Why am I getting static noise?

[M4rk3y]

Hi, I'm getting a lot of static fuzz noise through my microphone. It is an Akg p120.

My set up is
Mic>xlr cable>mixer>3/4 jack mic cable>audio interface>iMac

The mixer is a phonic am125, I'm coming out of the aux send into the audio interface.

I feel/hope it's just this mixer, or the jack cable that's giving me the noise... Wish I didn't need phantom power from the mixer.

Can anyone suggest what it will be or how to avoid it?
Thanks
Mark, the super newb

 

[Chili]

What is your interface? Can't you simply plug the mic into it?

What do you mean by "3/4 jack mic cable"?

Can you describe the noise better? Or maybe post a clip of it?

 

[M4rk3y]

It's a lexicon alpha.
I mean 1/4 inch jack cable (typo sorry) it is it has "microphone cable" on it.

I can't go straight into the interface because it doesn't have phantom power

The noise, it's almost as if the volume and gain is cranked on full. Like, white noise, static fuzz...

 

[arcaxis]

- Is the 1/4" cable a TS(tip-sleeve) or a TRS(tip-ring-sleeve)? The aux send is a TS(unbalanced) jack. You should be using a Line input on the Alpha which is TRS and either TRS balanced or TS unbalanced can be plugged into it. You probably should be using a TS type cable since the aux send is TS(unbalanced). If you have a TRS cable try the Main outs on the mixer which seem to be TRS(balanced) from the manual.

 

[M4rk3y]

I have some home work to do, there's a few new terms for me there haha.
Iv just took out from the aux send and put it into phones... It sounds better but not perfect. I think a large part of the problem is kind of double amplifying, if that's a thing? The mixer is controlling the volume from the mic, the. The audio interface is trying to amp that, doubling the background noise. ?

The main out from the mixer is a different type of connection. They are the white and red connectors, like on the back of a TV. But my interface only has one instrument jack (1/4 inch) on the front, xlr on back and two "line in" s on the back that look like 1/4" jack...

 

[M4rk3y]

Rca... That's what the main out is from the desk. I mean I think it's the main out. As it says rec out above it. Then under that there are two other red and white rca that say 2T rtn. Not sure what they do yet. Haha

 

[arcaxis]

Headphones are stereo, you don't want to use that to connect to the Alpha. Use one of the Line inputs on the back of the Alpha from one of the mixers Main Outs. If you have headphones (which you should have a pair ), how do they sound if plugged into mixers headphone jack?

 

[M4rk3y]

Ahhh, how did I not even think this might be the main out! Lol thank you!
So I want mono ? I thought stereo would be best , for recording vocals and acoustic guitar?
Or will I just pan them on different tracks?

Sounds good through phones... I'm getting there haha
Thanks for the help

 

[Chili]

If you are micing the guitar, plug that mic into one channel on the mixer, and the vocal mic into another. On the mixer, hard pan each to opposite sides, maybe guitar to the left and vocal to the right.

In your DAW software, create two MONO tracks; one for the guitar and one for the vocal.

Assign the appropriate inputs to each track; channel one for the guitar and channel 2 for the vocal (or maybe it's reversed with the Lexicon)

That will give you two Mono tracks. Both tracks will come out both speakers, but they are still mono. It will sound like they are centered, which they are. And honestly, that's kind of boring.... So, record two guitar parts and spread them apart a little and keep the vocal in the center. Easy to do and fun.

Create a third track in your DAW.

Assign it to the same channel as the guitar.

Record a 2nd guitar part.

In the DAW, not the mixer, pan the two guitar parts out to each side a little.

 

[Steenamaroo]

So I want mono ? I thought stereo would be best , for recording vocals and acoustic guitar?

Not quite..well, it depends.
If you want to take a 'mix' from the mixer, (several inputs mixed/panned together) you want to use 2 x mono outputs rather than 1 x stereo.

A headphone output usually uses a 1/4 connected with three contacts on it, called Tip, Ring and Sleeve.
This is what people mean when they say TRS.

In this context, Shield is shield, Ring and Tip are right and left.

With your main outputs it's different.
There are two of them and both will use TRS connector but they use the Ring and Tip to carry the exact same signal, but with opposite polarity.
No need for detail but this is called a 'balanced mono signal', and results in much greater noise rejection.


Any interface with TRS inputs is going to use the balanced line input setup, so each input will be mono.

In short, use two TRS cables and patch them from your pair of main outputs on the desk to a pair of line inputs on the interface.
In your software, set up a a stereo audio track and tell it to look for input on two two line inputs.

If you simply want one signal to pass through, like a single microphone, use one cable, one main output, and one line input, but pan your audio track on the desk to the correct side.
1=left, 2=right.

Long term....I'd get a phantom power supply or an interface with phantom, unless you're doing something like live streaming where a mixer might be useful.

Hope that helps.

 

[M4rk3y]

Sounding 100% better already

 

[arcaxis]

Sounding 100% better already

The cables???