Ground loops SUCK

[DrewPeterson7]

It's all sorted out, but I spent the last couple hours systematically trouble-shooting every single part of my signal chain to figure out where the interference was occurring between my computer's CPU and wireless accessories, and my Yamaha HS80s, such that there was constant hum and crackle whenever I did anything involving my computer's hard drive. Nothing on input, recorded tracks were perfectly clean, my headphones were fine, and a smaller set of monitors I'd been using on loan from a buddy before my move were dead quiet too, but any time my computer was on and the Yamahas were plugged in, I got noise.

I finally fxed it by putting the monitors on a second outlet, and was rewarded by dead silent, crystal-clear audio. Success! It was a huge pain in the ass, though, and did I mention I'm in a full leg brace because I had knee surgery to replace an ACL a week and a half ago?

Anyway, just venting - my studio is up and running and operational again, so as soon as I can walk unaided expect a whole bunch of threads and questions about room treatment.

 

[miroslav]

Couple of hours....?
That's almost insignificant. I've spent days chasing electrical gremlins when I first set up my studio.
With a lot of pieces, the problems can multiply and take much longer to sort out....though when I initially ran all the wiring, I paid a lot of attention to how/what I was doing, so the final hook-ups of the gear didn't generate a lot of issues...but still had to do some tweaking.

My favorite was when I spent 2-3 days trying to figure out why all of a sudden I was getting a hum that was never there before. I didn't add or change anything in the studio....????
then when I realized it was happening only at night....it led me to the P.O.S. screw-in fluorescent bulbs I put on my outside decks, and they come on by timer at dusk.
I removed them and put back the incandescent that use to be there....no more hum. One of the reasons I avoid those new type of bulbs in my house altogether. I only have fluorescent bulbs in a couple very low use areas where they only are turned on as needed, so they are not an issue.

 

[mjbphotos]

Miro - what are you going to do when you can't buy incandescents any more? Will there be a black market for them? 40watt and 60 watt are gone as of Jan 1 in the US (no more manufacturing, so any store inventory is it). 100s and 75s went a while back.
I've got a plastic bin in the basement filled with them.

I'm chasing down an intermittent noise (like interference from a motor of some kind). It records, too. Found that out on Friday. The volume is low enough that if I've got something cranked up (like recording an electric guitar) I don't hear it until I listen back to the track.

 

[DrewPeterson7]

Yeah, I've never had issues like this - maybe one of the perks of a fairly simple studio, but sadly one that keeps growing in complexity. :lol: It's annoying, all the more so when standing and taking a couple steps is a huge struggle.

Still, I've got it sorted out, and have my studio gear back together for the first time in a couple months, which I'm totally psyched about.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Miro - what are you going to do when you can't buy incandescents any more?

Light emitting diodes.