GUP Tech MWAC Noise Gate

The GUP Tech MWAC Noise Gate is a noise gate pedal from GUP Tech, the Canadian builder whose gates also include the SUN Noise Gate, the TDS Sun and the discontinued GUUL. GUP Tech positions the MWAC as the stronger gate of the family: "Compared to the SUN Noise Gate, the MWAC is a better all-around gate," the company says, and "a bit more efficient on the low signal side, compared to the SUN"¹. As of 26 October 2026, the Douche Edition of the MWAC is listed as sold out on the maker's site¹.

Power and wiring

The MWAC runs on 9Vdc center negative only and draws 26mA, according to GUP Tech's product page¹. That is a modest but real draw, so a supply with enough headroom matters if you share a output with other pedals.

A defining feature of the GUP Tech gate design is the wiring flexibility. The MWAC "can be used in 2, 3 or 4 wires methods"¹, which is the same arrangement GUP Tech describes on the SUN gate, where four jacks let the pedal sit in the signal path in different ways². In practice, the 4-wire method is what lets the gate listen to your guitar signal early while doing its gating late, where the noise actually lives.

Where it goes in the signal chain

GUP Tech's placement advice is specific, and it follows from that wiring:

1. Wire the Guitar In/Thru jacks, which sit on the right side of the pedal, as early as possible in your signal chain, right after your tuner. The maker says buffered is better at that point¹.
2. Run the return to the gate via the top jacks as late as possible in the chain, in the FX loop or just before the amp³.

That split, detection early and gating late, is the same idea behind other loop-style gates such as the ISP Decimator II G-String and the Fortin Zuul, and it matters most on high-gain boards where the amp's loop is the noisiest place.

One small practical detail: the signal detection flickering LED is always on, showing detection as soon as you power the unit, so the flicker is your window into what the gate is hearing¹.

MWAC vs the SUN Noise Gate

The MWAC is a variant of the SUN Noise Gate, and GUP Tech is direct about the difference¹:

The MWAC is priced at £109.00 GBP, with a sale price of £115.00 GBP listed¹³. It draws 26mA¹, and a signal detection flickering LED is always ON, showing signal detection as soon as you power the unit¹.

The MWAC has its own editions. The page covered here is the Douche Edition¹, and there is also a glow in the dark version, which the maker sums up as "Lastly it GLOWS IN THE DARK"³. A player named Lucas, quoted on the glow in the dark edition's page, said "I've used in both home studio and out at rehearsals / gigging"³.

Availability

The Douche Edition of the MWAC is shown as sold out as of 26 October 2026¹. GUP Tech builds its pedals in small runs and editions, and the glow in the dark MWAC and the various SUN editions have come and gone the same way, so the gate reappears when the maker builds more.

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