Cant kill the buzzing

M

mattfunkel

New member
I'm pretty new to the whole home recording scene and am trying to record an acoustic album of my band. I'm using Cakewalk Sonor recording software and running my guitar through a M audio Mobile pre. The Mobile pre is connected to my computer via USB. I've started throwing down some of the guitar tracks but with out playing anything there's always a certain level of noise being picked up on sonar's meters. When recorded there's a constant buzzing through the entire track. It is quite annoying. and then when I record another track such as a lead or percussion that track has buzzing too and you can hear through out the song when another track is picked up. I thought at first it might just be that the acoustic im using doesnt have an active pickup but then I hooked it up to my drum machine and it still does it. Do I need a noise gate?
 
mattfunkel said:
I'm pretty new to the whole home recording scene and am trying to record an acoustic album of my band. I'm using Cakewalk Sonor recording software and running my guitar through a M audio Mobile pre. The Mobile pre is connected to my computer via USB. I've started throwing down some of the guitar tracks but with out playing anything there's always a certain level of noise being picked up on sonar's meters. When recorded there's a constant buzzing through the entire track. It is quite annoying. and then when I record another track such as a lead or percussion that track has buzzing too and you can hear through out the song when another track is picked up. I thought at first it might just be that the acoustic im using doesnt have an active pickup but then I hooked it up to my drum machine and it still does it. Do I need a noise gate?
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I don't think a noise gate will help much. Hmm, is everything connected correctly? How is your guitar/drum machine connected to the mobile pre?
 
the output from my guitar is connected directly to the ch1/line of the mobile pre. I've also tried putting in the ch2 as well. It's not like an intense buzzing/humming, just noticeable.
 
mattfunkel said:
the output from my guitar is connected directly to the ch1/line of the mobile pre. I've also tried putting in the ch2 as well. It's not like an intense buzzing/humming, just noticeable.
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Hmm, i'm really not sure. Contact m-audio and explain to them. There might be a fault or something.
 
Welcome to the board !

Now, a couple of questions.

Is the noise present (audible) before you record anything or do you hear it only upon playback of the recorded track ?

Where are you monitoring from ?

By chance, is your computer a laptop ?
 
Well if the hum/buz is there with nothing plugged into the m-audio unit then it could be the unit. Are the gain adjustments on the interface cranked?

I am leaning tward the unit or something near it causing interferance.

If you are using the same cord for connecting the drum machine as your guitar it is very suspect too. It's always the simple things.

See if the unit hums with nothing pluged in. if so try moving the unit around see if it changes. if the unit doesn't hum with nothing plugged in, try swapping out the cord.

If all above fails, contact M audio. I can pretty much tell you one of thir first questions will me if you tried a different cable;)

Good Luck!

F.S.
 
well ill try to answer two posts in one. Yes I am using a laptop. Let me start by saying that the noise is not made when the mobile pre is plugged into the USB and the recording device being used is my internal mic on my comp. Before recording the the meter on my software is already picking up the buzzing.

Now i have the pre plugged into the USB with no cable in the ch1 input and the meter isnt picking up the sound even if i push record.

Now I plugged in the cable and the meter is slightly picking something up. But not if I record. And now that i plugged in my guitar the noise is very present. I dont have the gain jacked up. and Im using 30 series noise canceling head phones.
the drum machine does the same thing. Moving stuff around didnt help much either.
 
mattfunkel said:
well ill try to answer two posts in one. Yes I am using a laptop. Let me start by saying that the noise is not made when the mobile pre is plugged into the USB and the recording device being used is my internal mic on my comp. Before recording the the meter on my software is already picking up the buzzing.

Now i have the pre plugged into the USB with no cable in the ch1 input and the meter isnt picking up the sound even if i push record.

Now I plugged in the cable and the meter is slightly picking something up. But not if I record. And now that i plugged in my guitar the noise is very present. I dont have the gain jacked up. and Im using 30 series noise canceling head phones.
the drum machine does the same thing. Moving stuff around didnt help much either.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the cable to me...
 
mattfunkel said:
well ill try to answer two posts in one. Yes I am using a laptop. Let me start by saying that the noise is not made when the mobile pre is plugged into the USB and the recording device being used is my internal mic on my comp. Before recording the the meter on my software is already picking up the buzzing.

Now i have the pre plugged into the USB with no cable in the ch1 input and the meter isnt picking up the sound even if i push record.

Now I plugged in the cable and the meter is slightly picking something up. But not if I record. And now that i plugged in my guitar the noise is very present. I dont have the gain jacked up. and Im using 30 series noise canceling head phones.
the drum machine does the same thing. Moving stuff around didnt help much either.
Click to expand...


Do you have another cable to try? Also how hi is the hum on the signal scale of your recording software? -60 -50db ?

F.S.
 
If I'm reading what you are doing correctly, I think you just need a direct box so you can go into the XLR input...sounds like a grounding issue to me, which you have no control over just going straight into the 1/4" inputs....If you are already using the XLR inputs, then I don't know...

edit: fixed a term
 
My laptop recording has hum/buzz when the laptop power adapter is plugged in. If I unplug the adapter and run on batteries it is silent. But then I'm limited to about 2 hours of battery life max. So when I'm between recordings, I plug it in so it can charge the battery.
 
ido1957 said:
My laptop recording has hum/buzz when the laptop power adapter is plugged in. If I unplug the adapter and run on batteries it is silent. But then I'm limited to about 2 hours of battery life max. So when I'm between recordings, I plug it in so it can charge the battery.
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This is why I was wondering if he was using a laptop.
I've been using laptops almost exclusively for recording for years now (that's about to change :) ) and every one of them I have used has this problem while the power supply is plugged in.
I'm gonna get beatup for this, but I use a ground lift when I plug my power supply in but only on the laptops power supply (for years now), no more problems.
 
astoebe said:
If I'm reading what you are doing correctly, I think you just need a direct box so you can go into the XLR input...sounds like a grounding issue to me, which you have no control over just going straight into the 1/4" inputs....If you are already using the XLR inputs, then I don't know...

edit: fixed a term
Click to expand...
The mobile pre comes with basically a DI built in(hi impedance inputs).
 
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