by pllrqst » Wed Jul 05, 2023 8:39 pm
Is this with Amplitube 5, Tonex application, Tonex pedal, some other setup? Some more details about how you have things connected and what your preset(s) look like may help with more detailed responses to your specific situation rather than general ideas.
I'd recommend disabling the noise gate to get a feel for what may be contributing to a really high noise floor and test anything you can think to get that noise as low as possible, then re-enable your gate. It sounds like the gate is working, but it does not close instantly (this is true of most gates I have used), so you hear that blast of noise as it closes. Still, that IS a lot of noise and there should be things you can do to improve it.
General things I have noticed in my own setups:
- Check your gain staging on the input of your audio interface or hardware device(s). If you have a really low signal into an interface from your guitar and then crank it up in software, this also amplifies the noise floor of the interface and can sound something like what I hear in that video.
- If using tonex pedal or other hardware with a usb interface to your computer for editing, disconnect USB when not needed (this is true of many devices that connect over usb for editing on a computer - usb connectivity makes for extra noise)
- Does the noise vary a lot depending on where your guitar is and how it is oriented in the room? For me, being anywhere near a computer keyboard with LED lights on makes a lot more noise. I disable my keyboard lighting and/or stand far from my keyboard when tracking guitar. Also, orienting the guitar differently can make a significant difference. Turning 90 degrees can mean the difference between usable and completely unacceptable noise floor for a recording.
- Are you using a compressor in your signal chain? Compressors can be nice, but high levels of dynamic compression also can significantly raise the noise floor. For a high gain sound, you may not want any compressor (except possibly a light compression in mixing), since the distortion itself already acts to remove a lot of dynamic range.
- It doesn't sound like a string/bridge ground issue, but confirm touching the strings/bridge does in fact reduce some of the hum compared to not touching them - I have had one brand new guitar that didn't have a bridge ground soldered that got a lot better when I fixed it myself.
- Test making the noise gate release time as short as you can, make sure the depth is at maximum.
