ELECTRO HARMONIX The Silencer

ELECTRO-HARMONIX The Silencer Noise Gate / Effects Loop

Electro-Harmonix The Silencer is your secret weapon in the fight against unwanted hum and background noise. This pedal acts as a gate: when you stop playing, it instantly mutes the signal, leaving dead silence in the pauses. Unlike simple noise gates, "The Silencer" has a separate effects loop (Send/Return), allowing you to "lock" the noisiest pedals (e.g., Distortion, Fuzz) in a separate circuit and mute them simultaneously.

The pedal features extremely flexible controls, allowing you to adapt its operation to any playing style. Threshold sets the sensitivity (when the gate opens), Reduction controls how strongly the noise is suppressed (from gentle attenuation to complete -70dB muting), and Release determines how long the gate remains open after you stop playing (from an abrupt 8ms closure to a long, 4-second fade out). This allows you to preserve the natural sustain of notes without cutting off the sound too early.

Key Features

• Effects Loop: An integrated loop (Send/Return) allows you to control noise across a group of pedals or use the pedal directly at the end of the chain ("inline").
• Precise Control:
  • Threshold: Sets the level at which the gate opens.
  • Reduction: Adjusts the noise reduction level (from -70dB to +4dB).
  • Release: Controls the closing time (8ms – 4s) to prevent abrupt sound cutting.
• Buffered Bypass: "Buffered Bypass" ensures that the signal remains strong even in a long chain, and the effects loop remains active even when the gate is disengaged.
• Compactness: Robust and small "Nano" series enclosure.

Technical Specifications

• Manufacturer: Electro-Harmonix (EHX)
• Model: The Silencer
• Type: Noise Gate / Effects Loop
• Circuitry: Analog
• Bypass: Buffered Bypass
• Connections:
  • 1 x Input (1/4" female)
  • 1 x Output (1/4" female)
  • 1 x Send (1/4" female)
  • 1 x Return (1/4" female)
• Power: 9V battery (included) or 9.6VDC-200mA adapter (not included, center negative)
• Current Consumption: 22 mA
• Dimensions: 115 x 70 x 54 mm

What's in the box?

• 1 x Electro-Harmonix The Silencer pedal
• 1 x 9V battery
• 1 x User Manual

Who is it for?

• Metal and Djent guitarists who need sharp, choppy riffs with complete silence in the pauses.
• Those using a lot of gain or old, noisy pedals.
• Musicians looking to clean up their signal without complex processors.