NON-MUSICAL NOISE IS THE MUSICIAN’S
nemesis, and amp hum and hiss can spoil beautiful
guitar tones, particularly when recording.
Rocktron has been in the noise-elimination
game since 1983, and the HUSH Pro Stereo
Noise Exterminator ($329 retail/$249 street)
represents the company’s latest technology in
a sleek, professional-grade package. The unit’s
+4/-10 Reference Level switch and balanced
XLR and unbalanced 1/4" inputs and outputs
let you connect it to just about anything, while
its two-knob interface makes it easier to use
than most effects pedals.
The HUSH Pro does two things: The HUSH
section’s dynamically controlled low-pass filter
(1kHz-40kHz) detects the input signal’s
current highest frequency and filters out the
frequencies above it, while a downward
expander provides up to 50dB of automatic volume
reduction. The Gate section works in conjunction
with the downward expander to
eliminate all sound when the input signal drops
below the threshold set with the Gate Threshold
control.
I tested the Hush Pro in stereo using a Fractal
Audio Axe-Fx Ultra, and in mono within
the effects loop of a Rivera Venus 6 1x12 combo
amp. In both cases, I dialed in amp settings
ranging from typical to gain-crazy, and threw
in a super-noisy early-’70s Electro-Harmonix
Big Muff just for grins.
The Gate section may be used independently,
so I tried that first. After fine-tuning the
response, the gate followed the decay of single
notes and chords admirably, smoothly
fading them out at the very end like a good
engineer. The HUSH circuit worked equally
well, dramatically reducing—though, of course,
not entirely eliminating—hiss and hum. Combining
the two functions tamed even the nastiest
din, and squelched all sound when I wasn’t
playing. In short: the HUSH Pro performed
brilliantly. My only gripe is the large and relatively
heavy “lump-in-the-line” power supply,
though Rocktron has good reasons for using
an external supply.
SWITCHEROO
Noise reduction is one thing, but tone reduction
due to problematic pedals or combinations
of pedals is another thing entirely. One
way around the problem is to isolate individual
pedals using loops, and then switch them
in and out of the signal chain as they are needed.
This can be done simply by using a mechanical
switching system with dedicated footswitches
for each pedal/loop, but that still
leaves you tap dancing if you want to turn more
than one effect on or off at the same time.
The solution to that problem is a system
that allows you to program groups of pedals/
loops into presets, so that various combinations
may be switched in or out simultaneously
with the press of a single switch. And most
professional switching systems—such as those
designed and built by rack guru Bob Bradshaw—
employ MIDI for that purpose. Rocktron
introduced the first factory produced
Bradshaw switching system 20 years ago, and
the Patchmate Loop 8 ($549 retail/$389 street)
is a direct descendent of that technology. The
Loop 8 sports 128 presets organized into groups
of eight (corresponding to the front panel
buttons 1-8), which are accessed via MIDI
Program Change messages.
You plug your guitar (or other instrument)
into one of the two 1/4" jacks on the
front panel. The Passive Input is just that,
whereas the Active Input is buffered, which
helps maintain the strength of the signal
when driving multiple pedals. There are two
corresponding output jacks on the rear panel:
Active Out and Pas. Act. Out. The former is
used to send the signal to an amplifier or
other external device, and the latter is a
multi-purpose output used typically to connect
to the first loop in Loop 8. The Loop
8’s jack field operates much like a patch bay:
You use short cables to patch the signal from
the Pas. Act. Out to the input of the first
loop, to patch to and from the effect in the
loop, and then out to the next loop or whatever
comes next in the signal chain.
I tested the Loop 8 with a Behringer
FCB1010 MIDI Controller and a Moog Multi-
Pedal (the Loop 8 will work with almost
any MIDI controller, but when used with a
Rocktron controller it will provide 9VAC
phantom power via an optional Rocktron
RMM900 7-pin MIDI cable). After reading
the manual, I was easily able to select the
MIDI channel and program presets with various
combinations of the eight loops. Switching
was essentially noiseless, and I noticed
no tone sucking or level loss using either
input, though the buffered input worked best
with presets containing three or more pedals.
The Loop 8 can also be used to switch
between multiple preamps, effects processors,
or amplifiers, and its Smart Controller
Technology allows it to receive momentary
and latching Continuous Controller messages—
with programmable delayed pulses
if needed—for amplifier channel switching.
In short, the Loop 8 gives you enough
flexibility to handle all but the most complex
rigs, along with an excellent buffer, for
a very reasonable price. Again, the external
power supply is bulky, but once it’s concealed
in a rack you’ll forget all about it.
- Barry Cleveland