Tube amps are noisy as @%$#!

[Joshua Wickman]

I'm curious what the common practices are for dealing with noisy tube amp reamps in your mix. Do you use a noise gate type pedal front loaded?

Maybe you cut all the stops on guitars by hand after the reamps?

I have a ns2 and a G string pedals i will use to help kill some of the noise. The G string needs a fx loop and i hate that some times, specially when one of my amps does not have a fx loop. I know this topic has been talked about before but just curious how different people handle this in there mixes. This is my only gripe about real amps and it drives me crazy on how to handle it.

 

[professorlamp]

Cut noise in the DI then re-amp, that's how I do it

 

[Uros]

I don't do reamps atm, just straight recording, but still, it applies to reamping too. Manually cut noise after the reamping/recording.

 

[paladin shredder]

I have the regular decimator, and love it. Usually, I run the reamp box>tube screamer>decimator>amp input. Any additional noise from the mic signal I edit manually. Try what professor lamp says. Thats basically the same thing as a noise gate, only done manually. Hell, maybe even slap a vst noise gate on your DI track and send that out the reamp box if you're feeling lazy

 

[462studio]

I keep a Rocktron Hush Super-C in the effect loop of both my 6505+ and my Dual Rectifier.

Either way, if the original take is kept, there is little or no noise and same if I re-amp since the Super C is in the chain then as well.

 

[Vinny]

Yea. Just cut the DI track before you reamp or just manually cut it in your DAW after the fact.
I always use a Decimator pedal though after my TS when doing distorted guitars so it kills any extra noise from the pedals and guitar pups

 

[Mago]

Cutting noise in DI's during breaks and stuff, reamp, then put software gate on the reamps.
Apart from stuff were it is supposed to fade out if works good. On such spots I turn off the gate and do the fade manually.

 

[DestroyTheColossus]

Cutting the DIs and putting a gate in the effects loop does a good job of getting dead silent breaks. No amp hiss or anything since the gate is after the gain.

 

[PhilTheBeard]

we cut out all the noise by hand after the fact

 

[derekmoffat]

Edit DIs, reamp, insert Gate on each reamp track. Just remember to do it on each track, instead of the gtr bus of course. Takes care of all of the noise instantly and doesn't effect the tone.

 

[Donovan S.]

If you cut the DIs before-hand, you'll still get the hiss afterwards in the empty spots. It is a by-product of using an amp. Even with a noise gate you can hear the hiss from your amp when you don't play. It's very quiet but with 4 tracks of rhythms and 2 - 5 tracks of lead guitars it will build up quickly.

I'll manually cut out the empty spots in the DIs while editing, then after re-amping I'll manually cut out the noise again.

 

[nervirasme]

If you cut the DIs before-hand, you'll still get the hiss afterwards in the empty spots. It is a by-product of using an amp. Even with a noise gate you can hear the hiss from your amp when you don't play. It's very quiet but with 4 tracks of rhythms and 2 - 5 tracks of lead guitars it will build up quickly.

I'll manually cut out the empty spots in the DIs while editing, then after re-amping I'll manually cut out the noise again.

That sums it up...

 

[bassguy]

Just put a good noise gate in front of the amp, and then when it's recorded put a gate plugin on first in your chain, and just set it so its not killing the notes, it's only coming on when there's silence/noise floor there.

 

[greyskull]

If you cut the DIs before-hand, you'll still get the hiss afterwards in the empty spots. It is a by-product of using an amp. Even with a noise gate you can hear the hiss from your amp when you don't play. It's very quiet but with 4 tracks of rhythms and 2 - 5 tracks of lead guitars it will build up quickly.

I'll manually cut out the empty spots in the DIs while editing, then after re-amping I'll manually cut out the noise again.

Yep

 

[Joshua Wickman]

Thanks so much everyone! Yea, i edit my dir tracks right now and that does not stop a tube amp from being noisy at all.

Does anyone say fuck editing the dir track and just do the cleaning up/editing on the reamps?

 

[digitaldeath]

Yeah I do, no point doing the same edits twice. Automate the gate threshold if need be, depending on the track, then manual edit from there.

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

One trick that might work is:
-Record your amp (the guitar track)
-Now record only the hiss from the amp onto another track
-Invert the phase of the hiss track

When this inverted hiss track is combined with the guitar track it might negate the hiss..
This can be awesome or it can contribute with more hiss, but do try it..

 

[Leon--]

be careful with the ground loop

 

[ahjteam]

One trick that might work is:
-Record your amp (the guitar track)
-Now record only the hiss from the amp onto another track
-Invert the phase of the hiss track

When this inverted hiss track is combined with the guitar track it might negate the hiss..
This can be awesome or it can contribute with more hiss, but do try it..

I've tried it and in 90% of the cases it doesn't work, BUT if you use it as a noise profile for a plugin like Izotope RX or Waves X-Noise or Z-Noise and reduce the noise by 30-60%, there it works splendidly

 

[gabriel g.]

I dont mess around with any software noisegates and shit. In the end I waste more time then simply cut everything and fade.

I´ll track guitars with the noise decimator in the pedal chain. Mostly like this: tuner->TS->decimator->amp

Then I track guitars, and cut edit everything while tracking.
In logic you can use the marquee tool. In protools its the "all in one" tool.

Then I mark everything and apply 2ms fade ins- and outs to the takes