I just got a multi-track recorder and I'm new to the process so excuse my ignorance. After connecting the LINE output from my amplifier to the recorder and turn up the volume on the recorder, I can hear a consistent hum noise, but when I touch the recorder itself with my hand or one of the 1/4 cord inputs connected to my guitar or the recorder the noise almost completely stops..
Is it not grounded? Or does anyone know why it does this or if there is a way to eliminate the noise in the recordings without having to keep my hand touching the recorder the whole time?
Comments
It might be simpler than that... If your guitar has single coil
It might be simpler than that...
If your guitar has single coil pick ups they pick up EMF signals from electronics around it. These Electromagnetic frequencies make the hum. Anything electronic can make em. Computer monitors are the worst so facing a tv or monitor when recording guitar is a bad thing. A good way to check this is to change your guitar switch setting. There are 5 positions on most guitars. In posistions 1, 3 and 5 the guitar is using one pick up to grab the vibration of the string (these make noise). If you put the switch in position 2 or 4 it will use two pick ups to grab the sound. This creates a phase cancelling effect. The buzz is still there but no one can hear it since the signal from the one pick up cancels out the hum from the second signal. You will probably still have some buzz but it should be dramatically reduced. Alot of guitarists will say "ya but I like the sound of the treble I get from being in the first position on the switch." That's fine just get an EQ and turn up the treble some. You will get the same effect but a richer sound since you are using two pick ups to deliver it. The humbucker or dual coil pick up was designed to deliver this effect as well. So when you go to buy a guitar in the future you may want to keep that in mind. I would check this first before dropping cash on a DI box and then finding you still have the same buzz problem. You also may want to plug in the guitar and walk around the room listening to see if the buzz gets worse in areas. If it does you may find the source of the EMF problem and you can then do things to eliminate it from the area where you are recording. Lastly you will want a noisegate at sometime in the future if you are going to record because it can not just eliminate buzz but other background noises like when you are mic recording. Also if you intend to play live many clubs have huge EMF issues and you never know what to expect on the stages there. For those situations a noisegate is a must have.
I would try this first, If that don't fix it you may have to look in the guitar itself to see if it is wired right. The amp is buzzing cause it is just amplifying what the guitar sends it. You also may want to think about buying an amp modeler like what I use. It is the PoD XT live. It is an all in one guitar solution considering the other posts since it has a noisegate, DI, amp modeling and effects processor all in one unit. Most of the factory sounds are the suck. Even the stuff I have heard on the web from other guys making patches suck. But if you get inside the mind of it and really program and tweak it you can make some really really nice patches.
The most common cause is a ground loop by connecting the amp and
The most common cause is a ground loop by connecting the amp and the recorder to two different outlets. The easiest fix is using a DI box.
[edit]Actually that is backwards from how it normally works. Make sure your amp doesn't have a ground lift switch engaged, or a missing ground pin. That could be dangerous.[/edit]