amp plug in creating nasty buzz

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:59 am

Hello,
I use amplitube and sansamp alot and theres always that computer buzz, but it goes away the further away i get from the computer. In this new studio im building, im having issues: it seems that way down at the noise floor there is a buzz that almost sounds like time code. This doesnt show up on balanced signals( mics) but when i plug my guitar directly into the line in of a digi002 and add a distortion preset from one of my amp modelers, there it is and it is nasty. I grounded the whole room, and recently purchased a furman m-8 power conditioner. I still have this problem, slightly less but still there. anybody have any tips? maybes its the guitar? doesnt the furman help eliminate radio interference? help please, thanks
A.
note: when a clean preset on the amp modeler is set, its no huge issue. yet if i were to raise the noise floor(compression), there it is.

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:03 pm

do you have tft or crt monitors (screens not speakers)? crt monitors can produce noise in guitar pick ups. turn your monitor off. if it's still there, forget what i said. otherwise turn it off while recording or back off a bit. that should help.

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:31 pm

turn off the monitor, see if the buzz is still present. Most likely this is the issue if it occurs when your close to your pc. I have the same issue, especially cause my jazz bass has single coil. For the most part if you tracking in the same room with a pc I'd say turn the monitor off, thats what I do.

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:28 pm

Fellas,
Thanks, i definitely had this huge buzz coming from the monitor. i use a fender strat and i guess the single coils are picking up noise from the monitor. nonetheless, that 'time code' little random buzz that i was talking about earlier is still there, very low, but still there. the best way to describe it is imagine if you have a click track and instead of hearing a constant click, you hear a random short buzz every now and then( sounds like an electrical singal or impulse). thats the one thats bothering me the most. Thanks for the earlier tip because that has helped my system inmensely!!!! any other things you can think of would be of much help.
A.

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:44 pm

It sounds to me like you are using some kind of inexpensive computer soundcards. The time code like sounds you describe are typical of many low-end blaster type cards and/or anything that is on the computer motherboard built-in. It is most definitely clock noise you are hearing.

My suggestion is to try a new outboard soundcard that is USB or FireWire based. I think you'll find that clock noise becomes much less of a problem then?

Cheap cards leak clock noise
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:58 am

Remy,
Im using a digi 002.

Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:08 am

is it constant? i don't assume you have your cell phone right beside the computer? Very Happy

you never know...

Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:15 am

Not my cell, i tried that too!

its constant in the sense that its always there, but it bleeps randomly( trust me i've tried counting the seconds). Almost sounds like a little robot Very Happy

The first time i actually noticed it was when i sent a song i recorded to another studio to be mixed into a documentary and the enginneer there was the first to notice it. Since then i have changed speakers. im going to try to record it and post it so everyone can hear.

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