i've had a problem for a while, help would be great.

i've had this real loud noise in my monitors, it almost sounds like white noise on steroids, it's like that sound you get sometimes on your cellphone before it rings or you get a text except its a constant noise. It's not that much of a problem but its very annoying and when you can sometimes hear it in my samples after sampling into the mp 2kxl. A few months ago i went to a local music store and explained my problem and they said its caused by something thats plugged into the same power strip or outlet that uses one of those wires that plugs into one of those box things (almost like a battery) such as a laptop charger, he gave me this device that helps with the noise. But now nothing on the power strip uses one of these kind of plugs and the problem still remains.

The interesting part is that you cant hear it unless my computer/interface is plugged in somewhere in the line of recording. even if i mute the track my computer is in on my mixer, you can still hear it through the monitors. I have to completely unhook my computer/interface in order for the annoying noise to go away. This happened with my old computer (pc) with my tascam interface and now its still happening with my brand new mac and my mbox. It also was happening before i got my mixer (mackie board) and i returned my monitors (krk's) thinking they were the problem but the problem still remains with the new ones (still krk's). Someone said it's possible that the outlets are weak that i have my gear plugged into, so i tried my upstairs outlets (my studio is in my bassment), and the problem still occured.

im completely stumped and ready to just deal with it but im almost positive its not normal. I use a real heavy duty power strip that is Serge protected for all my recording gear. The only thing i know for sure is that the computer/interface is the thing causing it (both the pc/tascam and the mac/mbox) but i have no clue why or how!

any of you ever experience this? and if so please tell me how to fix it!

thanks!

I have a problem that's quite similar, but only when I sample through my audio interface. So everything that I sample from my computer to the MPC has that noise, but if i sample from my turntable( which is not connected through the audio inteerface) i don't have it.

Maybe you could try to change your connections, from the mixer directly to the MPC instead of having to go through the interface.

I opened a thread about this, maybe you'll get other answers in it
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=145237

Try a power conditioner.

also keep audio cables away from power cables, and use balanced

this is an interference signal the computer is giving off into the power line..

if it is a laptop, try unplugging it and running it on the battery while you are recording.

I suggest trying to find a power plug that is on a different breaker to use your computer... furman power conditioners are important to own, but the standard ones will probably not get rid of this... I am guessing they have a high end very expensive model that will though...

"this is an interference signal the computer is giving off into the power line..

if it is a laptop, try unplugging it and running it on the battery while you are recording.

I suggest trying to find a power plug that is on a different breaker to use your computer... furman power conditioners are important to own, but the standard ones will probably not get rid of this... I am guessing they have a high end very expensive model that will though..."

that sounds exactly right, because when i do certain things that make the computer screen light up brighter, the noise gets worse, almost as if the illumination of the computer is causing the noise.

i am using a mac desktop therefore i cant just unplug the charger when recording. But when i used to use my hp laptop, i would unplug during recording and the noise would go away.

i guess ill have to use that gadget the dude gave me. its like a little box that you plug the rca cables from the interface into and then hook that up into your monitors/mixer.

i also do believe that plugging the computer into an entirely different power source would have also but unfortunatley i cant, i have everything plugged into the same power strip.

THANKS A TON FOR THE HELP GUYS, THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REALLY GETTIN UNDER MY SKIN!

i cant believe this problem isnt more common.

This is very, very common issue with both desktop & laptop computers.
I think it is due to RF interference the switch power supply is making. On Mac desktop, generally decent computer power supplies are used (or I thought), I thought it wouldn't be too much of the issue. I think you are getting even more noise when computer is "busy", that's because the computer need more power (wattage) when it is busy, thus the power supply gets more load, in the result it makes more noise.

From my experience, a surge protecter won't cure this issue, because it is not surge, but it is most likely RF interference.
If your desktop Mac is new, this is not relevant yet, but make sure computer case inside is clean, so that it does not overheat.

This is very reverent article:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/a ... oblems.htm

The device that lamp suggested should work also. It is something every recording studios have (at least serious ones).

It might be just the computer monitor. Try turning it off or unplugging it and see if the noise goes away.

If it does, try setting it to stay at full brightness. I had a Apple flatscreen monitor once that would generate that same type of noise that you describe every time it was set at anything less than full 100% brightness. I ended up having to change all the screen dimmer settings etc under System Settings so that the monitor stayed at 100% full blast all the time.

If you can narrow it down to just your monitor, and turning the brightness all the way up doesn't help, then you can try an Ebtech HumX. Just plug your monitor's power cable into that, then plug that into your power strip. Its cheaper than buying a power conditioner or a new monitor.

The rackmount power strap unit that Lamp uses is not that expensive than Ebtech HumX, but HumX might be the better solution for tyrone_biggums, because he might just need just one unit for his Mac desktop.
Does anyone here actually use HumX? I'm interested. My MacBook Pro's AC adapter sometimes gives me the same issue.

thanks guys, great advice and help here, its much appreciate, for real...

i figured a solution, i plugged the mac into a different outlet that is connected to another breaker. works like a charm, no interference at all now!

also copped some mogami 1/4 wires, they sound great, very very little noise at all now, FINALLY!

also, the dude at guitar center also said to get a power conditioner. so if i have any more problems ill probably try one out...

thanks agin, i really appreciate this site and the help i get from you guys on a daily basis!