Best Noise Gate Pedals 2026: For Metal, High-Gain & Recording
A noise gate is one of those pedals you don't think you need until the moment you try one and wonder how you survived without it. At high gain, every quiet moment between riffs is filled with hum, hiss, and pickup noise. A noise gate eliminates it, leaving clean silence when you stop playing and letting your tone through unaffected when you do.
This guide reviews the six best noise gate pedals on the market, explains correct placement in your signal chain, and shows you exactly how to set the threshold for different playing styles.
Why You Need a Noise Gate
Single-coil pickups: Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters are notorious for 60Hz hum from the single-coil design. Even moderate gain makes this hum very audible between chord stabs.
High-gain metal: Every dB of gain you add amplifies not just your guitar signal but all the noise in your signal chain — cable capacitance, power supply noise, pickup interference. At 7-8 on the gain knob, the silence between riffs is anything but silent.
Pedal boards: Every additional cable, pedal buffer, and power supply adds some noise floor. A board with 6+ pedals can accumulate enough noise to be audible at bedroom volumes, let alone stage volume.
Recording: Even if live noise is acceptable, recording exposes every imperfection. A noise gate cleans up the audio between takes and riffs, saving enormous time in post-production editing.
How a Noise Gate Works
A gate monitors the volume (amplitude) of your signal. When the signal drops below a threshold you set, the gate closes — it mutes the output completely. When signal rises above the threshold, the gate opens.
Threshold: The volume level at which the gate opens. Too high and it cuts notes prematurely. Too low and it lets hum through.
Decay (or Release): How quickly the gate closes after the signal drops below threshold. Fast decay = abrupt cut (good for tight metal palm muting). Slow decay = natural fade (better for blues, rock, ambient styles).
Attack: How quickly the gate opens when you play. Always set this as fast as possible — a slow attack creates an audible "pumping" effect where the start of notes is cut.
Signal Chain Placement
Where you put your noise gate matters as much as the settings.
Option 1: Front of Chain (most common)
Guitar → Tuner → Noise Gate → Drive Pedals → Amp
Best for: Controlling pickup and cable hum before it hits your drive pedals. The gate cleans the incoming signal.
Limitation: The drive pedals still add their own noise, which isn't gated.
Option 2: Effects Loop (most effective)
Guitar → Drive Pedals → Amp Input
Amp FX Send → Noise Gate → Amp FX Return
Best for: High-gain amps where the amp itself generates most of the noise. The gate controls the amp's output directly.
Limitation: Requires an amp with a parallel or series effects loop.
Option 3: NS-2 Four-Cable Method (best of both)
The Boss NS-2 has a send/return loop. Put your drive pedals in this loop:
Guitar → NS-2 Input; NS-2 Send → Drive Pedals → NS-2 Return; NS-2 Output → Amp
This way the gate analyses the dry guitar signal (clean reference) but gates the post-drive signal. It's the most accurate tracking method for high-gain playing.
The Reviews
1. Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Price: £85–90
Format: Standard single pedal
Controls: Threshold, Decay, Mode switch (Reduction/Mute)
The NS-2 has been the industry standard noise gate for 35 years and remains the top choice for most guitarists. The reason: it works, it's reliable, and every amp tech knows how to wire it into any rig.
The NS-2 analyses the dry guitar signal and uses it as a reference to gate the full signal — this means the gate tracks your playing rather than just monitoring output amplitude, resulting in far more natural behaviour than single-control gates.
Mode switch: Reduction mode suppresses the noise without fully muting (better for clean and blues players). Mute mode hard-cuts to silence below threshold (better for metal with complete silence between riffs).
Settings for metal: Threshold at 9-10 o'clock, Decay at 7-8 o'clock. Use the four-cable method with drive pedals in the NS-2's send/return loop.
Settings for rock/blues: Threshold at 7-8 o'clock, Decay at 10-11 o'clock. Reduction mode.
Verdict: The safest buy. Used by more professional touring guitarists than any other noise gate. Not the most transparent or most precise, but the most proven.
Rating: 9/10
2. ISP Decimator II
Price: £170–180
Format: Standard single pedal
Controls: Threshold only
The ISP Decimator II is widely regarded as the most transparent noise gate available — the signal passes through the open gate with zero colouration or loss of high-frequency content that some gates impart.
The ISP uses a "time vector" algorithm that tracks the actual waveform shape of your guitar signal, not just its amplitude. The result is tracking so accurate that the gate follows individual picking articulations rather than responding to general volume levels. Fast runs and pick attacks open the gate precisely without pumping artefacts.
For metal: The Decimator II is the professional standard in death metal, djent, and any style where the gate needs to be completely transparent during complex picking patterns while muting absolutely when you stop.
The single control design is intentional: ISP argues that decay time should be fixed to the programme content. In practice, the single threshold control is simple and the gate's behaviour in all other respects is automatic.
Pro Rack version: The ISP Decimator G String ProRackG separates the gate into a front-of-chain controller and an in-loop module, which ISP calls the most effective possible gate placement.
Limitation: The high price for a single-control pedal is a legitimate criticism. For casual players or those with moderate-gain setups, the Boss NS-2 delivers 90% of the result at half the price.
Verdict: The best noise gate if transparency and tracking precision are the priority — which they are at a professional or recording level.
Rating: 9.5/10
3. TC Electronic Sentry Noise Gate
Price: £100–115
Format: Standard single pedal
Controls: Threshold, Decay, Hard/Soft mode, TonePrint slot
TC Electronic's Sentry positions itself between the NS-2 and Decimator II in both price and capability. The Hard/Soft mode toggle is genuinely useful: Hard mode functions like a traditional gate (binary open/close), while Soft mode applies a more gradual attenuation that suits playing styles where complete silence would sound unnatural.
The TonePrint feature lets you load artist-preset gate configurations via the TC Electronic app. This is occasionally useful but more of a marketing feature than a practical advantage for most players.
Tracking quality is good but slightly behind the Decimator II for very fast playing. For most players at moderate-to-high gain, the difference is inaudible. For djent and death metal at maximum gain, the Decimator II's precision advantage is more apparent.
Build quality is solid. The enclosure is compact and roadworthy.
Settings guide:
Soft mode, Threshold at 9 o'clock, Decay at 10 o'clock — for classic rock and blues with single-coil hum.
Hard mode, Threshold at 10 o'clock, Decay at 8 o'clock — for metal, high-gain.
Verdict: The best value gate for players who want better tracking than the NS-2 but don't want to pay Decimator prices. A genuine competitor.
Rating: 8.5/10
4. Electro-Harmonix Silencer Noise Gate/Effects Loop
Price: £55–65
Format: Standard single pedal
Controls: Threshold, Attack, Release, plus Send/Return loop
The Silencer offers three controls (Threshold, Attack, Release) where the NS-2 offers two, at a lower price than any of the above. The Attack control is particularly useful — it determines how quickly the gate opens after signal rises above threshold, and faster attack settings eliminate any subtle pumping on fast playing.
The built-in effects loop works the same way as the NS-2's loop: put your drive pedals in the loop for the four-cable tracking method.
Where the Silencer falls short: Tracking quality is noticeably behind the Decimator II and slightly behind the NS-2 at extreme gain levels. For moderate high-gain setups, the difference is minimal. For death metal / djent, the inferior tracking creates occasional gate "chatter" — rapid open-close cycling on fast palm mutes.
For the price, the Silencer is excellent — particularly for players who need the Send/Return loop and have a modest budget.
Verdict: Best budget gate for players who need Send/Return loop capability. Not for extreme high-gain.
Rating: 7.5/10
5. MXR M135 Smart Gate
Price: £120–135
Format: Standard single pedal
Controls: Threshold, three-position Hiss/Mid/Full selector
The Smart Gate uses three distinct frequency-weighted gating algorithms:
Hiss mode: Specifically targets high-frequency hiss from tubes, transformers, and silicon components. Good for tube amps where 12AX7 hiss is the primary noise source.
Mid mode: Broadband gating optimised for single-coil hum and mid-frequency noise sources.
Full mode: Standard full-frequency gate for maximum noise reduction.
This frequency-targeted approach is genuinely useful for identifying and addressing specific noise sources rather than brute-forcing everything below threshold. It also means the gate is less likely to colour the tone when open.
Single control limitation: The Smart Gate only has a threshold control — no decay or attack adjustment. The gate's time constants are fixed per mode.
Verdict: The frequency-selector approach is clever and effective for diagnosis. Best for players whose noise source is identifiable (single-coil hum, amp hiss) rather than general high-gain noise.
Rating: 7.5/10
6. Boss NS-1X Noise Suppressor
Price: £120–135
Format: Standard compact Boss pedal
Controls: Threshold, Decay
The NS-1X is Boss's replacement for the NS-2, using DSP-based processing rather than analogue detection. The digital processing claims superior tracking by analysing the signal's tonal profile rather than just amplitude.
In practice, the NS-1X tracks marginally better than the NS-2 in A/B tests, with slightly fewer false triggers on complex playing. However, the Send/Return loop of the NS-2 is absent on the NS-1X, which is a significant limitation for the four-cable method.
For a direct input replacement of the NS-2 in a straightforward front-of-chain position, the NS-1X is a genuine upgrade. For anyone wanting the most flexible signal routing, the NS-2 remains preferable.
Verdict: Marginally better tracking than NS-2, but loses the effects loop. A sideways move rather than a clear upgrade unless front-of-chain placement is your only option.
Rating: 8/10
Comparison Table
| Pedal | Price | Controls | Tracking | Loop | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boss NS-2 | £85 | Threshold, Decay | Good | Yes | All-round, proven choice |
| ISP Decimator II | £175 | Threshold | Excellent | No | Metal, djent, recording |
| TC Sentry | £110 | Threshold, Decay, Hard/Soft | Very Good | No | Versatile, good value |
| EHX Silencer | £60 | Threshold, Attack, Release | Moderate | Yes | Budget with loop |
| MXR Smart Gate | £130 | Threshold, Mode selector | Good | No | Specific noise sources |
| Boss NS-1X | £130 | Threshold, Decay | Very Good | No | Front-of-chain upgrade |
How to Set Threshold
Getting the threshold right is the difference between a noise gate that helps and one that interferes with your playing.
Step 1: Set Decay to minimum (fastest) and Threshold to zero (fully counter-clockwise).
Step 2: Play a note and let it ring. Raise the Threshold until you hear the gate cut the note before it naturally decays.
Step 3: Back the Threshold off slightly until notes decay naturally but the noise floor between playing is gated.
The goal: The gate should be completely transparent when you're playing — you shouldn't be able to tell it's active. The only moment you notice it is the silence between riffs and chord stabs.
For palm muting in metal: The threshold needs to be very precise. Too high and fast palm mutes trigger the gate to close between each note. Test by playing your fastest palm-mute riff and listening for "choking" — if individual notes are being cut short, lower the threshold slightly.
Noise Gate Plugins for Recording
If you're recording direct (DI or amp sim), a plugin noise gate is often more flexible than a pedal.
FabFilter Pro-G (£149) — the most precise and transparent noise gate plugin available. Full frequency-adaptive operation, attack/hold/release/range controls, and a visual gate activity display that helps set the threshold by eye.
Waves C1 Gate (£30 on sale) — simpler, effective, included in most Waves bundles. Good starting point.
Free: ReaGate (included with Reaper DAW) — basic but fully functional for home recording noise gate needs.
Sidechain gating: For recording, you can sidechain the noise gate to the kick drum — this makes the gate open briefly on every kick drum hit, creating a pumping rhythmic effect popular in modern metal production (Pantera's "groove metal" rhythm guitar approach uses this technique).
Summary
Buy the Boss NS-2 if you want the proven, industry-standard choice that works with any rig and benefits from four-cable method flexibility. It's the safe, reliable answer for 80% of players.
Buy the ISP Decimator II if you play high-gain metal or djent where absolute transparency and tracking precision matter — or if you're recording and every trace of noise is unacceptable.
Buy the TC Electronic Sentry if you want better tracking than the NS-2 at a lower price than the Decimator, with the Hard/Soft mode flexibility that suits a wider range of playing styles.
Don't skip a noise gate because your amp "isn't that noisy." The moment you track your guitar and play back at studio monitor volume, the noise floor of any moderate-to-high-gain setup becomes audible. A noise gate is a mixing tool as much as a tone tool.