Noisegate in ampsim signal chain (me vs. noise)

[Downtime]

Dear fellow knobtwisters,

when using VST-ampsims I'm really struggling with digital noise, esp. when I use somethin like the TSE 808 to boost the signal. The more gain, the more noise. So where do you guys put a noisegate in your signalchain? In front of the other plugins right on the raw guitar signal? Between the 808 and the ampsim? After the cab-sim?
My Boss noisegate in front of my soundcard won't help, since the noise occurs on the audiotracks in Cubase even if there is no input / no audioclips recorded on those tracks.

Looking forward to your help, thanks in advance,

Downi

 

[Terminus]

I tend to gate using gGate before anything else, then take it off when I'm done recording and edit out any silences the track needs. Using this method versus using an actual noise gate unit actually leaves all the noise in, you just can't hear it, wheras using a pedal or unit will actually insert the silence in, which for me, I don't like letting a machine do what I would rather have control of doing manually. YMMV.

 

[drew_drummer]

I don't like letting a machine do what I would rather have control of doing manually. YMMV.

no Fleshlight for you then???

 

[Downtime]

no Fleshlight for you then???

top-notch!

Terminus,

so at least I am not alone with that digital noise? At first I thought something could be wrong with my Hi-Z in or somewhere else in my signal chain, but after unplugging the guitar and monitoring an empty audiotrack with just the inserts and the plugins still making noise I knew this wasn't the problem.

I think I've been surprised how noise most of the ampsim / booster-sim plugins are, after being used to reamp everything through my 6505.

Downi

 

[Terminus]

You know the company that makes those Fleshlights is HQ'ed around here in Austin.

The noise you're referring to isn't "digital", it's just a noise floor plain and simple. You'd get it through a real amp in many cases too, if the gain and volume are high enough. It can be minimized with noise gates but honestly with metal music that noise is probably going to be there no matter what to a degree, so your best bet is to just edit the silence areas. I get a light shhhhhhh sound when using any hi gain amps, real or sims. It's just part of the metal game. Unless we're talking about some massive crazy noise here, it's really normal.

 

[Downtime]

You know the company that makes those Fleshlights is HQ'ed around here in Austin.

The noise you're referring to isn't "digital", it's just a noise floor plain and simple. You'd get it through a real amp in many cases too, if the gain and volume are high enough. It can be minimized with noise gates but honestly with metal music that noise is probably going to be there no matter what to a degree, so your best bet is to just edit the silence areas. I get a light shhhhhhh sound when using any hi gain amps, real or sims. It's just part of the metal game. Unless we're talking about some massive crazy noise here, it's really normal.

Hi Terminus,
thanks again for your input!
After 8 years of touring as a death metal guitar player I'm pretty familiar with the typical noise floor, as I am with recording real amps. The one going on on my ampsims has been totally different though. No "shhh", more of a pissed-off R2-unit in Star Wars instead. Turned out to be a poorly grounded PSU in my computer. No R2D2 with the new one - I miss my little friend a bit. ;-)

Thanks again,
Downi