Hum on my Shure SM57

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guitarplayer08

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I always get a big humming noise when I use my Shure SM57. When I touch the body of the mic with my hand, the humming is gone.

I tried putting the mic on the stands and the humming noise is there again. So I have to put my hand on the mic to stop it. How can I solve this problem?
 
Cable bad? Sounds like an open (i.e. unconnected) ground pin.
 
There's nothing especially wrong with that brand/type of cable, but cable problems are the first thing to suspect when something's wrong with the connection between two pieces of equipment. If you are confident in the cable, consider other possible causes.

What's the other end of the cable plugged into? Might there be a "ground lift" switch somewhere in the path? In most cases, you wouldn't want the ground lifted on a microphone.

What's the history of the mic? Did you buy it used, or have you had it for a while? If so, open it up and see if all the wires look good, and are solidly connected. If you can borrow another 57, you can check to see if the borrowed mic has the same problem. If it does, you can be confident that the cause of the problem lies elsewhere.
 
I'm using PODxt which is a guitar processor because i dont have a mic preamp at this moment and I've heard that the PODxt can give you some decent vocal result.

I connect my SM57 which is brand new with sealed box to my PODxt then from PODxt to my computer.
 
Hi,
If you take the mic further away from the computer does is still hum? Because when I put any mics/instruments close to my computer I get interference and I also have gotten interference from the cable tv wires so I keep away from that too.

Have you tried another cable? Do you have any other mics, and if so are you also getting hum with them? Maybe it's a setting on the computer that needs to be different. I would say to go direct into another source like a mixer or amp to see if you are getting hum. This way you can find out if it's the mic itself or if there is a problem with the computers chain/routing connections.

evt
 
guitarplayer08 said:
I'm using PODxt which is a guitar processor because i dont have a mic preamp at this moment and I've heard that the PODxt can give you some decent vocal result.

I connect my SM57 which is brand new with sealed box to my PODxt then from PODxt to my computer.
Click to expand...

Does the POD have an XLR input, or are you using some sort of adapter? I agree with the others that the cable is a more likely culprit than the mic and that a grounding issue seems most like what you are describing. However, the only way to know is to test out the mic with other equipment and/or switch out the cable, etc. You just have to systematically try out the different pieces to isolate the one that isn't working properly.
 
guitarplayer08 said:
I connect my SM57 ... to my PODxt
Click to expand...
OK, that's fine. We need to know now how you're making the connection from the 57, with its XLR connector, to the POD with its 1/4" connector. Specifically, is pin 1 of the XLR end of the cable connected to the sleeve of the 1/4" connector?
 
Ah, I think I see! With that adapter going into a 1/4" TS jack, XLR pin 3 is open, because it goes to the "ring" of the TRS connector. (Pin 1 goes to the sleeve, and pin 2 goes to the tip.) That could be causing the problem. Try opening up the XLR end of the adapter, and short pin 1 to pin 3. Does that make the hum go away?
 
Check in the manual to see if thre s any info about the kind of cable that needs to be used with the POD with a mic connection.
evt
 
DonF said:
Ah, I think I see! With that adapter going into a 1/4" TS jack, XLR pin 3 is open, because it goes to the "ring" of the TRS connector. (Pin 1 goes to the sleeve, and pin 2 goes to the tip.) That could be causing the problem. Try opening up the XLR end of the adapter, and short pin 1 to pin 3. Does that make the hum go away?
Click to expand...

I tried opening up the XLR end of the adapter but theres this plastic covering that I need to break :( . But I just read in the manual of the PODxt that the input plug of the PODxt is a unbalanced input. Is this mean I cant plug a balanced jack? I read this in www.tweakheadz.com

Q) Can you plug a unbalanced TS plug into a balanced TRS jack

A) Yes. In most cases there is no problem with doing so. If the manufacturer says you can use unbalanced or balanced it is fine.

By the way, when i plug my guitar(unbalanced) into the PODxt theres no hum at all.

Do you think it will be better off if i just ditch the adapter and use this?
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--CBIMH
 
Last edited:
That might work. However, it seems like you're going to a lot of trouble to run a mic through a POD. Now, I could see doing this for the occasional effect, but I wouldn't make a habit of tracking vocals through it. I think you'd be better off just getting a preamp for vocals. You could pick up a Studio Projects VTB-1 or a used M-Audio DMP3 for about $100, and you'd be set. You still haven't told us if you tried different cables or mics to find out whether the problem is from the mic or the cable. That should really be your first step.
 
The problem is I dont have any different mic, because I dont have the money to get it :o Yeah, I was thinking of getting a mic preamp too when I have the money. What I'm trying to do with the POD is that I want to use the Tube Preamp preset in the POD.
 
Open the XLR plug on the end of the mic cable (where it plugs into the mic) and see if you can tie the wire from pin 3 to pin 1. Even just wrapping a piece of solder around the two pins will work. The important thing to remember when you do this is, never use phantom power with this cord. You can burn up the mic coil.
 
but to keep from messing up a good cable, and possibly using it elsewhere by mistake, would a XLR to 1/4 TS transformer not have worked or is it pretty much the same as the adapter? I have several of the transformers laying around and they look the same as the adapter he says he used. I have used them with no problem when going from a mic to an unbalanced input.
 
thajeremy said:
but to keep from messing up a good cable, and possibly using it elsewhere by mistake, would a XLR to 1/4 TS transformer not have worked or is it pretty much the same as the adapter? I have several of the transformers laying around and they look the same as the adapter he says he used. I have used them with no problem when going from a mic to an unbalanced input.
Click to expand...
Yes, it would have probably worked, but:

A: It's the weekend and he'd hafta find a place that sell the thing.

B. I'm really cheap and I hate to see people spend the money, if there's a simple, cheap solution.

C. Some of those transformers are shitty and can cause distortion when used with loud sources.
 
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