The latest addition to Boss’ X series compact pedal range, the NS-1X Noise Suppressor, is said to be able to intelligently silence noise without affecting the natural tone of a guitar or bass signal thanks to the company’s Multi-Dimensional Processing (MDP) technology.
The technology employed in the pedal analyses the input signal in real time, with the resulting processing delivering fast and transparent operation in a wide range of applications, from subtle noise reduction in stage and studio setups to the ultra-fast gating that can be necessary to keep high-gain setups under control. What’s more, it also promises to do so without the unnatural attack and decay artefacts that can be introduced by many typical noise suppression processors.
Multiple operation modes are provided, allowing users to tailor the pedal’s processing to suit their particular setup. A Reduction mode provides gentle noise suppression whilst maintaining a natural note decay, and is said to work with all pickup types — including low-output single coil designs. A Gate mode designed for high-gain tones then immediately silences the pedal’s output when no signal is present. Boss say that the MDP technology provides a lightning-fast response that no other noise reduction pedal can deliver, and helps players to retain a natural feel with a punchy note attack. Mute mode then turns the pedal’s bypass footswitch into a mute control for use when swapping instruments or tuning. When used in this way the pedal will operate in either Reduction or Gate mode, with a power-up procedure determining which is active.
The response of each mode can be fine-tuned using Threshold, Decay and Damp controls, with a Reduction indicator displaying the amount of processing being applied via a row of LEDs. As well as the main input and output connectors, the NS-1X also features send and return connections that allows the detection to be based on a direct signal from the connected instrument, whilst the noise reduction is applied to pedals in the loop, retaining a more natural sound.
Pricing & Availability
The NS-1X Noise Suppressor is available now, priced at $199.99.
