Re: noise gate

[<george.mayhew@lims>]

> From @UKCC.UKY.EDU:pierccm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Mon Mar 22 04:25:08 1993
> X-Listname: Harmonica Discussion List <HARP-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Warnings-To: <>
> Sender: pierccm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Reply-To: HARP-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: noise gate
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>  Folks -
>  'Twas trying out some amps the other day at a music store
> and was having the usual feedback blues. A salesman who said
> he knew some harp players suggested I invest in a noise
> gate. He said it would kill the feedback - that I could wave
> the mic in front of the amp without the usual results. Does
> anyone have any experience with this? Am I being fed BS?
> Will this affect the slightly distorted tone I prefer?
>
> -Randy-
>
To the best of my knowledge, what a noise gate does is effectively
disconnect the mic from the amp when there is no signal coming
from the mic.  It puts a low resistance on the input of the amp.
The result is that hum and noise picked up by the mic and cable
are eliminated.  The threshold level for the gating action is
settable.

It's true that you could do what the salesman said.  But you
still couldn't stand in front of the amp WHILE PLAYING, because
the noise gate would be open, and so would the feedback path.

Feedback is generally more likely to occur while you are playing
anyway.  You hit a note that contains a likely feedback harmonic,
and the feedback mechanism regenerates and sustains that sound.

I don't know any harp players who use noise gates, but there
probably are some.  Guitarists, especially those who play very
loud, use them often.

I like to carry a harp and my Shaker mic when I go to music stores,
these days.  When a salesman makes a claim, I ask him to prove it.

George