ISP Technologies Decimator Noise Reducer

Although it is ridiculously simple to use with just one knob, it can be tough to find the right setting that will suit your needs, especially if you play high gain metal and the like. The single Threshold knob has a very wide range for any application you could imagine but I found it's also pretty sensitive.

I run an Ibanez SZ520QM with EMG 81b/60n into a Randall RG100SC 100 watt 2x12 combo (the original model, not the G2 series). I've tried the Decimator both in front of the amp and in the effects loop. If you use it in front, you will be disappointed if you like your rig to be really quiet because it doesn't silence as much hiss as the Boss NS-2 does. Plus it doesn't have a very pronounced gating effect. With the Threshold set too low, you don't get as much noise reduction, and with it set too high you can kill your sustain and if you turn it up even more, you won't get any sound from your guitar.

In the FX loop of the amp is where this pedal is supposed to excel. Playing with the Threshold control I don't think I really found a setting I liked. HOWEVER, it could cut out ALL the noise, so my really hissy Randall amp was COMPLETELY SILENT and I could've sworn it was off, no joke. The problem was that in the loop it did nothing to prevent feedback... there was no noise but I almost couldn't avoid hearing screeching feedback that I couldn't silence. I tried it at band volumes at a practice and the same problem was present: infinite feedback that wouldn't stop until I found a decent place to stand. I guess it did what it was supposed to do, but I still wasn't satisfied.

I think it's a solid pedal, built like a tank. Never had any problems with its functionality.

I never had to deal with ISP so I can't comment.

I've been playing guitar for maybe 5 or 6 years, and the whole time I've played mostly Metal. I thought the Decimator was an outstanding pedal that did exactly what it was supposed to do, that is it was meant to silence the noise coming from an amp. But I expected a more noise gate-like effect and I didn't get it.

The bottom line is, if you're looking for a noise suppressor that will let you do stop-start type things and take away a lot of your noise, go for the Boss NS-2. If you want to make your amp dead silent but don't care about a nice signal chop-off that a gate has to offer, get the ISP.

I decided the Boss NS-2 just suits me a lot better for what I like. It's all in what you like.

As everybody has said this is probably the simplest format you could imagine, one knob to alter the threshold.

However, although this does the job in hand i did find that i was only moving within about 5% of the available range and i do think that the system, although simplistic could provide more control. Maybe over a smaller range of frequencies.

I play an RG550ltd with EMG 81 and 85, a JEM 7V, a Jackson SL-2 with 81 and 81 and an ESP m-II custom, again with EMGs through a mk I Peavey 5150 Signature series and a Mesa Recto slanted 4x12, and i have my decimator as the sole pedal in my effects loop.

I play technical thrash/speed metal using the 5150's high gain channel. Although i got a great tone when playing any time between was dominated by unbearable hiss and uncontrollable feedback, and not just at gig volume.

The decimator, ahem, decimated the hiss in seconds without noticably killing sustain or taking away from top end. Although at first i did feel that certain notes were getting clipped but a bit of tweaking and this was barely audible, and was definitely a worthwhile trade off with the loss of the hiss.

I've had no problems at all, it's been dropped, kicked, fallen from all sorts of places and it still works a treat, it may look like a boss pedal but it's made of sterner stuff.

N/A

Taking into account the cost, the reliability, and the trade-off between cleaning up the signal and loss of sound quality i would be hard pushed to think of something i'd rather use.

It's infinitely better than the Boss NS series, and i'd say personally, i prefer it to MXR's M135 Smart Gate pedal, which is very good as well.

You may be able to get a better end result from far more expensive and complicated rack units (although experience of Behringer and Digitech units, the 2101 was a particular disappointment). But I am yet to do so and am more than happy with the Decimator and would not be looking any further for my noise reduction in the future.

If mine got lost or stolen i'd buy another straight away.

One knob. Retard proof.

I use this after all my high gain or noisy pedals. PRS Custom 22 into EVH Phase 90->Keeley Comp.->Keeley TS9->Keeley DS-1 SEM->Decimator into Hiwatt Custom 100.

Best noise reduction I've ever tried, period. The lowest and highest threshold settings are "out of range" of normal guitar playing so you'll be setting this near 12 o'clock. For this reason, I wish ISP had dedicated a narrower threshold range to the sweep so you could have more control on the edge of the threshold.

When your amp is cranked and you have all your high gain pedals active, step on the Decimator and it's like the amp is on standby. Any old noise gate can do that, but this pedal really shines in opening & closing the gate. There's no chatter, just a smooth ramp. The tops of your notes don't get clipped. The sustain is reduced somewhat, but at that point, the noise is equal to or greater than your signal anyway.

As far as transparancy is concerned, I hear a little extra thickness in the low-mids when active. This might be compression, but it's fairly subtle.

I've owned it for 6 months and it's been fine. However, if you use a battery, beware when the battery starts to sag as this will produce unwanted "bad connection" sounds. I use a Pedal Power 2 so there's no issue.

N/A

Been playing for 20 years and I like hard rock and metal, and I think this pedal was made for high-gain players. It's the best pedal I've added in a long time. I will never be without one again.

If you're like me, the sound of your amp humming & buzzing at high volume makes you want to punch a baby, the Decimator will keep you in good standing with infants all over the world.

Turn your rig on turn this on, turn the knob until the ocean disappears . . . Done! No manual needed.

I use Randall RH100 Solid State amps and my house is very old and poorly grounded. The distortion channel in these amps is noisy by itself in my house, a Decimator in the effects loop and POOF, no noise. I use a Boss Metal Zone in front of the Randalls clean channel. The Metal Zone is a noisy beast and when coupled with lousy grounding, the nasty hum and noise is horrific. Put the Decimator at the end of the chain, turn the knob . . . silence, until you bash a chord and it almost scares you because it comes out of nowhere.

This thing is heavier than any Boss pedal I have ever came across. It looks to be built like a good truck.

No support has been needed, I hope it stays that way :)

I play loud hard rock and metal and punk and thrash. I have been playing 18 years or so. This is by far the best thing I have ever bought for electric guitars.

One Knob (ohh) so simple, turn one way hiss goes turn the other hiss comes back.

I use this with rack gear and an old Marshall JCM800 and it works like a charm. I play Metal so need ultimate silence in between stabs the pedal does what it says on the tin. Tone wise to my ears there is no loss. Tried gates racked hush units and this is by far the best.

Built like a brick Sh*t house so I have no worries about gigging with it.

Sent an email before buying as they weren't widely know in the uk and got quick helpful response.

I'd definetly buy another if anything happened to the first one. It looks the biz and does what it supposed to with any farting about.

Very Easy to use. It is a noise gate. Plug it in and dial until your noise is gone. Very easy.

I don't know if the other reviewers were lucky and got good units, or if perhaps they fell for this thing without really listening to how it colors the sound. I had one and returned it for another thinking the first was a bad unit, and it did the same exact thing. What am I talking about? I plugged directly into my amp on the noisiest gain setting and I get a little hiss, not bad, and in fact I don't care to clean that up- it is natural and tolerable. I just want to clean up my guitar signal into the amp. Now, I plug into the Decimator and then into the amp on the same setting (without the Decimator engaged) and now, a huge increase in hiss. Cords? You ask. No way. Brand new Mogami cables. Amp? You ask. No way. Brand New Hughes and Kettner Triamp (no cheapy amp here). Now, engage the pedal and it takes away the noise from the guitar, but the increased channel hiss is still there. I want a noise gate to clean up noise, not add noise. I really wanted this unit to work.

It is reliable. You could throw it against a wall and it would still work. But, the problem is, it would still work. It is the Mafia Pedal. It gives you noise you don't need and then takes it away. It's like protection money.

I called customer support with this problem. They seemed eager to help and promised me that if I did not find satisfaction with their supplier of this unit, they would make it right. The only thing is. It does not work in the way a noise gate should.

I have been playing for over 25 years. I am a semi-professional player. I have released CD's on Indie labels. I play all professional gear and guitars. I take my tone and my sound seriously. This unit promises to deliver, but it does not. I wish it would, because it is simple to use, does not squash your signal, but unfortunately adds noise.

How simple can it get with one knob and on/off?

I bought the Decimator pedal yesterday to stick in my effects loop to quiet down the typical premap noise. I have a Boss GT-8 (the Decimator comes last in the chain - after the GT-8 of course) and the GT-8's noise reduction is fairly decent but I have noticed a definite tone impact in the high frequencies when setting the threshold at my required levels. Now, with the GT-8's noise reduction even when fully gated there was a light high frequency hum that was still noticeable to be irritating though not too loud. So, disenchanted with the possibility of using the GT-8's reduction I went out and bought the Decimator on so many recommendations.

First thing I'll note about the pedal is how much it weighs. This thing is the heaviest Boss styled pedal I've ever came across. It feels like you're holding a solid brick. It's chrome which looks really hot and is made of sturdy metal. I wonder if it's the pedal construction that makes it heavy or a bunch of tightly crammed in circuitry? I'm curious. Anyhow, I set it up through the effects loop and started raising the threshold until the sound went quiet. I gave it just a slight tad of extra threshold just to be on the safe side. When I started playing I was suddendly appauled. It was pumping and breathing the sound like crazy and the volume of my guitar was cut in half. So I was nervous. So I backed of on the threshold till it was at the point where it was quiet when not playing, like you're normally supposed to set it, and bingo everthing was fine. No pumping, back to normal volume, and dead quiet when not playing. This thing even took away that small hum that was still present with the GT-8. The only way you can tell audibly that the amp is on is to go up to the speaker to hear the light ambient "air" that all speakers have when the amp is on.

I started contemplating whether it's worth the $130 (120 plus tax) to use this pedal rather than the GT-8 and I came to the conclusion of yes it is. I have to say that I don't feel they really should be charging $120 for these pedals. I think they should be more around $80. The thing that irks me most about the pedal is that the threshold difference can be sooo slight and make such a huge difference between noise reduction and completely cutting off the signal entirely!! I wish there was a lock for the adjustment knob caused I'd be scared about accidentally hitting it with my foot live on stage and turning off my sound. If I were to be using it live I would have it out of the way where it couldn't be touched.

So, overall it's a great pedal that gets rid of your amp and effect noise and does so completely (at least for me it does). It's true that it DOES NOT effect your tone - at least not in any way that I can hear and I have acute hearing. It's built extremely solid and rugged feeling, looks great, and is IMO a bit pricey. It is however very sensitive with threshold adjustment and the slightest bit of knob movement can mean the difference between it doing it's job and utterly f'ing up your sound so make sure to put it out of the way after getting it set. It also does an excellent job of avoiding cutting off sustained notes.

Hmm... I'll give this a seven only cause of the knobs super sensitivity. The construction is rock solid, built like a tank. But if you just tap that knob with your foot live on stage forget about it! Remember to put it out of the way after you set the threshold! So since this risk is present I'm only giving it a 7 for reliability.

Overall I love this pedal as it does what it's supposed to do. But being it's a bit over priced at $120 and the knob is really sensitive I have to cut a few points off so overall I'm rating an 8.

Honestly, if you haven't gotten the point of how easy this pedal is by now, then you really have to pay more attention. I bought this pedal used, and I really dont need a manual. You plug it in (either in your string of pedals, or in your effects loop), turn it on, and turn the knob until the hiss or hum (whichever is the problem, for me it's a hum from my pickups) goes away. Ta Daaaa. Seriously. You'd have to be pretty f'ing stupid to not know how to work this pedal.

For a setup, I'm running a Mesa/Boogie F-100 head through a Marshall 1960AV cabinet, and my pedal string goes (in this order), Boss TU2, Line6 DL4, Line6 MM4. I have my Decimator going through my Mesa's FX Loop, and holy wow does it rule. I have fairly hot pickups in my Gibson SG (stock, open coil humbuckers), so I get a pretty gross hum when I'm playing my dirty channel. The Decimator cuts out most, if not all of the hum from my humbuckers, and from the channel gain.

I bought this pedal off of a friend of mine who owned it for 3 years prior. I saw the way he treated it, and I'm surprised that it hasn't turned into a heap of broken pedal. This pedal is honestly like a brick. You could easily kill a man with this pedal if you threw it at him, not that anyone should do that, but yeah, this thing will never die.

I haven't had to deal with them, and I doubt that I ever will. :]

ISP Decimator = incredible.

This thing is so easy to use. You only have to do 2 things, decide where you want it in your chain and turn 1 knob.

I play a 5150 with a very hot preamp, and not having a noise suppressor/gate is out of the question. I bought the MXR Smart Gate and it didn't cut it so I decided to give the Decimator a shot.

I have two sound issues and a perfect unit would kill both of them:

1)high gain feed back: If i put the decimator at the end of my effects chain before my amp the decimator does an amazing job of killing this noise. Even on rapid bursts of stocatto notes it is silent in between. At killing this sound alone I give it a 10. However putting it before the amp does not kill sound #2.

2)amp hum: If i put the decimator at the end of my effects loop (which isp recommends) I was utterly amazed that 'decimated' 99% of the hum from my amp. For this I give it a 10. However, it did nothing for the high gain feedback (sound #1).

For me getting rid of the feedback was the #1 issue, which is does remarkably well, but to give a unit a 10 I'd like to see it kill both. So overall I give it an 8.

This thing is built like a tank. It is shaped like a BOSS pedal, but seems to be even heavier duty.

I haven't dealt with them, but I here they are very good.

So like I said in the sound category I have two sound that I ultimately want to kill. For this reason I splurged and got the 2 channel rack mount unit (see my review). If you only need to kill hum or high feed back this unit is a must have, however I want to get rid of both so I ended up going with the rack mount version, and am returning this unit. I love its simplicity, durability, and the fact that it does exactly what it is supposed to. Don't even think about buying a Smart Gate, this is your unit.

Very easy to use. I play humbucker-equipped strats and teles into a Barber Burn Unit, Boss chorus and delay, and then into a 70s silver-faced Champ. I was getting a ton of noise through the Champ in the venue I play at, especially with the Burn Unit on. I plugged in the Decimator after my delay (end of the chain) and was pretty stunned at the results. As the reviews above say, the Decimator only has one knob. Essentially you turn clockwise until you can't hear anymore noise, but not so far that you prematurely kill your signal. It wasn't hard in my case, but it can be a little tricky because if you turn it too far, when you play quietly on a clean setting it'll cause your signal too fade in and out, very similar to a tremelo effect. It's actually kind of a cool sound, but it may not be something you want. So you just have to find a good balancing point where you kill most of the noise but still have a good, strong signal. If need be, you can always reach down between songs and tweak it a tiny bit. It really isn't tough.

One of the most impressive pieces of equipment I've ever tried. I don't write that many product reviews, but I do when I'm really impressed by something. The Decimator did exactly what it claimed it would, killed excess noise generated by noisy pedals without negatively effecting my tone. I've been playing electric guitar for around 18 years, and for my ears, I noticed no discernible effect on my tone, even when I switched it on and off while playing. I mention above what can happen when you're playing quietly on clean if you set the knob too far, but for me, it was easy to find a good balancing act between lack of noise and strong signal. And this thing is extremely easy to tweak between songs, or even during a song. For anyone running through a lot of pedals including overdrive/distortion pedals, I would strongly recommend the Decimator, especially if you're going into an older tube amp. Very professional sounding.

N/A: I just got this a couple of weeks ago, and have only played out with it twice. So I really can't comment on reliability yet. But I can tell you the pedal feels very solid, and has a metal casing. Basically, it looks like it's built like a stainless steel tank.

I emailed ISP a couple of times with tech questions before purchasing and they responded immediately. However, I don't have any experience with their customer service if the pedal fails, because that hasn't happened. So I gave them an 8.

Very good buy. Very professional and effective unit, for a very reasonable price, IMO. Would heartily recommend.