AMP or Effects Noise - Need Advice

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hnia6

hnia6

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I have a Vox AC15C1 - brand new. I also bought the Boss DD7, MZ2, CS3 and an Ernie Ball Jr. volume pedal; all new. I play a lefty strat on which I installed a SD-JB double coil pickup on the bridge. The JB is about 6 months old. The strat is about 3 years old.

I noticed that when I go into the amp direct, things seem normal. When I turn on my room light (dimmer switch), I pick up some noise - minor but I'll want to correct that in the future.

More pressing is the noise I hear when I turn up the volume and have the effects on; particularly those with gain and/or compression. If anyone remembers the hiss or "shhhhh" sound between UHF channels back in the day, that's the exact noise I get. It doesn't matter if I have the room light on or off. I had the Boss CS3 before and I don't remember it being as noisy.

I'm trying to pinpoint the problem. I imagine it could be a combination of things. Has anyone got any advice?
 
I would take the Metal zone out of the equation.That pedal is an A-1 tone sucker.The only thing a noise gate will do for that pedal is make it a quieter POS.
 
well, the dimmer's always gonna 'cause noise so basically, when recording, you can't use a dimmer. I imagine there's ways of sheilding it but they'll cost money and take effort. Far easier to just not use it when you need the quiet.

As for the other noise ........ it's hard to know for sure without more info ...... almost all pedals cause noise even if only a little and gain pedals definitely add noise, some more than others.
When you say 'turn the volume up', what do you mean exactly?
Do you mean the same normal playing volumes you use when you go direct with no pedals? Or do you mean really turning the amp up even higher because you're listening for noise?
I ask because different people have different threshholds for noise. I've seen people that turn the amp wide open, have the gain cranked on the pedal and then get bothered by what I would consider an unsuprising amount of noise for that situation.
So give a little more info please ...... volumes ........ levels on gain on the pedals .... that sort of thing.
 
SHEPPARDB. said:
I would take the Metal zone out of the equation.That pedal is an A-1 tone sucker.The only thing a noise gate will do for that pedal is make it a quieter POS.
Click to expand...

awww.......that's my fave pedal. now I'm butt-hurt
 
theD1CKENS said:
awww.......that's my fave pedal. now I'm butt-hurt
Click to expand...
If you payed good money for that pedal then your butt should be used to pain.Lol.
Seriously though, you guys should try some different stuff if you can.The thing I hate most about that pedal is that it will not cut through a band mix because of it's fizzy nature.
 
How are you powering the pedals? Some power supplies make noise.

Does it make noise when all pedals are turned off?

Also, could it just be the noise a loud guitar running through distortion, delay, and chorus will make? I have a bunch of really nice guitars, nice amps, and nice pedals, and sometimes they are noisy depending on the combination.

When the pickup was replaced, was the wiring all shielded correctly? Does the guitar get noisy when plugged directly into the amp with the volume cranked? If so it could be a shielding issue.

Finally, patch cables could be crap.

I'd check from simplest to most complex...start by checking each individual pedal to see which one/s are causing the noise. Check the guitar direct to amp to check for shielding problems. Or, just live with some noise. almost all guitars/pedals/amps create noise, so they'll all compound the problem as you get more. I'd guess it's just the noise they should make since compression and overdrive tend to cause hissing anyway.
 
Sorry for the late responses to your questions. Thanks for all the replies. Here's what I have found thus far:

it's definitely there in the amp without any pedals. If the master volume is at or under 9 o'clock, and the overdrive volume is at noon (or half way) the "shhh" noise can be heard, but not very substantial. A mic may pick it up during recording, however. Increasing the overdrive volume brings more audible noise. With the overdrive maxed out and the master at 9 O'clock or more, the noise is easy to note. It doesn't matter if my dimmer is on or off. The dimmer actually adds more of a single coil hum type of sound; so that appears to be a different noise.

Using compression pedals just brings the noise out even more... or should I say, causes the amp to bring it out more.

So, is it just normal or should my amp be a little cleaner sounding? I had a solid state Vox VT30 before my Vox tube amp and it definitely made less hiss or "shhh" sounds. In fact, I don't think it made any... same room, same electrical outlet. Is it a tube issue?

I welcome all thoughts. This weekend, I may try it in different rooms with different cables, but I expect the noise to persist. Tell me more about the shielding issue. Pardon my ignorance; I just swapped out pick-ups, for the most part.
 
amps get noisy when turned up, and especially when Overdrive pedals are added. When you're recording, you should be playing right? As long as the signal volume is higher than the noise, don't worry about it. Noisy guitars are cool anyway. As long as it doesn't distract from the song, I wouldn't worry about it. I use single coil guitars though loud amps all the time and love the noise.
 
I have an update on the noise issue.

I fiddled with the gear again last night. I know I can rule out the dimmer. It's an unrelated and different, less noticable noise issue.

I started up the amp and began playing without effects, although, they were all cabled up and ready. There was no significant noise from the amp without the effects on. I played at varying volumes; both master and overdrive. Then, I turned on the volume pedal and DD7; everything seemed to work normally without any unreasonable noise.

Then, I kicked in the the MZ2. I like the sharp sound but there was the "shhh" noise. If I turned the pedal tone down to 9 o'clock or quarter way; it improved some, but of course, I lose a lot of brightness.

I then turned it off and kicked in the CS3 by itself... similar noise.

I ran the amp with the CS3 and the MZ2. The noise was very prevelant; an unreasonable level. Too bad, because otherwise, I loved the harmonic feedback that I could generate with little effort.

Here's the wierd part: I kicked off both pedals and went back to running the amp with no effects and noticed that the noise did NOT cut out. It remained, but not as loud with the pedals on. This perplexed me because when I started without effects as noted above, there was no significant noise.

I'm happy that I can now pinpoint when the noise comes about, but I'm still clueless as to the solution.

I welcome any feedback or additional suggestions. I am keeping in mind the recommendation concerning the guitar and I'll investigate that further. If anyone has dealt with such a thing before, please chime in.
 
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SHEPPARDB. said:
If you payed good money for that pedal then your butt should be used to pain.Lol.
Seriously though, you guys should try some different stuff if you can.The thing I hate most about that pedal is that it will not cut through a band mix because of it's fizzy nature.
Click to expand...

I don't really have any issues with a 'fizzy' sound, but I've used that pedal for nearly 10 years, so I know it pretty well. just roll off the high end, boost the mids, and back the gain waaaaaay off. like, down to like 10-15% at MOST.

also, I only use it with guitars with humbuckers. the noise from a single-coil WITHOUT a pedal is nearly unbearable to me. add in any kind of distortion and it becomes completely unusable

edit: I've bought the same pedal three times now. totally used to the butt-hurt(in my wallet. that pedal isn't exactly cheap)
 
Haha if you guys want I have a "digital metalizer" the precursor to the metal zone, and it's even worse if you can imagine. It does have built in delay and chorus and a stereo output. The worst pedal ever made and theyre on eBay for like $175! Amazing what people will buy. But it is quiet!
 
Whoops mz-2 is the digital metalizer! I thought it was the metal zone! Sorry I'd didn't mean to piss anyone off. I just don't like that pedal.
 
Uh, ok..... aaron.... I think I understand.....

Well, we can close the ticket on this one. I went to my local music store and did a side by side comparison of my aforementioned pedals with two more of the same kind; hooked up to the same amp. Evertying worked/sounded the same. So I can rule out the electrical environment at home as an issue. Further, from talking to a few people there with lots of experience with the same gear, it simply looks like the wash or "shhh" sound is part of the "privilege" of playing digital pedals with an tube amp.

I have to say that I like the sharp sound of the MZ2. I also like the harmonic feedback it allows. is there a similar, sharp sounding pedal that might be a bit less noisy? I used EH-Big Muffs in the past and I don't care for them.
 
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digital effects with tube amps shouldn't be a problem in and of itself. I use some digital effects (line 6 DL4) and have less noise from them than from analog stuff. And, the MZ-2 is an analog distortion circuit, with digital effects. So if you use as setting without the chorus or delay turned on, it is an analog circuit. The MZ-2 is also old, so it may be a lot noisier than other overdrives.

Tube Screamers are always popular and I've never noticed a ton of noise from them. They can get a pretty bitting tone. Big Muffs are cool, but they kinda have one sound and you either like it or don't (I do). I've also read that the distortion side of the MZ-2 is built around the Boss DS-1 (standard distortion $50), and the DS-1 should be quieter because there is less going on in the overall circuit.

Actually, I'm glad this thread came up. I dug out my MZ-2 and I'm going to play around with it tomorrow to make sure my tastes haven't changed over the years. Who knows, maybe I'll like it again. If not it's still good and that pedal will be up for sale.
 
aaron;

I had no issues with my delay either (Boss DD7) but I thought that was because it's not a compression or overdrive type of pedal. I'm no expert, but I've allowed myself to believe the noise issue comes up with anything that compresses, such as distortion, gain and sustainers. I tried to like the Big Muff, but it can't get bright and as you point out, it's very linear. I always felt like my amp sounded like someone duck taped a big blanket over my speaker when using it; hense, "muff." It may take a high-end pedal to minimize the "wash" sound as it's so called by my local music store people. One day, if I ever have time, I'll go try out some other pedals.

In any event, I want to thank ALL of you who responded and shared your feedback. It was very helpful.
 
Many people have their Metal Zones modded to lower the fizz. Some examples are the Supreme mod and the Diezel mod.
 
Some people believe that mods lower the fizz level of the Metal Zone. The comments on the links can be a good place to get more opinions. I have not performed the mod yet, so I do not know. Some places can also perform the mod for you.
Diezel Mod
Google

Supreme Mod
Google

Keeley Mod
Google
Some people would just say to get a good pedal instead, such as an OCD with an 18 volt adapter, a Wampler Triple Wreck, or an Okko Dominator. Although the Metal Zone could have potential once modded.
 
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