to cancel the noise when my Big Muff is on.

The decay is much more natural when using the NS-2 effects loop rather than simply placing the NS-2 at the end of the signal chain. My guess is that the NS-2 passes some of the straight guitar signal to the amp just as the gate closes which helps preserve the decay, but that's just a guess.

I also tried the popular ISP Technologies Decimator. The Decimator had nothing on the NS-2. It sounded like I was using a tremolo effect in the middle of the decay with the Decimator - very unnatural.

It's a Boss pedal. My TU-2 has gone through two floods and still works fine. No amount of gigging should wear down one of these things.

never had to deal with Boss customer support

Great noise gate for guitar effects pedals. Been playing over 12 years, using a fair amount of pedals, and wish I would have bought this pedal much earlier than I did. It is awesome to be able to play single-coil pickups without the 60-Hz hum in the silent spaces and to keep my Big Muff on without terrible hissing between phrases. When used properly - placing the effects in the NS-2 effects loop - all that noise is canceled without affecting the natural sound of the attack and decay.

Considering how well this pedal works and the price compared to other guitar noise gates, I do not know why anyone would buy something else. I directly compared it with the ISP Decimator and the all the Decimator decimated was my dynamics on soft notes. I cannot recommend the NS-2 more highly.

The pedal is pretty straight forward. The controls are easy, you don???t need much experience with pedals to work it out. The inputs may confuse some people but its easy if you know what your doing. The manual that came with it shows you how to set it up properly.

I am using a agile al-2500 (les paul style) with EMG's (81-bridge, 85-neck). From the guitar it goes into my NS-2's input out the send jack into a OD-20 to a DS-1 to a Behringer UC-200 chorus then to NS-2 return jack then to my amp, a Success 50w(piece of ****).THIS PEDAL MAY VERY SLIGHTLY IF ANYTHING EFFECT YOUR TONE. The NS-2 cuts out pretty much all the noise of my pedals. THIS PEDAL IS MADE FOR CUTTING PEDAL NOISE!! it can only cut out a very little noise from an amp. if you a using a pedal to boost your amp(e.g. tube screamer) ant its in the NS-2's effects loop it will cut the majority of the noise but not all. This does not squeak or click or anything when it cuts in or out and even with the decay at minimum it does not cut out unnaturally when you stop playing. Also it does not fade in slowly, the split second you start playing again it cuts back through with full volume. If it is cutting a lot of your volume it is probably set up wrong. It can some times cut a long note short especially if you are using the guitars volume control. Im giving it a 9 because it doesn???t cut amp noise. I would say if you were using a separate pre amp and power amp it would cut the noise if the pre amp was in its effect loop.

It is in a solid metal casing. boss pedals are known for there reliability, but i would still use a back up if gigging because anything could go wrong and this pedal is an essential.

This pedal is a must have if you play anything with high-gain distortion or if you are using a lot of effects. Active pickups usually give a bit more noise because they pick up a broader spectrum. I don???t gig yet because im not in a band atm, but it is a boss so when i start gigging it should still be working fine. i have tried a few different noise gates, a lot of them tend to cut your long notes off more suddenly, and also click when it cuts out the sound. I would advise this to anyone using pedal distortion

There isn't much subjectivity about this type of pedal - they either kill noise without damaging tone or they don't. It's therefore easy to set the pedal to do what it's capable of (you don't have to find a particular sound).

I use a PRS EG4 (has two s/c's, one h/b and 'in between' sounds) into: HT Boost pedal, always on > Boss Compressor, always on > Ibanez TS9DX > Boss Flanger > Boss Chorus > [BOSS NS2 suppressor, always on] > Digitech delay > Digitech Reverb > Blackstar valve amp. With the NS2 placed before the delay and reverb, as suggested in the manual, I can't hear any deterioration in the sound when all pedals are on, or when they're off. With the NS2 pedal off there's a lot of noise, with it on there's none. Job done. Only very slight worry is that the 'threshold' setting seems to need to be all the way up, but that's not been a problem.

Very solid, as usual with Boss,and once set, I won't be fiddling with it much. Don't envisage problems.

Not needed.

I've just joined a band playing a lot of covers and have to use a number of pedals so noise has become a problem for me. I was going to get the ISP Decimator on the strength of Utube recommendations but couldn't find a shop that stocked one (in central London!). As I needed something urgently I got the NS-2, about ??30 cheaper. However, I wasn't disappointed. I've noticed no deterioration of tone and the considerable noise my pedals make is gone. Jst remember not to put the NS2 after delay or reverb FX. Also, personally I don't bother with looping the FX into it, just put it in the chain. All good.

There might be a little trouble for those who are new to the concept of a noise gate. Though it??s pretty simple if you read the instructions and try different setings.

I used it on my Peavey 6505+ with a Mesa rectifier Std 4x12 cab. I play high gain metal. My setings where:

Threshold - 11 o clock
Decay - Minimum
Mode - Mute

The NS2 does colour your sound, no matter what setings you have on it. The best way to describe it is a slight loss of the edge of the tone. Muted chords still sounds great but loose just that little extra touch. I tried it on other rigs and had the same issue.

The NS2 does it??s job though. No more hissing and squeeling, as a noise gate should be. It works great, though it can cut the end of a sustained tone.

I recently got rid of this and bought an ISP Decimator instead, and the decimator is a lot better. Though if you can??t afford the ISP, and if you don??t mind a slight loss in your sound, then the NS2 might be for you.

Seems to be very sturdy.

Haven??t dealt with them.

I would not recommend the NS2 if you have expensive stuff and want the very best out of your rig. The NS2 WILL colour your sound in a bad way.

However, the NS2 still does it??s job and works good as a noise gate. So if you aren not so picky, then you will be very satisfied with this.

There's only three knobs and what the knobs do is pretty obvious. I bought the pedal used so I don't think I got a manual with it, but Boss manuals generally aren't anything special--not fancy, but they get the job done.

Here's my setup:

Guitar(s) > AKG WMS40 Flexx wireless system > Boss CS-3 > Boss PH-3 > Boss OS-2 > Boss EQ-20 > Boss CH-1 > Boss RV-3 > Boss NS-2 > Guitar amp or PA system

"Guitar(s)" refers to any number of the guitars that I play, and since I have three that I normally use with this board, I didn't want to list 'em all. Anyway, this pedal does what it's designed to do--no more, no less. Some of my pedals can get kind of noisy and when I use two or three noisy effects at the same time, there can be quite a bit of line noise, but the NS-2 kills it all.

I'm not sure why people are complaining about the tone-sucking qualities of this pedal, because in my opinion, there aren't any. It's really pretty transparent. With a clean signal, it's impossible to tell the difference between having the noise suppressor on and having it off. Unless I'm running lots of effects at the same time, I have trouble remembering why I bought the thing.

It's a Boss. 'Nuff said. If a nuclear was to occur, the only things left working would be Boss pedals and Timex watches. I've used all of my Boss pedals (don't have the cash to buy two of everything) for years and none of them has ever failed me. Perfect 10.

Never dealt with Boss directly, and don't plan on it. I've heard mixed reviews about their customer service department, but I can't comment on it myself.

The main reason I bought this pedal was because one of the guitarists I play with thinks it's an absolute necessity. Whenever I play clean, I get mad at him for making me spend money on something that doesn't change my sound at all. Whenever I play with a ton of effects, I'm glad that I bought it. Like I said before, the NS-2 kills noise and doesn't color your sound. If this one were lost or stolen, I'd probably buy another one.

Not too much to understand here, three knobs:
Threshold - Sets the level where noise reduction or mute starts working.

Decay - Sets the time it takes for the reduction to begin decaying the signal.

Mode - Switches between reduction and mute.

This is directly out of the box from Boss, no upgrades and the instructions are pretty clear. As far as getting a good sound out of it, it really depends on your set up and what you're going for but with only three knobs and the option to run your effects through the loop or through the standard input/output you have some options.

I've slowly become more of a purist over the years and don't use effects as much as I once did. My set up is simple: LTD KH203, EH Holy Grail Reverb, Boss NS-2, Peavey 6505+...that's it. I purchased this because after having the preamp circuit board replaced in my Peavey (apparently there were a few things wrong which caused the amp to cut out thus reducing the noise and chance of feedback)I noticed a significant amount of high pitched feedback and a slightly muddier tone in my one band. We play southern metal and hardcore and typically I run my pregain between 6 and 7 on the lead channel with the postgain at the 12 O'clock position. Since I work off of our other guitarist I can't have a large amount of noise and feedback in choppy sections and the NS-2 seemed like the best solution.

After hooking the NS-2 up and turning it on I noticed the following:
Reduced noise
No more high pitched squeal or feedback
A slight amount of compression

I had read of people finding problems with reduced signal strength and even experienced it while demoing this unit for a customer. I, however, didn't experience any loss of signal strength and it actually added definition and reduced the muddy tone I had experienced without it. I think it really depends on your pickups and amplifier...this didn't work well with the Fender Hot Rod Delux and actually made the amp sound a little more like a solid state amp...but it's ok, I'm not fond of Fenders.

I wasn't trying to sound like any particular artist, just trying to clean up my sound while maintaining the "balls" of the 6505+.

I just purchased it but I don't feel I'll have any problems with it. I highly recommend that anyone who does purchase one should pick up a power supply to avoid having to change batteries.

I'm a sales associate at a music store and have a direct contact number for our sales representative for all our Boss products and he's actually very easy to deal with.

I play southern metal through a high gain tube amp and this is a great addition to my set up. Having played for almost 16 years I know what I want as far as tone is concerned and I know this item to actually do a little more than it says it does. I'm speaking of the slight compression effect produced by the NS-2...a nice bonus.
I highly recommend this for anyone dealing with a high gain tube amp that is experiencing lots of noise, feedback and squealing, and muddy tone. I don't recommend this to anyone who is overly critical about dynamic response.