danenachtrieb
TheGuiltyUnpunished
how musch do they differ? i got the ns-2 and i heard the decimator slays it. so how big is the difference? is it worth me ditching the ns-2 for the decimator?
Ns-2 and decimator comparison
- Thread starter danenachtrieb
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
Petef2007
Well-Known Member
If you have the money i'd say go for it. The NS2 is good if you're on a budget, and i find it doesn't affect tone/sustain one bit if used right, but the decimator is in a whole other league. Completely transparent, and cuts out any and all unwanted noise, whereas the NS2 i find cuts out *most* of it, but not all of it.
BurialWithin
NAM SAND!!
Yeah the ns-2 gets the job done i have one and it works for me . If i was to get anything else i'd get the decimator rack unit cuz those things are it fa sho !!
Petef2007
Well-Known Member
^ aye, from my experience, it only adds a very slight bit of compression, which can be easily dialled out if it isn't wanted.
adadglgmut
Notes from a Ghost
my other guitarist is using the ns-2 and it indeed does add compression. not obscene
over the top compression, but its hard to get rid of.
i like my decimator waaaay more for high gain applications because it does what its supposed to.
cuts all unwanted noise.
all of it.
and it works for a huge range of pickups/amp settings.
over the top compression, but its hard to get rid of.
i like my decimator waaaay more for high gain applications because it does what its supposed to.
cuts all unwanted noise.
all of it.
and it works for a huge range of pickups/amp settings.
I'm for ISP all the way. I tried the NS2, and returned it. It's ok for a gate, but the ISP reduces noise. Different. When a gate is open, it usually lets all of the signal through, including the noise. The ISP is like a gate if you crank it enough, but it's more of a noise filter, if you will.
I think a lot of that decimater stuff is hype. The NS-2 works just fine..doesn't cut off notes, doesn't kill sustain..and kills feedback and unwanted noise
Brewtal_Damage
Heavy Noise
believe me, it's not all hype, IMO it works better than the NS-2, but then again, I didn't got too much time with the NS-2 to make a experienced judgement, the way I use it it works amazingly for me.
Shinto
ss.org lurker
I got the NS-2 for 40 bucks, so I can't complain. 
believe me, it's not all hype, IMO it works better than the NS-2, but then again, I didn't got too much time with the NS-2 to make a experienced judgement, the way I use it it works amazingly for me.
All? No...a good amount? Yes. I'm sure on some level it may outperform the NS-2..but if you have an NS-2..it's not really worth spending more cash for the decimator
ryzorzen
shake and bake!
pretty much, you get what you pay for. the ns-2 is widely popular and is in a lot of pro rigs, so it's obviously a preference as well. the decimator is a lot better in getting rid of exactly what you want with relative ease, whereas the ns-2 takes some tinkering. i would keep the ns-2 and invest in some durable cables, which can make a huge difference on the noise at the source.
poopyalligator
Dr.Poopyalligator
ISP for the win. It is one of the best pieces of music equipment that i own. It has never let me down, it works super easily and super well. It is built like a tank. I never play a show without it.
I had the Behringer pedal that's a clone of the NS-2.
It did cut a tiny bit of sustain and add compression, but it got rid of the feedback, cut down the noise a lot and did the job. I honestly could barely tell the difference between it and the real deal Boss pedal. Although that said, the plastic casing on the Behringer didn't exactly inspire confidence. Go with the Boss at least.
It did cut a tiny bit of sustain and add compression, but it got rid of the feedback, cut down the noise a lot and did the job. I honestly could barely tell the difference between it and the real deal Boss pedal. Although that said, the plastic casing on the Behringer didn't exactly inspire confidence. Go with the Boss at least.
petereanima
Br00tal Bubbly Mofo
i switched from NS-2 to ISP some time ago, and we tried it with some amps (back then my old marshall, my actual Diezel as well as the amps of my other gutiarist, which are Mesa DR and Laboga Mr. Hector) - my opinion on this is:
it all depends on your amp. if you have an amp with a good low end, you will soon notice that the NS-2 cuts a lot of it and adds some compression, also - per MY experience ( i had two NS2s over the years, both worked the same way) i found the Boss only be useable with very extreme settings, and then it DOES take a serious amount of sustain away - i noticed it on longer slides or single notes (and no, my attack isnt that bad
).
on the other side: it is perfect if you use insane amounts of gain and play stop/go/stop/go deep palm mute chuggah-chuggah ala meshuggah or something, as it really closes immediately.
the ISP works much smoother, which fits my style more - also it doesnt cut the low end and does not add compression as the NS-2. much ore transparent than the Boss, i prefer it.
it all depends on your amp. if you have an amp with a good low end, you will soon notice that the NS-2 cuts a lot of it and adds some compression, also - per MY experience ( i had two NS2s over the years, both worked the same way) i found the Boss only be useable with very extreme settings, and then it DOES take a serious amount of sustain away - i noticed it on longer slides or single notes (and no, my attack isnt that bad
).on the other side: it is perfect if you use insane amounts of gain and play stop/go/stop/go deep palm mute chuggah-chuggah ala meshuggah or something, as it really closes immediately.
the ISP works much smoother, which fits my style more - also it doesnt cut the low end and does not add compression as the NS-2. much ore transparent than the Boss, i prefer it.
I'm sure the NS-2 works fine in some situations, but in mine it wasn't effective. It is not all hype, believe me... I have radio towers near me, and a loud humming transformer from the '60s 3 houses down the street, so my area is saturated with magnetic and radio interference. When I plug in, especially with active pickups, there is very loud humming and static. I bought a shit-ton of gear trying to eliminate it(boss ns-2,monster power 3500, etc) nothing worked until I spent the money on the ISP. All I got was the pedal, and my guitar is clean when I am playing and not, where with the Ns-2 it was quiet closed, while playing it was just as filthy.
Out of all the gear I own, I am so 100% satisfied with it, I can't even whine about the price.
Sroth Saraiel
BC Rich 7 Strings :)
but guys what's the difference from the Decimator pedal, the Decimator G String pedal, and the Rack?
Tried an NS2 and a Decimator side by side?
Me and Pete have on his VHT. The NS2 kind of worked. The ISP worked. Nothing more to it. Pete is now not using the NS2 as it did nothing for the Sig X, and will be getting a Decimator because it did
Between the G String and Rack, there isn't a lot of difference between them, besides enclosure, plus a couple of extra features which aren't stricly necessary.
Between the G String/Rack and the standard Pedal, the pedal just acts as a simple gating device, in that it allows sound above a certain threshold through, based upon where its plugged in (either in front of the amp, or in the effects loop). This is great for most purposes, however it does mean if you use it in the effects loop, anything that the preamp adds in terms of noise may leave the gate open, even if the guitar has stopped.
The G-String/Rack has an Input and Output, and a Send Return section. What this means is, you can plug the guitar into the Input/Output section, and it goes into the input of the amp. Plug the effects loop of your amp into the Send Return section, and then whenever the guitar stops playing, it mutes the signal in the effects loop, not before the amp. This means it is not affected by preamp noise or anything within the amp, ONLY what the guitar plays.
hairychris
Hairy Old Bloke
i found the Boss only be useable with very extreme settings, and then it DOES take a serious amount of sustain away - i noticed it on longer slides or single notes (and no, my attack isnt that bad
on the other side: it is perfect if you use insane amounts of gain and play stop/go/stop/go deep palm mute chuggah-chuggah ala meshuggah or something, as it really closes immediately.
I agree with this, having used an NS-2 since 93. Balance the sensitivity with a quick cut-off and you've got instant palm mute mayhem.
High output pickups, I think, confuse this box.
I still like it though!
Natron808
Member
The NS-2 also has a Send/Return section. Have the people here who own or have used them using that portion of it or just the simple input/output method? I'd really be curious to see how well it works against the standard ISP Decimator pedal when used with the Send/Return feature since the Decimator does not have that.
It's starting to occur to me that I simply need to finally pick up a Decimator G-String or the Decimator rack unit. I've been fighting noise and hum and interference for years. They're difficult to find used, though.
