Annoying static

  • Thread starter Thread starter Miseria_Cantare
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Miseria_Cantare

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I just recently bought an AMD Duron 750mhz computer second hand, and was hoping to use it to record with.
I know it's not that great, but I thought it would be able to get at least fairly good results from it.
I'm using windows XP, and I just put an Audigy 2 ZS in. I also know this isn't the best soundcard to be recording with, but, I managed to get good enough results with the Audigy 2 in my other computer (P4 1.6ghz) so I'd be happy if it worked as well in this computer.

The problem is that when I play any music, or any sounds at all, I get annoying static/fuzz every few seconds.
This seems to happen mostly while the computer is 'doing something', whereas if it's inactive and all it's doing is playing music, it happens less frequently.
But if I do something on there at the same time, then it's almost a constant stream of static, which seems to coincide with the clicking noises that the hard disk makes when it's doing something.

Yeah, I don't know that much about computers, so if anyone knows what's going on, then please help.

P.S: it's definately nothing to do with the soundcard, it works fine in my other computer (unless it's a compatibility problem or something)
 
There is no way to disable the onboard soundcard (that I know of)

As soon as I put the audigy in, the computer doesn't see the old one anyway.

This happened with my other computer but there were no problems.
 
I think you can switch the onboard sound off in the BIOS. However I have an audigy and switched off my onboard sound, and I get funny 'static' noises too. Mostly when my computer is doing something. Its only noticable with my monitors. Its like I can hear the CPU working away. My bet is its the Audigy...
 
....athough now you come to think about it, my BIOS did get reset after a surge went through it. (My fault....lucky it only did that) Hell, I'm gonna go home and check it out tonight...
 
I disabled the onboard sound, but it makes no difference, the computer wasn't using it anyway.

Still getting the noises, and I know the audigy works well because it did in the other computer, (unless I've damaged it while switching it around, but that's extremely unlikely)
 
I've also tried switching which PCI slot the soundcard is in, but this also makes no difference at all.
 
I know that people have problems with that, but its always seems to be interference with something else. Someone said that once they was recording live & there was a fridge close by them inside a club or something like that, and the engineer swore that it was the fridge that's causing static or something in that nature, and sure enough it was. It's probably either something close by, or inside your computer that's causing interference. I know that sometimes when I turn on my TV, i'll have the same hissing sounds while just listening w/ my monitors turned up a little bit. I dont' know how to explain it best, but there's my 2 cents.

Maybe try a different power outlet that doesn't give noise in? But I'm pretty sure that something in your computer is causing the interference.
 
Yeah, by now I'm pretty sure it's the hard drive, I'm just not sure how to get rid of the noise.

Here is what I've figured so far:

1. The noise happens whenever the red light on the front of the PC is flashing
2. The red light on the front of the PC shows hard disk activitiy (correct me if I'm wrong)
3. Therefore, The soundcard is picking up noise from the hard disk for some reason, which I don't understand.
4. I know it's NOT the soundcard, fo' sho', because it works in my other pc.


Now I guess it's narrowed down quite alot, so can someone with the knowledge help?
I need this PC for recording :(
 
throw it in the trash and get a seagate, or take it out your system & put it into an external case. I notice one thing though, whenever I used to record with the audigy 2, and it gave me the same problems, it didn't record that noise, but I dont' know in your situation. Try plugging it into a different outlet. Try plugging a different power cord to your hard drive.
 
Well I've just reinstalled Win XP professional (for different reasons, not because of the soundcard problem)
But at least now I can be sure it's nothing to do with the OS.

Now, all I've installed are the Audigy drivers, and I'll try using a different hard disk power cord like you say.

Then I'll install Sonar 4, and see if the static turns up in any recordings I make, I guess if it doesn't then I can live with it :)
 
I had the same problem in my old house...noise when the hd would spin. It was fixed by moving.

A cheaper fix could be a power conditioner, as I think mine was actually a ground problem. Didn't come through the headphones, just the powered monitors. Also didn't show up in the recording.

Doesn't do it my new house at all...grounding on the outlets.

6
 
Ok, I had 3 power cables in use, 2 going to the 2 cd drives, and 1 going to the hard drive.

I've just unplugged all 3, and taken one that was in one of the cd drives and plugged it into the hard disk, and so far, so good, no static noises (but I know from the past that sometimes a problem appears to be fixed at first but actually isn't)

The only thing is, In my current drunken state, I can't remember which cable I unplugged from the hard disk, and I now have no active cd drives, gah.
And I don't want to plug the (perhaps) dodgy power cable into one of them and cause the problem again except on a cd drive.


Anyway, it could just be messing with me again, and come back anyway. I hate it when things do that.

I'll see how it goes.
 
Yup, as I though, it just *appeared* to be working. it's still very much there.

I'm going to try a complete different hard disk instead of the one that's in there right now.
 
You also might want to try using your computer on a different outlet and like was said, get a power conditioner
 
It sounds like you could be getting noise from inside the case, which could be anything, power supply, connections, drives. I would make sure everything is fastened down well and all wiring stays away from components. Barring that make sure the computer is away from anything and not running to hot, after that condition the line. Just suggestions.
 
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