How to kill this Hum in my setup?

[fjell_strom]

Right all, this is my first post. I'm afraid I haven't got any amazing gear--and it might be easy enough to write "Get better gear", but I hope someone will offer other serious suggestions:

The setup: Stagg copycat Telecaster into a Behringer six channel Eurorack UB802 mixer. RCA jacks leading from the Tape Out of the Behringer end in a 1\8" headphones jack plug which is plugged into my computer sound card IN. The sound card is a brand new Audigy 2 ZS NOTEBOOK--I'm a laptop user. I had this same noise problem, however, in the last soundcard I owned, which was an external USB card.

The noise I'd like to eliminate sounds simply like a static-y hum. If anyone has shoot-from-the-hip suggestions or wants to know more technical details, please let me know.

I appreciate any help on this,

Thanks, Dustin

 

[Ed Dixon]

Tele models generally have single coil pickups, which can generate more noise that humbucker pickups. If you connect the guitar to a guitar amp, do you hear anything similar?

Have you connected the mixer output to a guitar amp to see if the same problem still exists? If you listen on head phones connected directly to the mixer, is the hum there?

When dealing with hum/static problems, trying to eliminate pieces of gear in teh signal path is a good way to find out where the hum is coming from. If you have another guitar, or a friend has a guitar, try that with the same combo and see what happens.

I have the same mixer, and I use it with both amps and PC conenctions for guitar. I have not seem the hum/static problem you outlined.

Ed

 

[SteveK]

Yeah, that is 60 cycle hum from the Tele pickups. Try changing your position relative to the PC, it will probably affect the amount and volume of the hum. All single coils are prone to this, which is why a double coil pickup is called a humbucker. You can also get replacement single coil pickups from a few different manufacturers such as Fender, Kinman, etc. I have Fender noiseless pups in my Strat Deluxe and a set of Barden's in my Tele. Remember it's all single coils that do this...even when I'm playing one of my Thorn or PRS guitars, if I split the pickup to get the single coil type tone, I also get the SC type hum. It also depends on how clean a signal you're using, clean tone = less hum, increasing the gain/overdrive/distortion = more. Hope this helped...

 

[fjell_strom]

Thanks for the tips, boys. I'm now off to experiment with the signal path--should have bought that mock Stratocaster instead...

By the way--it is very true that the hum changes volume and "frequency" when I walk about the room...

 

[E. Chiasson]

I would also add to check if any USB connections are not generating a noise right into your sound card. This is a possible noise source. Computer monitors too won't help. I remember having to shut my monitor off after pressing the record switch in order to lay down a guitar track. I fixed my problem by buying a goodm shielded sound card. Aardvark Q10 it is . Heavily shielded all the way from the PCI up to the rack mount control unit.

 

[apl]

If you're using a setup that's got a lot of compression, it'll make the 60Hz a lot louder. Try a noise gate.

 

[ez_willis]

Check this out-

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/tele.php