Any ideas?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Velvet Elvis
  • Start date Start date
Velvet Elvis

Velvet Elvis

Ahh humma humma humma
Hey all... I've got a small issue in my studio that I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on (I think I know the answer, but I'm hoping someone has a better idea).

I've got a ferocious buzz going on when I record guitars (double or single coil... active or passive) in my studio. Even if they are in a completely different room from the control room.

I can move the guitar around in the room and get it to become a little better or a little worse, but its always still there. And of course gates suck, so it ruins any tone if I have to revert to massive amount of gating.

It seems to have something to do with the magnetic field of the house etc because microphones, keyboard etc don't have this problem... just guitars.

I tried an isolation transformer (isolated the entire studio) and it didn't seem to make a bit of difference.

Any ideas? I'm guessing that somewhere in my endless miles of cables and rack gear that there is a piece of gear that is either acting up, has a bad cable or has a polarity reversed somewhere.

Final guitars are all that's left on my bands new CD... I'd love to get this figured out and fixed.

Thanks!
Velvet Elvis
 
If you are using a computer it could be from the monitor. Should be in a different room, or as far away as possible from the monitor. Also, if you have a pretty good gate and know how to use it, it won't kill your tone.
 
Keilson,

Nope... no computer (they are in the studio... but they are not on and are even unplugged from power).

The problem with the gate is that the noise is disturbing enough that the gate has to be set fairly heavy to keep from getting all kind of buzz at the end of phrases (even with VERY low distortion settings).

I'm tracking through a Mackie 24x8 to ADAT if it matters to anyone.

Velvet
 
if no other interference, could be grounding is my guess. what does everybody else think?
 
Sounds like grounding to me too.

Are you on a circuit by yourself? If not what else is plugged in on the line?

Any flourescent fixtures perhaps? Refrigerators are notorious noismakers too. Especially the surge as the compessor kicks in.

After turning the power off, check your outlets on that circuit and see if they are grounded. Also check your breaker box and see if the copper wire is grounded and the white is connected to the nuetral bar on your circuit.

I forgot to add that I live in an older home that is strictly a two-wire affair. When I built my bedroom/studio in my basement I used 12/2 wire with ground on a separate 20A circuit and made very sure the whole room was grounded properly in the box. I even have a no-hum light dimmer for my computer desk on this circuit and have never heard so much as a pop or buzz.
 
Senn...

The box is grounded... and the isolation transformer I used was a military grade stand alone box (you plug it into the wall, then plug your power into it)... so it shouldn't matter what else was on the circuit should it?

I don't have any purely isolated circuits in the house (we are getting ready to move to a new house, so I haven't spent the $$$$ to do it)... but I have tried several circuits and had the same results... its almost as if its a whole house thing.

Velvet
 
That's strange. Is your current home located near a power pole with large transformers mounted?

If so, is yours one of the first supplied off of the transformer?

I really can't think of anything else.

Is it intermittent or continuous? Are any of your neighbors Ham Radio operators using high wattage amps?
 
Would an accidental polarity reversal somewhere in the circuit cause this??
 
if you're moving around the room changes the amount of hum you get then it should be interference right Sennheiser?
 
Senn,

It is continuous.. I can take a guitar (with a double coil pickup) and take my Genesis unit (like a POD) to various rooms and still get the same exact interference. The Genesis isn't grounded either, so that makes it even stranger.

I am near a power pole (probably 100 yards)... but the transformer on it is nothing major.

Doubt my neighbors do ham radio... but I don't know I guess.

keilson,

Yeah... I'm guessing interference somehow too... here's another strange one for you. This is the second house this has happened in... but it is worse at this house.

I'm guessing there is probably something acting as a transmitter in the studio itself... but not really sure what.

I've tried unplugging all cordless phones, all GFI circuits etc.

Velvet
 
Darrin...

Nope... there are only two florescents in the entire house.... and they are in the basement and were not plugged in.

There are no rheostats on the circuits either.

Velvet
 
My dad replace the regular bulbs i my studio with these new Floresent lights. I notice no difference and no interference. But then again these aren't the long Floresent lights. They are kind of weirdly shaped. Anyways....does anybody else have ideas for Velvet Elvis of what his problem could be?
 
Well, that sounds right. It may somehow be inducted into the guitar cords or the line cords from an outside source.

You'd know if any of your neighbors had a Ham rig. There'd be an unusually funny looking antenna mounted on a mast or tower.

I have really run out of ideas.

Have you tried calling in a couple of Priests? I think your guitar rig is possesed.

"By the Body of Christ I COMMAND YOU..."

:confused:
 
That's funny! My father-in-law is a pastor... maybe I should have just called him!!

Here's something I just thought of... might be a really really dumb idea...

What if I were to try using my wireless rig... and just use short patch cables for the wireless to amp/pedal/etc setup... then I would elimate any electrical coupling of the guitar to the rest of the system... as well I would remove any long runs of cables which could be acting like antennae??

My wireless sounds reasonably transparent, and any coloration would obviously still be better than no coloration with crap load of buzz behind it.

Thoughts?

Velvet Elvis
 
Great idea! Try it and let us know what happens. I'll check in later. I gotta lay down. I worked a mid last night.
 
Do you have ANY dimmer switches on the lights? Those can be notorious for RFI.
 
Velvet Elvis - How are you recording your guitars? Is the buzz on the recording only or from the guitar/amp?

Kevin.
 
Michael... nope... no dimmer switches (rheostats)... only two in the whole house and both your off and are located on different circuits.

Long... the buzz is on the guitar line itself. I've recorded tracks direct into a digitech Genesis... you could hear the buzz on the output of the Genesis. I've tracked some using some amps... you could hear the buzz in the amp itself... I've tracked some using direct outs of a bass amp (for bass of course) and you could hear the buzz there too.

Velvet Elvis
 
If you take the guitar & amp combo to another room in the house do you hear the buzz from the amp speaker?

Has this always been the case in your house or just recently?

Also, on the dimmer question, if they are really bad ones, only being on a different phase will help.

Kevin.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top