What's This Noise?

andrushkiwt

andrushkiwt

Well-known member
Is it wi-fi interference? Yes, my laptop/interface is right next to my modem and router, but I've never had an issue...till now, I suppose. I went to lay down some guitar tracks, but this static was getting on my nerves. I unplugged computer, gnx board, interface, everything really, and restarted all devices. I even opened a new blank session in Studio One and tried both the Gibson and the strat. It persisted.

Wi-fi then?

 
Sounds like like regular buzz that you'll pick up (via the pickups) from any nearby transformer.
I get a similar sounding buzz non stop if the fluorescent lighting is on.

Does it get better/worse if you move the guitar around, pointing it in different directions?

Sounds like your patch has a noise-gate on it too. I'd lose that to make troubleshooting easier.
 
Yeah man, the noise gate makes it tough to hear if the noise is constant or from the amp.

I have never had interference from any WIFI or cable internet. Usually more from electrical cables that I resolved when I re-wired my studio AC.

That is unusual that you have a new issue with no changes. Sounds like it time to run down the usual culprits. Starting from the guitar, the cable, the... I obviously need not continue as you already know this shit...

Beyond that I would be as stumped as you are.

Though recently I did have a weird loss of signal to my monitoring controller from a separate PC. It sounded like noise. It was a corroded old cable coming from the PC to my Mackie Big Knob thingy.

And I should mention Steeno led me to fix issues with that controller itself by pulling the buttons off and cleaning the contacts. Yeah, a few laughing splatters of beer may have hit the gear... lol! Maybe more than a few. Ugh.
 
Ooops, yup that's a preset that has a gate built-in. Sorry about that.

It got worse the closer my hand got to the pickups. If I rested my right hand on the strings, as in palm mute position, it got worse. The further away my right hand was from the strings, the better.

But I need to obliterate this - it's obviously building up underneath the track, even if the guitar playing is happening, that stuff is still there eating up headroom and giving it a nasty finish.

The only thing that's absolutely new is an electric beard trimmer in the adjoining bathroom. I've never used that plug before, but like I said, it's not in the same outlet as the guitar stuff (or room, technically). My PC, wifi, pedal board, LCD desk lamp, speakers, router, and modem are all plugged into a strip (with usb) behind the desk.
 
That's a weird one because none of the spikes are at 50 or 60Hz or any of the low harmonics.

You say "approaching the strings makes it worse and worse still when touching them"? Is the bridge and hence strings bonded to jack earth? A moment with a DMM will show.

But even so I would consider the possibility that your equipment is not earthed at all! A lot of kit these days is "Class ll" insulation and it is perfectly safe but not good for audio cleanliness!

Dave.
 

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I don't know what bonded to Jack earth means.... But yes, you're hearing the noise as my hands get closer to the strings. Worse when im resting my hand on them, set for the palm mutes.

At work. Hopefully it's resolved itself when I get home tonight. That's really interfering with recording.
 
andrushkiwt said:
I don't know what bonded to Jack earth means.... But yes, you're hearing the noise as my hands get closer to the strings. Worse when im resting my hand on them, set for the palm mutes.

At work. Hopefully it's resolved itself when I get home tonight. That's really interfering with recording.
Click to expand...

The jack plug body is connected to the sleeve/shield/earth of the cables and all the metal work and strings on the guitar body should be connected to that to keep hum to a minimum.
However, some guitars, in mistaken attempt to improve electrical safety, did not connect, aka "bond" the bridge and hence the strings to that common earth.

I very much doubt that the Good Lektrix Fairy has been to your home in your absence so things will still be crap!

Do not hesitate to get back in touch. I can go on endlessly and explain things. Can even draw you diagrams!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
The jack plug body is connected to the sleeve/shield/earth of the cables and all the metal work and strings on the guitar body should be connected to that to keep hum to a minimum.
However, some guitars, in mistaken attempt to improve electrical safety, did not connect, aka "bond" the bridge and hence the strings to that common earth.

I very much doubt that the Good Lektrix Fairy has been to your home in your absence so things will still be crap!

Do not hesitate to get back in touch. I can go on endlessly and explain things. Can even draw you diagrams!

Dave.
Click to expand...

Did I mention this happened with all 3 guitars? Not an instrument issue.
 
You could clip a wire from your guitar bridge or interface chassis to a known ground. A simple circuit tester would work.

Have you been rearranging equipment recently?
 
spantini said:
You could clip a wire from your guitar bridge or interface chassis to a known ground. A simple circuit tester would work.

Have you been rearranging equipment recently?
Click to expand...

The last thing I did before I noticed the problem was record vocals. To do that, I took the XLR from input 1 on the interface, switched it over to input 2, then disconnected the other end from the GNX and put it into the mic, then turned on phantom power and recorded the vox.

Then i put the XLR back into input 1 and out of the mic and into the GNX.

Now every guitar has this issue. However, I didn't eliminate the effects board yet. Maybe that's the problem.
 
andrushkiwt said:
Dave. Wanna explain in human terms? ?

Pardon my ignorance. For I am just a simpleton
Click to expand...

You got nearly 4000 posts and you have not come across "earthing" aka "grounding"! How are you not dead?

Ok, pardon my rudeness. The metal cases of all electrical gear should be connected to the third, earth pin on the mains outlet. Thus, if a fault develops such that live mains touches said casing a large current will flow and take out a circuit breaker and save yerpuff!

But, if certain conditions are met, mostly double, "nested" insulation, equipment can be safely made and used WITHOUT an earth connection. In fact, more and more active monitors are made this way because it avoids "hum/earth/ground loops"* Another but! You can end up with NONE of the gear earthed (quite safely) but this means it is very open to interference pickup.

If you are in that last condition do NOT however go about earthing things in an ad hoc manner! I will admit to being a bit OCD about electrical safety but, (WTGR!) you are not that electrically cute so we need to get a VERY good handle on the whole system before making any changes.

*Cannot believe you have been around for 3k812 posts and NOT had or heard of these?

Dave.
 
Just before we get too technical guitar pickups pick stuff up. It's sort of their thing.

If you have a laptop power supply or fluorescent lighting near by, it's going to come through as buzz.
If it's a few feet away or across the room you're probably not going to hear it with a clean preset, but as soon as you hit the super-smashed-high-gain-monster button, you're going to hear it.
That's why your patch is gated. ;)

I'd pop the guitar on a stand and have it live into your daw, so you can hear it through cans,
make sure there are no distortions/plugins/effects but boost the gain so hard that you can hear the buzz,
then go around turning shit off until it stops.

There's a decent chance you'll find its your aircon, lighting, powersupply, X/Y/Z charger...Something.

Single coil pickups will be the worst so, for testing, probably the best.
 
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Steenamaroo said:
Just before we get too technical guitar pickups pick stuff up. It's sort of their thing.

If you have a laptop power supply or fluorescent lighting near by, it's going to come through as buzz.
If it's a few feet away or across the room you're probably not going to hear it with a clean preset, but as soon as you hit the super-smashed-high-gain-moster button, you're going to hear it.
That's why your patch is gated. ;)

I'd pop the guitar on a stand and have it live into your daw, so you can hear it through cans,
make sure there are no distortions/plugins/effects but boost the gain so hard that you can hear the buzz,
then go around turning shit off until it stops.

There's a decent chance you'll find its your aircon, lighting, powersupply, X/Y/Z charger...Something.

Single coil pickups will be the worst so, for testing, probably the best.
Click to expand...

A (switch mode) power supply is a fair bet S! The hash will not be at mains frequency.

Dave.
 
Im gonna go with Paul's suggestion first, since I understood absolutely zero percent of what Dave said. ;) my fault, not yours.

You are right..that was a vrry high gain preset. I'll put it to clean, no gate, guitar on the stand, turn gain up until noise, then unplug shit.

Wont be home for another 8 hours. Damn 12 hour shifts.

Thanks for the help. I'll update.
 
update: it's gone. completely. weird

Didn't think it was relevant, so I didn't mention it, but yesterday, after posting this thread, I noticed that the oven/stove/microwave combo was emitting a whizzing/hum. Now, it's gone as well.

Not sure what that was all about.
 
andrushkiwt said:
update: it's gone. completely. weird

Didn't think it was relevant, so I didn't mention it, but yesterday, after posting this thread, I noticed that the oven/stove/microwave combo was emitting a whizzing/hum. Now, it's gone as well.

Not sure what that was all about.
Click to expand...

Ironic - yet completely not related man... I recently had noise through my office computer when my recording PC was not on. Never had that before...

They both run through a monitor controller but not the interface. And I have isolated power/ground for studio gear. And to make ecc/Dave stuff clear, than means running a copper post deep into the dirt in your yard. Ground is where a lightning bolt will find the easiest path to release. For basic consumer electrical stuff, you want that isolated and not finding 'you' as the best path. If there is no ground, then you could be the next sad news story..

It seems there may have been something going on in your neighborhood with utilities. Odd that there would be interference there directly, but cable or phone lines? Maybe interference from a bad transformer? I don't have a clue.

Sometimes shit just doesn't work some days.. At least the lights are on and the internet works. :)
 
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