Another noise problem.

Hey everyone,

I’ve done a lot of searching and read many people with similar problems here... unfortunately nothing has appeared to be a definite solution from all the posts I’ve read.

I’m experiencing the output whine noise other people are getting with their 500s. Unfortunately I’m also getting it with the backlight off though admittedly less. Like others I’m also experiencing where it is less with the volume knob at roughly 3 o clock though I can tell it is still present.

Interstengly I get the noise with 2 different adapters, though the noise sounds slightly different between the 2. I also get it with batteries, though interestingly switching the backlight on and off doesn’t seem to have an effect when with batteries.

The only thing I have come up with from reading these forums is that some were
made like this and some were not. It’s really breaking my heart because size and simplicity wise this thing is perfect for what I want and my friend gave me a good deal. It would bother me less if I came to find that every single one operated like this... it’s killing me knowing the possibility that somebody out there has a dead quiet 500 and mine is a noisy one...

Does anyone know if there ever came to be a solution or fix for this? None of the previous posts seemed to produce anything concrete.

BTW, I have tried everything unplugged from the system and running just from the headphones out and within the system.

Crazy thought, but if any previous owners had put batteries in incorrectly at one time would that have caused something to this effect?

The problem you seem to talk about, is the little Star Wars laser shooting going on when the memory is doing its thing?

Thats the card reader, its natural and all devices with card slots make that noise. its really not annoying, only sounds off when loading and saving.

If its white noise, that is a manufacturing issue. To my experience, it can't be abolished. My old 500 never had that white noise, it was always quiet. But I did see some users having that problem.

When my batteries are low I get a high pitched whine noise.....but only when the batteries are low.....when it's plugged in or full batteries there isn't any noise....just a little air at full volume. Also like Ill Green mentioned, the card reader makes a little noise, but only when loading, not when making the beat.
I heard about all the issues with the 500, but I knew it was what I wanted for portable beats, I just love the MPC workflow, so I paid $400 for mine with a 30 day return policy to lower the risk. It looks brand new tho & has fat red pads, extended memory. I love the little guy. Sorry I know that doesn't help your situation.......... in all my research I never came across a solution for the noise issue, just people suggesting that you open it up, clean it out & check for loose or broken parts. But since this is a common issue with the 500 it seems like it's a specific part that's defective or something.

Mine is noisey as hell also. Using it w/ rechargable batteries. The whine is less audible when the vol knob is between 2-3 o'clock.

Can't hear much of it when I sum the mix internally:

https://instagram.com/p/BeosuqdA-Dc/

Meaning it must be in the phones output?

survinylist wrote:Meaning it must be in the phones output?

Well the Main Out and headphone Out share the same circuitry. So if the headphones are the problem, so is the main out.

I sold my 500 last year, but I wished I sold it to one of you guys to sort your issues because it was a loud sunuvabitch and did not have that white airy noise at all.

BTW, I bought it off the first stock in 2006 if that helps.

The sound Survinylist is getting sounds like mine, I use rechargeable batteries as well, but mine only makes a whine noise when the batteries get low. I admit, the batteries still have close to 2 hours left of life when he starts whining like a little b!tch, but he's just a little guy, so I try to cut him slack & I just feed him fresh batteries.

Mine has the high pitched noise on the headphone out (batteries or AC), but not the main outs. I usually use headphones, so I use a 1/8" TRS to dual 1/4 TS and plug them into the mains.

One downside is that the mains are super quiet. When I record by myself, I keep the volume at or near max. When I'm playing with friends, I have to use a pre-amp to pump it up or else no one can hear it.

I bought it used, and the eBay seller had failed to mention the bottom (now replaced) was cracked into three pieces. When fixing this, I also noticed some sort of beverage had spilled onto the right side PCB at some point. I'm guessing one or both of these might have played a role in the noise.

iamalta129 wrote:I’ve done a lot of searching and read many people with similar problems here... unfortunately nothing has appeared to be a definite solution from all the posts I’ve read.

See stickies at the top for a definitive solution

j78 wrote:I bought it used, and the eBay seller had failed to mention the bottom (now replaced) was cracked into three pieces. When fixing this, I also noticed some sort of beverage had spilled onto the right side PCB at some point. I'm guessing one or both of these might have played a role in the noise.

Unfortunately, spilled beverages is generally out of scope for my solution, but it seems like this is actually the area where the decoupling capacitors are located. You might want to check out my guide.