Repetitive noise when recording

G

geoff957

Member
Hi,
Got a problem with a repetitive noise when recording guitar. It's like a road drill banging away in the distance.
Please see attached file which shows the noise frequencies.
The guitar is connected to an external Soundcraft mixer via a Behringer DI box and then to PC Windows XP/Cubase 4
The noise is only really a problem when I'm using a distortion plugin and I've tried more than one with the same result.
Also tried other mixer inputs but again the problem remains.
I would very much appreciate any advice please.
Thanks in advance.
Geoff
 

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Probably data bus noise. The huge gain applied in the plug in reveals it. It usually travels on the ground in the cable between interface and computer. A ferrite ring with the usb wound a few times through it can often remove/reduce it.
 
Hi Geoff. I think an attached clip of the sound would be more useful than the RTA snap? Most of us can do that from an an audio file (attach as 320k MP3)

But, "Soundcraft mixer"? Is that a USB model? If so, it might have high impedance 'guitar' inputs already negating the need of the Berry DI, at least one model of which is known to be a noisy bugger.

If you are NOT using a USB mixer as your interface then you must be going into the computer's On Board Sound card and that poses a whole raft of problems.

AND! What Rob (AKA "Speedy Gonzales") said!

Dave.
 
Not feeling speedy! I’m in hospital. They Thought I was having a heart attack but it’s a gall bladder infection so absolutely nothing to do.
 
Hi,
Sorry for delay in reply. I clicked the box for email notifications but as none received I thought there weren't any. I'm grateful for your advice and I will get a clip sorted to upload. My best wishes to Rob for a speedy return to health.

Not using a USB mixer - Soundcraft MFX connecting to an M-Audio 192 Audio Card
Regards
Geoff
 
Rob, best of luck. I went through the exact same thing about 5 years ago. They removed the gall bladder and its been great since then. No more indigestion or other stomach ailments. It took them some time to find it, ran the heart cath through my wrist and all was clear. They did an ultrasound and found the stones.

The worst part was they kept me in the hospital the night of the attack, and I had tickets to see Tommy Emmanuel!!!!!
=======================

Geoff, I've had issues with some mixers when plugging into my Zoom R24. My Yamaha MX12/4 is fine, but when I've tied into a couple of other mixers, I got a clicking that showed up in the track. It wasn't as loud as yours. I suspect it was a ground loop. Last time, I didn't realize it until after the event was done and you could see regular spikes in the vocal track later. All I could do was either cut out all non-vocal times, or try to put a noise gate on it.
It was very constant, a bit slower than yours....
Mixer noise.jpg
 
Thanks for your reply. Annoying thing is it comes and goes. I move leads around and it'll stop and I think 'that's it'
but it comes back. I have tried gating the track and that at least removes the distraction of it, but I always end up taking bits out or leaving bits in when I gate - I'm probably not too good at it. I then resort to (almost) muting the gaps. Anyway, I'm currently updating some of my old cables that I made up myself years ago so perhaps that might help.
 
My collaborator had this and it’s was a known good computer and a known good interface but the two together just made noises. We reduced them and changed their sound but never fixed them. They vanished on an interface change next upgrade time.

thanks for nice words, they said that as I was diagnosed I could go home and then once all quietened down, I can go back in and have the fix it or lose it work. I went home and slept the best I’ve slept for a week!
 
Yes it may be I'll have to live with it. I've used the same gear for years and it hasn't always been there so with luck it'll vanish in the same way it appeared.

Glad to hear you're feeling better and back home. Wish you all the best.
 
As the noise (will listen in a min') "comes and goes" I suggest you avail yourself of some of these:https://entie.co.uk/products/002549...4&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign

And tie down and 'dress' as much of your cabling as you can, especially that going to and from the 192 breakout bunch. Tie down even things that you need to move sometimes just to get a systematic process going.
When you find a 'rig' that delivers silence, photograph it then you can release things in stages and maybe track down the cause?

The attached spectrum tell me little. Mess innit?! I am however suspicious of that 50Hz hum just 18dB or so below the bulk of the noise? Might be worth tracking that down? Otherwise, RFI? Try some clip on ferrites?

Dave.
 

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