Guitar Hum

[mynameiseva]

Hey. Have recently purchased my first mic for home studio set up (samson usb mic). I've been trying to record guitar tracks but they always come out either too quiet or with a constant hum, which I don't think is the amp because it continues at the same volume through both silent and loud sections (and the amp's hum isn't very loud.) Is this just because the mic is no good? Any tips on mics or anything to help me get a good recording would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[gcapel]

Hey. Have recently purchased my first mic for home studio set up (samson usb mic). I've been trying to record guitar tracks but they always come out either too quiet or with a constant hum, which I don't think is the amp because it continues at the same volume through both silent and loud sections (and the amp's hum isn't very loud.) Is this just because the mic is no good? Any tips on mics or anything to help me get a good recording would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Unfortunately you dont have much control with a usb mic. So your going to have to control your guitar amp. I would try decreasing your volume and maybe backing the mic away from the amp.

 

[etanercept]

Give This A Try

I don't know if this will help, but it's easy to try. I was having a hum when I was trying to record with my Line 6 XT Pod plugged into my computer's USB. I contacted Line 6 and they told me to make sure the Pod and the computer was plugged into the same outlet or power strip. Since I have done that, the hum has gone. Try plugging your guitar amp into the same source as your computer. I hope that works for you.

 

[Ride]

The amp might be creating a magnetic field that induces hum in the microphone or microphone cable. I have a similar problem with one of my microphones. Try moving the microphone a few inches away, or change the angle of the microphone. The magnetic field of my guitar amplifier is localized and directional.

 

[mynameiseva]

Thanks alot. Will try all that and let you know how it went.

 

[mattdee1]

Can you hear the hum when monitoring your input signal live through headphones?

If so, crank the headphones and start moving stuff around to see how it affects the hum. You should be able to find a setup that eliminates the problem, or at least makes it negligible.

On the other hand, if it's a constant hum that doesn't seem to be affected by moving stuff around, it's probably related to either a faulty product or a grounding issue as already mentioned.

Matt