Why am I hearing crackling

R

Razzle1980

New member
I'm using a Neve 5017 preamp going to my Yamaha interface and Cubase as my DAW. At certain levels when playing my guitar, I can hear what would best be described as a buzzing/crackling. I first thought it was my headphones, but I confirmed it wasn't. Am I setting a level too high somewhere? Is this a common newbie problem?
 
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Hi Razzle and welcome to Bedlam! The best way to proceed here is for you to post a short, 20sec clip of the sound but you don't have enough posts under your belt to do that yet (is it five Mods?) When you can please post as an attachement and as 320k (best q) MP3 then it can be inserted directly into folks DAWs. So, other possibilities...

Drivers: Make sure you have the latest driver for the Yamaha AI ( model please!) and that you are using ASIO drivers.
Buffer size. Too small a buffer size will cause stuttering and crackling. Most modern systems can live with a 256 buffer and the attendant latency should not be too bad.

Direct/'zero latency' monitoring (should have said this first! Late night, not been up long, only one cup o Joe so far!) It should be possible to listen to the Neve via the Yammy's headphone output without computer involvement bar USB power. If THAT crackles you have a hardware problem.

Levels and setup: Tricky this because I don't know what the interface is exactly but I assume you have the pre amp feeding the AI via the latter's line inputs? That could be problematic as the pre amp will deliver 'pro' levels, i.e. have a +4dBu operating levels and a headroom in excess of +22dBu whereas the AI is likely wanting less than 12dBu as max input. Cubase, iirc is a bit of a PITA in that its meters do not have dB markings? You should you see be averaging around -20dFS on the DAW* meters and peak no higher than about -8dBFS.

No pre: Again an assumption that the Yamaha has mic inputs, how does it work through those?

I'm here all day.

*Download the free Audacity. Good editor but not ideal for general recording BUT it does have dB marked meters!

I have just determined that the 5017 can put out +23dBu.

Dave.
 
Hi Dave, thanks for the detailed reply. I'm using the Yamaha AG03 as my interface/mixer. I'm plugging the output of the Neve into a line input on the AG03 using a balanced cable. I've tried plugging the Neve's output into the instrument input on the AG03 and have gotten the same results. These are all brand new equipment. I'll try some of the troubleshooting you listed and get back to you. I'm not too familiar with levels and setup yet, so I need to look into those. Most of my track levels seem to be near 0db, so maybe that's the problem. The AG03 does have a XLR mic input, not sure if I should try plugging the Neve's output into that. I tried doing that once and accidentally pressed the phantom button on the AG03, which freaked me out because I thought I could fry my Neve by doing that.
 
The level you see in the DAW should be well below 0dBFS, as Dave notes.

Does this problem happen with the first track, or after you've got a few stacked up? If the latter, it could be processing/resource problems, and freezing tracks or disabling some software FX, especially things like delays and reverb, can free resources.

Make sure your interface is set to the same sample rate as your project.
 
Hi again Razz' Try as I might I cannot find any decent specifications for the AG03 such as input and output levels but I shall repeat my idea that the Neve could easily overload this line input. NO! don't feed the Neve into the XLR mic in, you will do no harm but almost certainly cause gross distortion. You are well to be wary about phantom power but don't get paranoid about it! It rarely does any harm. The output of that pre amp is in any case a 'floating' transformer winding and proof against such things.

What I really want you to do is plug your mic into the AG03 and check if that combination is crackle free.

Dave.
 
Thanks again Dave. When you refer to "plugging in my mic," I'm actually plugging in my guitar to the DI Instrument input on my pre-amp, and my pre-amp output is going to the line input of my interface, so the connections are correct. I tried plugging in my instrument directly into the instrument input on my interface, and I got the same problem. I also confirmed that my interface was set to the same sample rate as my project. My buffer size was/is set to 256. The problem no only occurs on playback, but when I'm playing my instrument in real time through my set up as well. I'm also hearing slight fuzz/buzzing (faint morse code like sound) when not playing anything, which is definitely coming from the signal into my interface (as the volume knob that controls that signal takes the buzzing away when I turn it all the way down).

I was thinking my problem lies more with the individual track volumes being set too high in the DAW? They're all set to below 0, but I've tried adjusting each track to fall somewhere between -20db and -8db per your recommendation. But that still doesn't explain the faint morse code like sound I keep hearing in my monitors.
 
Monitors?!! You never said you had monitors! (did you?) Are they actives ? I think we need a complete inventory Razz' with makes and model numbers. Sorry I assumed you were using a mic. You might have a ground (aka hum, earth) loop problem or some form of RF interference. Do you have a microphone you can try?

"Morse code" sounds like a phone breaking in.

Dave.
 
Ok, here's my setup.

PreSonus Eris E4.5 4.5" Powered Studio Monitors
Beyerdynamic DT770 headphones
Neve 5017 pre-amp
Yamaha AG03 interface
Cubase DAW

The way I've been recording is plugging my guitar in DI input on pre-amp. Pre-amp is connected to Yamaha interface with a balanced cable going into the line input of the interface. I use both monitors and headphones (I alternate). I haven't messed with mic recordings yet. I'm using various plug-ins in the Cubase to get my guitar sounds. I do also have a Sure SM57 instrument mic which I've used for micing my amp, but that's not really the issue here.
 
I wonder if it is data buss noise if it has on-off or changing characteristics? If you could record a bit of it - even on a phone we could identify it pretty smartest - The data inside the computer often gets onto the ground of USB cables and gets back from the computer into the interface, then gets added to the audio stream. Sometimes made worse when the 5V on the USB power line drops a little bit when it can't quite supply enough. Often things like USB hubs that are directly powered can take the load of the computer and often help cursing this particular noise - it's pretty common and my office computer has started doing it, tracked down to a new external USB connected drive that just pushes the available computer power a little. Connecting the drive via a small hub cured it and silence returned.
 
I'll try to record the noise later today and attach it. It's possible the humming could be my guitar pickups as well. I'm more concerned about the crackling in my recordings and when I play my guitar in real time, even when no effects are turned on. I'm trying to figure out if it's a hardware issue (unlikely since my preamp and interface are new) or if I'm just not getting something rights, which is more likely since I'm a newbie to all of this recording stuff.
 
I usually start by unplugging everything, and then start with just the interface plugged into the computer. Ideally you'd have a null mic plugged in, but just leave its inputs empty, or if you have a shorting guitar cord, you can plug that in and record the INST input, too. Record an empty track with the gain at zero, then about full up. Listen during recording and to the playback. If there's no noise, start adding bits, and try to swap cables, mics, etc., to rule out any one piece of gear. If you do hear the sound on playback of a recorded track, inspect the file in Audacity to see if you can identify the frequency of the noise, and put the file "in the cloud" so we hear can it.
 
"I do also have a Sure SM57 instrument mic which I've used for micing my amp, but that's not really the issue here."
The reason I asked if you have a mic was to use it to eliminate the guitar as the source of the noise.
Those Eris monitors use 'Class 2 insulation' and are therefore earth free and cannot cause a ground loop.

Computer: Desktop or laptop? If the latter do you still get the noise on battery operation with the charger disconnected?

Follow Keith's regime and tackle this problem systematically. And yes, interfaces should only use a USB port ON the computer itself and if a pair of ports, don't plug anything into the second one.

Dave.
 
I'm attaching an MP3 of a recording where I hear the buzzing on my end. Hopefully it'll come through on your end as well to show you what I'm talking about.

I use a desktop computer.
 

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  • Test.mp3
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Razzle1980 said:
I'm attaching an MP3 of a recording where I hear the buzzing on my end. Hopefully it'll come through on your end as well to show you what I'm talking about.

I use a desktop computer.
Click to expand...
Hmm, not sure what you have attached there but it is not an MP3 I can drop into a DAW AFAICT. Can you do the same but copy the ACTUAL ,MP3 not a link to it and can you play for 10 secs then just stop for 20?

Dave.
 
I re-recorded it and attached it again as an MP3 file. I'm sorry but like I said, I'm a newbie, so if you want me to save it in another format, please let me know. To clarify, I only hear the crackling when I'm playing my instrument (guitar). It's not there when I'm not playing anything.
 

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  • Test.mp3
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I hear what you're talking about. You're overloading things somewhere. This is the waveform from the guitar track you posted. Notice the flat topped waveforms. That means you have too much gain somewhere.

clipping in guitar.jpg
 
Maybe the forum has changed the way it presents MP3 files? That is me fooking about on a bass I had just modified.
Oh! FFS, I used to be able to just right click on an attachment and save it. Now I have to open it and 'save as'. WHO tf thought that one up?

Dave.
 

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  • bass test.mp3
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