MobilePre USB hummmmmmmm

[socalledsin]

Hey guys. This past week ive become a bit picky about my overal sound quality and ive recently noticed the insane hum that my mobilepre is producing when applying distortion to a guitar. I'm pretty sure its always been there i guess i was just too preoccupied with learning how to use sonar and getting a grasp on things. But now its driving me insane. I cant get a good crunch at a decent volume without the hum becoming unbearable. After the first day id thought id cured it with a noise gate , but later realized that was retarded because the second i do anything on the guitar i can hear it, its just a bit more drowned out, but there nonetheless. I read a post where a guy mentioned that running a wire from the screw of the back to a screw on the face of an electric outlet plate, and im curious of other ways to ground this. I've been playing with the thought of getting a laptop and using it for all my recording with plans of using the mobilepre as well, but i dont want to have to run a wire everywhere i go with it. I wish id found this forum before purchasing the mobile, but i was clueless and bought what the sales person at the guitar center suggested. I love the sound of it but the humming must be stopped or reduced, and simply replacing it wont be an option for some time. Any other ideas on how to ground? Thanks in advance, you guys are great.

 

[boingoman]

I kinda doubt the mobilepre is your problem. What other gear are you using? Since the problem happens when you kick on the distortion, I'm betting the hum is coming from your distortion device itself, or the guitar.

 

[socalledsin]

Thanks for the reply. Im not running any effects between the guitar, just using plugins for the distortion and have tried several. After reading what you said i tried simply unplugging the guitar , as well as plugging in a cheap boss drum machine and the hum stayed the same even with nothing plugged into it.

 

[manning1]

you might have a ground loop somewhere or a faulty cable.
search underr my name as well for "star grounding".
and on the internet.

 

[alsa_user]

I have had the same problem with my unit. When I am not recording I mute the input gain. I use it with a laptop and the unit does not hum when I am on batteries, put the laptop on AC and the hum returns. I don't carry a wire around, just a fully charged laptop.

 

[socalledsin]

Thanks a ton for all the replies. I've tried everything and its still there, but the hum is reduced if i use a lighter distortion plugin, so i guess thats just the sacrifice ill have to make for now. Thanks a lot guys.