Citadel Electronics Planetary Phase

A modern noise gate in the lineage of metal references

The Dynazero was designed to address a simple (and crucial) issue: preserving all the aggressiveness of an amp or saturation chain without suffering from hiss, ground noise, and interference that appear as soon as you push the gain. In its approach, it aligns with the spirit of noise gates that have become essential in metal and hard rock, with a modernized design by Santiago, the engineer associated with the original model it draws inspiration from.

Rather than "cutting" the sound abruptly at the expense of tone, the goal here is cleanliness and precision: a fast, musical gate that respects the dynamics and personality of your guitar (or bass), while helping you achieve the total silence between notes sought by demanding musicians.

Who is the Dynazero for, and in which styles does it make a difference?

The Dynazero is aimed at both guitarists and bassists who play with high output levels: powerful humbuckers, active pickups, preamps, boosts, distortions, or heavily saturated amps. It is typically the kind of pedal that transforms a "huge but noisy" sound into a massive and controlled tone.

In context, it excels in modern metal, djent, thrash, death, metalcore, hard rock, but it is equally relevant in the studio for clean takes or on stage when you need to chain ultra-staccato passages and flawless stops. On a pedalboard, it quickly becomes the "invisible" piece that improves everything: less noise, more impact, and a more precise playing feel in the right hand.

Controls, modes, and integration: designed for high gain rigs

The interface is straightforward: a main threshold control to determine at what level the gate closes, and a Hard/Soft selector to adapt the feel. In Hard, the closure is tighter and faster, perfect for surgical palm mutes. In Soft, the transition is smoother, ideal for preserving note endings, vibratos, and more nuanced phrases.

The Dynazero also stands out for its ability to integrate cleanly into different configurations, including 2-cable (simple, effective) and 4-cable (formidable with an amp that generates noise at the preamp stage) setups. In the latter case, the instrument's direct signal is used to trigger detection while noise reduction is applied where it is most useful, resulting in a more natural and stable outcome.

Regarding reliability and comfort, it features a silent footswitch and switching designed for the stage. The bypass is designed to preserve signal integrity, with an operating logic that facilitates integration into pedalboards powered by power strips and isolated power systems.

Sound

A good noise gate should not be heard, and that is exactly the philosophy of the Dynazero: it aims for maximum transparency. The experience is that of a more "finished" sound: attacks remain clear, sustain remains usable (especially in Soft mode), and silences become truly silent. Where some gates can produce an artificial cutoff, here the response is designed to remain musical and consistent with your dynamics.

In Hard mode, expect an ultra-tight rendering, ideal for pick playing, syncopated riffs, sharp stops, and modern rhythms. In Soft mode, the Dynazero becomes more permissive: perfect for leads, legato passages, or simply to maintain a more organic feel while cleaning up hiss. If you like high gain rigs used by many metal and stage guitarists (where the noise gate is a standard), this type of approach will give you that immediate "control" that changes the way you play.

Technical specifications

Effects	Noise Gate	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Green

Isolation	galvanic for a stable signal and to limit ground noise and interference	For bass	maintains cleanliness and precision of low-end lines
Input impedance	1 MOhm	Context	metal, hard rock, djent, thrash, and any style requiring highly controlled background silence
Output impedance	1 kOhm	Dimensions	114 x 62 x 58 mm
Controls	threshold, Hard/Soft selector	Weight	250 g
Modes	Hard (immediate cutoff) / Soft (progressive cutoff)	Country of manufacture	China
Selector	on/off activation at power-up (state memory)	Included	pedal, documentation
Bypass	relay switching (soft switch), buffered bypass with memory	Power supply	not included
Footswitch	silent	Required power supply	9V DC, center negative
Connectors	4 x 6.35mm TS Jack (Input, Output, Transmit, Return)	Consumption	150 mA
Connection methods	2-cable method and 4-cable method	Power connector	2.1 mm barrel type jack
For guitar	noise suppression for distortion riffs and solos