Noise Identification - Ground or RFI or Something else?

CastawayMusic

New member
I have a Avatone CV-12 tube mic that has brought a noise issue to my attention again. I've heard this noise before without the CV-12, like with single coil pickup guitars with high gain amp modelers. There is a defined digital noise coming into my "in the box" studio and I'm not sure what it is or what to do about it. Please give listen to the 4 short files in the link, the file name explain the recordings. The interface is a Focusrite 4i4, I don't believe it is the issue however. All recording were with the 4i4 preamp all the way up. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Link to noise files here Thanks!!
 
Have you always had that problem? Or has it just started?

It is often (but not always) a power supply problem. I experienced it with my desktop, but it disappeared once I used balanced connections for everything.
 
I've always had it. It was much more noticeable with my old Presonus USB 96. My Focusrite 4i4 made it almost imperceivable so I kind of just disregarded it since I really could not hear it anymore. It only comes up in level with, this tube mic, the CV-12, or with any single coil guitar and a high gain amp modeler. So you think it might be related to the power supply in my desktop PC? This might make sense, I can do some testing along this line.
 
I can tell you exactly what it is, and My mac mini is doing the very same thing this week.

It is data buss noise. The processor and the drives shunting data around and probably also a but of noise from an HDMI monitor. Mine started when I swapped some drives around, and a long USB cable that runs in a duct from the computer cupbard to the desk in the studio was put into service. I moved the computer out of the studio. Noise started. In the duct are mains power cables, unshielded of course, plus two loudspeaker cables, two unbalanced audio cables and 2 of the USB cables - The mac has a lot of drives attached - and what is happening (I think) is that the data being shifted about has travelled out as interference on the USB shield, travelling along the USB cable and it's leaking into the ground of the audio cables right next door to it, travelling back to the amp. My nice quiet system has simply just been moved from one end of that usb cable to the other, so my first step will be to remove everything one cable at a time - so one by one remove the drives to see if the noise stops or changes. If you have a spare cable between your computer, and the interface I'd try a swap, just in case. Sometimes in the past I've noticed it gets worse as the computer PSU gets more and more stressed as you add other devices needing power. Your sample clearly indentify it as data noise, but it could be something daft - does the noise ONLY appear when you power up the mic power supply, or only when you connect the mic? Is the system quiet without the mic and psu connected? It could be the mic is just RF sensitive and your cables are throwing the noise everywhere, and the mic is acting as the entry point. Check things like the ground(earth) to the power supply. See if the earth pin of the IEC on the power supply is connected to XLR pin 1. Ground loops often hum, but can also be great room wide entrances for external noises. In my case, my cause may well be the number of drives connected to the mac that are powered from the USB bus. This can often unsettle the system, and let the noises out!

If you don't mind a lot of messing around, disconnect everything and start with the interface and speakers - checking for the noise. Then add the computer and if still silent, one by one, add all the other attachments one by one. At some stage, the noises will start. That doesn't mean whatever new was plugged in is the culprit, but it is a pointer.
 
Thank you Rob. I tried a USB isolator from iFi Defender between the computer and my Focusrite 4i4 Gen 3 interface and it did nothing, I returned it. I'll try the measured approach that you suggest to try to isolate. I'll let you know if I have any luck. Thanks!
 
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