ISP Technologies Decimator Noise Reducer

Come on, one knob...

I recently decided to part ways with multieffects units for my live setup, since I don't use amp models or any fancy effects. I found myself using a PODxt live just for the noisegate and the tube OD, so i went for individual stomps. I went in a friend's store to place an order for the ZW OD, an MXR 10band and the SmartGate or the decimator. The guy never heard of the decimator before, but said he'd bring in a smartgate that would take some tome to arrive. A few days later he called me saying someone brought in a batch of used pedals in great condition, including the decimator, so i took it home for a test. Long story short, i plugged it in, turned the knob to desired position, finetuned, and no noise, guess i won't need to try that smartgate.

I'm using this at the end of my recently simplified chain: Gibson Les Paul custom Ebony or ESP 2000 custom shop Eclipse (emg 81b 85n) into a dunlop dimebag crybaby from hell, Zakk Wylde OD, and the ISP, going into a marshall mode4 with an mxr 10band eq in the loop. It manages to tame the massive amounts of hiss and noise from the amp, as well as feedback coming from the messy EQ settings i like to use. It even eliminates the grounding noise the lespaul makes when used with a cable instead of a wireless.

Only gripe, as some said, is the fact that for clean sounds or slightly overdriven amp channels without the ZW OD, the pedal decimates sustain, so there needs to be some tapdancing when changing sounds. Doesn't matter much, since i don't use clean sounds that often, but even so, there can always be a logical, efficient stomping sequence to follow to ensure seemlsess switching.

Sound coloration? Maybe a slight decrease in volume if not properly finetuned, but that can be achieved by tweaking the 10band EQ in the loop.

Note: I used this in the loop...bad idea...it did take away feedback but it created a wide wall of white noise. Front of the amp works perfect, no need to stick it to the back of the amp

Haven't had it for long, but it's on 90% of the time during a set so i guess it's sitting safe

I don't know them, they don't know me

I've been playing for 13 years, and i'm the single guitarist in a band that sounds like a bastard child of a machine head/pantera/BLS orgy (which in my ears, is good!) So obviously i use a LOT of gain with particular equalisation, that gives off a lot of noise and feedback that this pedal can tame. Much better noise reduction than the PODxtLive. I wonder how it would tackle that impulse purchase of a Free Speech talk box (if i can find where i stashed it)

If it were stolen, i'd get another one (after castrating the thief). Does what it's supposed to do in my situation. Might not satisfy the tone-freak playing a 50year old single coil relic through a vintage boutique fender chimemaster but hey...some like their wine rare and properly room tempered...others are just satisfied if their pint of beer is ice cold and easily refilled.

The ISP Decimator consists of only one knob and is as easy to use as a noise reduction unit can get. It accepts a 9V battery or adaptor and is fairly straightforward to adjust to a desirable level playing around for awhile.

I play a Schecter Classic with alnico humbucker pickups through a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier with a 16 Ohms THD hotplate attenuator and Genz-Benz G-Flex 2x12 cab. I run 2 Boss RV-3 units and a Boss CE-5 Chorus through the effects loop. In addition, I run a Boss Chromatic Tuner pedal followed by the ISP decimator, Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer, and Morley Bad Horsie Wah directly into the amp.

Basically, I use the Decimator pedal to "reduce" the noise coming out of a fairly high gain "vintage" Channel 2 setting and a monster gain "modern" setting on the 3rd channel. With my amp settings it is impossible to use the decimator to cut all the noise and still have good sustain and dynamics on any of the channels (I run the decimator at -40dB at the most; usually it is further to the left and only hit -40dB in a club where my amp can really crank).

I certainly agree with the Decimator's claims for tonal transparency; at low to moderate settings the tone is no different with the pedal on or off. The decimator simply cleans up the signal and gets rid of a lot of the hum in addition to helping my amp not feedback if I am standing really close to it and the volume and gain are at a near-threshold where some feedback is possible.

I tried running the pedal through my effects loop which is recommended by a lot of people and written information but it was a wash; my effects loop is set close to 10% wet/dry mix so the tone of my amp is maintained and this means that I really have to crank up some of the settings on my effects pedals to get a desired effect level. In turn, this meant having to really crank the decimator in the loop to get a noticeable effect but it worked out fine because it functions so well in the direct line to my amp from my guitar.

Ultimately, I am giving it a 9 because there is always some room for improvement in noise reduction / gate systems. I used to play through a Johnson Millenium which allowed user-made patch presets and when I went from a distorion to a clean my noise reduction settings would change with the patch. This setup allowed for an easy on/off for noise redcution which only hurts clean sounds by cutting sustain and dynamics. Also, my patches with less gain needed less noise reduction than the full-out distortion ones and this made for a great deal of flexibiity and convenience.

Some users find the ISP unuseable with both their high gain and clean channels and are forced to switch it off every time they change which means a lot more dancing around on pedals and footswitches. I decided on a compromise wherein I still have some noise but never have to mess with the pedal once the show starts and never suffer note cutoff or stale palm-muting. I have used a Boss-NS2 before the ISP and I feel that the Boss-NS2 messes with the tone and does not allow for as much sustain/dynamic feel as the Decimator does. Spend the extra money and get the ISP if you are looking at the Boss.

It appears to have fairly solid construction; I have had no problems with it so far.

I have had no issues and have not contacted customer support.

Sound quality paragraphs pretty much sum up the reason I give it a 9.

I read all of the reviews here but decided to give it a shot because the ElectroHarmonix HumDebugger made it sound like my guitar amp was inside a 50 gallon drum.

Okay, it has one knob but it is very tricky getting it set right. I've been using right after my guitar and the idea is to turn the knob clockwise until the noise goes away. The problem is if you set it with your guitar volume dimed, when you back it off to maybe 5 the notes can get chopped off. And if you set the control with your guitar volume set to 5, some of the noise will come back when you turn your guitar volume up all of the way.

Since I usually use my guitar volume control a lot this does complicate things. I could use a volume pedal after the ISP Decimator and just leave my guitar volume set to 10. But for now I've been setting the control for no noise at maybe 6, and then when I turn it up I do get some of the noise back, but usually the rest of the band is louder, too, which would cover it up.

In any case, this is still a big improvement over the "old school" noise reduction units which were just a noise gate.

Other than the problem with the notes being chopped off when turning down the guitar volume control mentioned above, the pedal is fairly transparent- although it does have a subtle effect on the sound and response. If the alternative is to leave my guitars with P-90's at home, I am fairly happy with the results.

No idea. The pedal *is* built like a tank- it feels like it weighs 2 pounds but I did not put it on a scale.

Once again, no idea.

As mentioned earlier I had first gotten the ElectroHarmonix HumDeBugger, which was easier to set and completely eliminated the hum regardless of the volume settings of my guitar. But it added what sounded like a short 5 millisecond delay like you might get with a flanger- like playing inside an 55 gallon oil drum. If you were going into other effects it actually sounded kinda slick (like a very short doubler) but it just wouldn't give me natural tones so I exchanged it for the ISP pedal, which is very close to what I've been looking for, but not quite there.

I do audio editing on my computer and by taking a noiseprint I can remove hum or noise very transparently. It basically analyzes a short sample of the noise and removes it from the audio signal. So why not have a pedal that does roughly the same? Push one button in to sample the noise you want to eliminate and then set the other controls for the amount of noise reduction.

A pedal like this would probably be at least $300 but I think it would be worth it. But for now the ISP Decimator will have to do...

Its very simple and it does not cut your tone at all like the other Noise Gates.Turn the Threshold to where the noise disappears and Ureka you have a pro sound with no cutoff of tone and balls on clean or ultra gain.I cranked the Marshall JCM 900 and silent as can be.

Marshall JCM 900 Marshall Jcm 800,Marshall TSL 2000 100 watt.Lots of effects.Works like a charm.

Absolutely dependable.

never had to call them.

Been playing 17 years.I play Hard Rock music.I use Guitars that have Ballsy pickups.I use Duncans mostly.Quiets it up and still has the balls.

One knob. Turn it up to engage gage, down to reduce it. Not too tough.

No noisy at all. Unfortunately the kicker is you set it past 9 o'clock and it starts to cut off notes. You start to lose sustain and the dynamics of the notes you play. 11 o'clock forget it...worthless. I compared it to the Smartgate and Boss noisegate and it is better than those, but even when it is engaged the least bit, it does affect the tone.

No problem, but I don't even use it when gigging.

Never called them.

I play rock, classic rock, alternative and even modern country in a band that gigs 4 times a month. Don't use the pedal cause it does affect the sound. Not dramatically if used properly, but enough for me to not use it. Best bet to cut down hum is to make sure you have very good cables and a good power supply like the Dunlop Brick. Just bought one a month ago and was amazed how much quieter my set up is not. Less feedback too. Been playing 15 years through Marshall and Les Paul/Strat. Overall, it's a good product for what it is, but I'm so anal about my sound, I won't put anything in my chain that affects tone and doesn't have true bypass as well.

One knob. Dial it until you like it. Piece of cake.

Believe it or not this thing actually adds noise to your signal.

Go try it. Take it in & out of the chain. Put it on your power supply or power it with a battery. It will add noise while off and hush up when on. Did ISP do this on purpose so you think the pedal is working good? This noise gets to be a very big problem at stage volume with higher gain.

I tested this sucker in and out of the pedal board (furman SPB-8C)and with three diffferent guitars (LP studio, ESP -MH-1000, Epi gold top) and with two different tube amps.

Other than the almost unusable noise it adds, it does color your signal a bit and reduce the clarity of the highs. Sort of like turning the treble knob down on your car stereo. But it is minor.

No problem 2 years.

Read above notes on noise. It does open up nice and fast though.

one button...so easy a retarded caveman could use it.

OK, I am into a lot of very heavy music with a lot of heavy distortion. My 6505+ has the gain on 7-8 and this monster can produce some of the worst squeeling I have ever heard. It was almost impossible to put this thing past 3 and not have the feedback rip your face off. So I got this little beauty and plugged it in after my tuner and then straight into the head. I don't use any pedals at all, just the searing tone of my guitar (Schecter with the Duncan Invader) so I cant comment on how well this thing does in a daisy chain, but I think it would do just fine. The only thing about this pedal is that it is a NOISE SUPPRESSOR not a GATE. I have found that putting it in front of the amp is really where it should be. Not through the effects loop.
The drawback to this is it really only fixes the sound from my guitar, but there is still some hiss from the amp. My solution to that was to put an NS2 through the effects loop and it works great. No hiss. No hum. No feedback. No tone loss. Just the tone I have paid over $3,000 to get.

It looks sturdy enough ,but I wouldn't advise you chuck it at a wall or anything.

The customer service was pretty good. The guy responded to my e-mails within a day and they shipped me a new pedal back fairly quick.(I thought the pedal was broken, until I put it through the front).

This pedal does the job. Through the front it is better than the NS2 no real tone loss or cut offs, just be prepared to mess with the knob for a while. With the stuff I play (Emmure, Acacia Strain, August Burns Red) i need a ton of gain and pretty much shear brutality, but I also need it to be clear. The Decimator allows me to have that.
I just wish it worked better in the FX loop so I didn't have to get the NS2, but with the two I have PERFECT sustain, tone and noise reduction.

Simple to use, one knob.
Just turn it up until the noise just starts to go away. If you go any higher then it will take away sustain.
You will have to readjust this knob when your guitar signal changes because you increased the volume on the guitar or stomped on another overdrive pedal, etc.

It is the best noise suppressor I have tried.
But I have one beef...it is not true bypass so it sucks some tone!
It makes my signal sound a bit "spongey", "squishy" by taking away some of my punch and clarity.
Most people may not notice this but I am obsessed with my tone as I love the sound of my guitar plugged directly into my Marshall but as soon as I introduce non-bypass pedals my tone suffers.

Solid as a rock!

I did send them an email to tell them their ad is false advertising as it says "will not affect guitar tone" but infact it does suck some tone.
Of course I got no response

Here is their website:
http://www.isptechnologies.com/decimatorpedal.htm
Here are some third party reviews:
http://www.highlystrung.co.uk/acatalog/info_918.html

I have a wiring problem at my house which causes a lot of hum, especially when I use any type of gain, distortion, overdrive so this pedal works great for this without chopping off the trails of my notes prematurely.

But like I said earlier it does suck some tone and removes some of the punchiness which I love from my Marshall 1959 Super Lead amp tube amp.
Maybe it would be less noticeable with a newer amp that does not have as high of an input impedance or with a transistor type amp.

I play rock n roll, rock, southern rock, acid rock, alternative, metal, blues, swing, jazz, country, classical

I wish they would make it true bypass so that it would not mess with my signal when not engaged and better yet improve the internal electronics so it would not mess with my signal when engaged.

Very easy to use. One knob to turn, The only thing you might have trouble with is if you use it in you're effects loop to adjust the send and return.

I have tried 2 of the pedals. I have a B-52 At-100 and when I put it in the effects loop there is considerable volume drop, and when I adjust the send up high enough for no volume drop the thing distorts really bad. I am still trying to figure that one out.

Have not got this thing to work yet. I would hope it is reliable if you can get it to work.

Every body says that they are the greatest, But when I emailed them about my troubles they did not give any answers to the problems I was having they just wanted to sell me their $400 dollar Rack version. I dont think so!!

N.A

one knob...
the clue is where to put that thing in the signal chain and to dial in the less amount of noisegate you need.

like tony below i use this pedal as the first one in the signal chain to eliminate the single coil hum (which seems to be a very logical way to use that unit) and the results are really great. i rediscovered positions 1,3 and five of my stratocaster again...;-)
concerning the noise of the pedals following this unit-there is nearly none, cause all of that single coil hum which gets amplified through the next stages has been eliminated.
in fact before i got that pedal there were lots of situations in the studio or during gigs when i didn??t dare to switch to the single coil sounds but also didn??t want to put humbuckers or some other noiseless-shit in my vintage instruments. this pedal here is the solution.
yeah, it colours the tone, but to a very minimal extend. the sound is slightly more compressed and a little more compact, which sometimes makes my guitar sound even better (sometimes not). if you use it the way that i do you don??t have to tweak in a big amount of noisereduction and the pedal doesn??t cut the end of your notes at all.
keep in mind it??s a noisegate and it has limitations but this thing here works totally fine and can save one??s life...

very well buit.
anybody knows if it has true bypass? just for being curious.
by the way-true bypass really is a complete hype anyway. in fact lots of pedals which don??t have t.b. sound much better bypassed. john mayer blogged something interesting and true about that,google "john mayer equipment" .

i am playing nearly everything from rock to jazz.
studio work and gigs, i??m professional musician and play since 21 years.
i got this pedal today and spent the whole day with it, combining it with lots of other new and favourite gear.
i will use it live and in the studio, mainly with my ??71 strat, ??69 tele and ??68 jazzmaster, thd univalve, mesa boogie nomad and fender deluxe-highly underrated amp by the way.
i use lots of boutique pedals from t-rex, hao, z vex, sobbat, okko, jaques and others.
this pedal is a keeper and will help me in many situations. makes me want to tour again with singlecoil guitars...