Review of the Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor guitar pedal
Indeed, this is a very effective and important pedal in a guitarist's set. Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor is very effective at removing noise and extraneous sounds from the input signal while maintaining the original tonality. The effect has a natural attack and envelope, thanks to the unique BOSS noise detector, which can absolutely accurately separate the sound of the guitar and the various components of the background of the instrument, which is very important for the professional sound of the instrument!
The guitar pedal has the following inputs: INPUT Jack, effect return: RETURN Jack, input for the original BOSS power adapter: AC Adapter PSA Series. Effect pedal input impedance: M ohms [1]. Mono output: OUTPUT Jack, effect send output: SEND Jack. Almost standard power supply for a guitar effect pedal: Power supply V, (6F22/9 V), AC Adapter [9] and output impedance k ohms: [10]. Pedal noise level - dBu (IHF-A, Typ.) [-110]. Low power consumption mA (DC 9 V) [20]
Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor Design
The body is made of durable aluminum. Paint is applied on top, along with signatures for the control knobs. Rubber pedal pad with signature BOSS logo will last forever. The pedal has a battery compartment, “crown” type, which is located under the effect pedal. You can also use external power. Handles made of durable plastic. We can safely say about all BOSS pedals: they are made like a tank! They are not afraid of any accidental damage during an active “jam” on stage. The pedal has a rubber sole that prevents slipping on any surface. The power socket is located on the upper side of the pedal. Connection sockets are on the left and right, which is convenient for using the pedal in sets with others.
Review #1
Advantages: Compact size, easy to use, high-quality work Disadvantages: The signal eats up a little
The problem of interference and unnecessary noise is very familiar to every musician who performs live concerts. Poor, sometimes even missing grounding, lighting fixtures, single coil guitar pickups - all this causes noise and interference, especially when playing on an overloaded guitar amplifier. There are various ways to deal with such interference, but one of the simplest and most effective is the use of noise reduction devices. This class of instruments is widespread and used by almost all musicians.
Noise cancelers come in both rack-mount versions and in conventional guitar pedal formats. The functionality and price range of these devices is also quite wide and, depending on whether you use a pedalboard or prefer a rack format, you can choose the most suitable device. The most popular noise reducers currently include the ISP Decimator, Rocktron HUSH Noise Reduction Pedal, MXR Noise Gate and the familiar BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor pedal. I have already talked about my impressions of playing the Boss DS-1 Distortion, BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive and BOSS DD-7 Digital Delay and I repeat, I really like the BOSS products and I think they have an excellent price/quality ratio. And the design of BOSS gadgets seems to me to be the most successful option for effects for guitarists. Whether you like their sound or prefer products from other companies, everyone decides for themselves.
BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor is not the most expensive device among noise reduction gadgets, but it is quite popular among guitarists and does a good job of combating noise and interference. The pedal has been produced since September 1987 and has not left the BOSS catalog for more than a quarter of a century. Early versions were produced in Japan, but production was later moved to Taiwan. Many on the forums criticize the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor and claim that it has a bad effect on the entire signal and eats up frequencies a little. I have verified that this is indeed the case and that when using the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor in the effects loop of a guitar amp, there is an audible loss of frequencies. If you use the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor in a pedalboard, then its effect on the sound is not so noticeable and it is very useful for working at concerts.
All connection options for the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor are described in detail in the instructions and it can be used with both guitar and keyboard instruments. The principle of operation is quite simple - when playing, the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor completely passes the signal, and during pauses, depending on the response time settings, the noise suppressor is turned on and the signal is completely attenuated. The peculiarity of interference in a guitar signal is such that when playing, the noise is completely inaudible, and the background cuts through the pauses, and it is at this moment that the noise reduction is triggered. Also, noise reduction is very useful in “live” work, when the guitarist plays parts in which there are often pauses. Without noise reduction, you won’t be able to quickly drown out the sound because the monitors give feedback and the guitar starts up instantly.
The BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor fits perfectly into your pedalboard and doesn't take up much space. It also does not consume much electricity and works perfectly with a standard stabilized power supply. Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor The best location in the circuit for the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor should be selected based on the characteristics of the pedalboard, but, nevertheless, there are certain switching rules and it should be connected before the delay and reverb effects so that it does not eat up the tails.
In addition to the standard socket for connecting a power supply, the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor has an additional output, which is intended for power supply for other effects. A convenient solution that allows you to reduce the number of wires, but I have not seen such a ready-made wire and soldered it myself.
The BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor control knobs control the effect's response time (Decay), noise suppression threshold (Threshold) and selection of operating mode. Reduction mode is a classic noise reduction, when triggered, the indicator on the left lights up; in Mute mode, the effect turns on only when you press the pedal and completely turns off the guitar signal. I only used the first operating mode of the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor. BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor The send/return effects loop jacks are designed for connecting gadgets that enhance noise: compressors, overdrives, filters. The musical instrument is connected directly to the input jack and the device is guided by this noise level. All effects in the device loop are processed separately and their noise level does not affect the main noise threshold.
BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor also works from a standard 9V battery, but it does not last long and it is better to use a stabilized power supply. Various mode settings give interesting results, but I did not stop at one option, but adjusted the mode for each concert venue. Sometimes a hard response threshold was required, but more often it was enough to just muffle the noise a little.
The answer to the question of how much it affects the transmitted signal is rather ambiguous. It does eat up the signal a little, but how noticeable it will be depends on many factors. One of the most important is the quality of signal wires. Many guitarists pay great attention to their instrument and equipment, but wires and power supplies are purchased on a residual basis and often this is where many problems lie. Low-quality wire has a high capacitance and, when using long wires, high frequencies are cut off. This is not always a bad thing and sometimes it is useful to trim off the excess tops, but you don’t want to lose the signal. I only use German Klotz La Grange cable with a very low capacitance level and I don’t hear any significant loss in the signal. If your gadgets are connected with an inexpensive cable, then this may be the reason for the loss of frequencies.
In my opinion, the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor is an excellent noise suppressor pedal and does its job perfectly. The main thing is to place it correctly in your effects chain and connect all devices with high-quality signal wire. Whether it makes sense to pay for more expensive devices is up to you, but in most situations the capabilities of the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor are more than enough.
Time of use: 5 years Cost: 4590 rub. Year of manufacture/purchase: 2009
Review #2
This pedal was a pleasant purchase for me. I've never bought many pedals, but this pedal is one of the best I've ever bought. My guitar setup consists of an American Fender Stratocaster, a Boss GE-, an Ibanez Tube (which is a big noise maker), and a historic Tube Screamer TS9 that I use as a warmer for solos. It all ends with a big MARSHALL guitar stack. BOSS NS-2 (NS2) NOISE SUPPRESSOR is really effective in my set.
If I turn off the NS2, then all the hellish noise breaks free, the background noise is almost unbearable. A really essential pedal if you use noisy pedals or if you have noisy preamps etc. Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor is a very competent noise suppressor, I highly recommend purchasing it!
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