furmans power conditioners

so should i get a power conditioner or one of those?

tyrone_biggums wrote:I've tried everything possible, plugging in everything once at a time...ive been dealing with this forever and even talked to my local music store about it. he said that laptop chargers can cause this problem as well as other computer plugs. as i stated in my post i found a solution by plugging in my computer into an outlet thats hooked up to a different breaker then my monitors. unfortunately i moved and in the new lab all the outlets are hooked up to the same breaker.

now idk what to call the noise but its terrible and very noticeable. will a power conditioner help? i was told they can.

I had the same issue. I was using Beringers Fire Wire audio interface that time (with my Macbook Pro), and everytime I connect to my mixer output to the audio interface, I'd get this very loud high-pitch distortion noise. Using laptop battery would eliminate the issue, but I don't want to be on battery operated during recording.
However, when I replaced the battery, the problem disappeared (well, not exactly, but the noise level went acceptable level.)
I'm almost curtain you are having ground loop problem. If your laptop's battery's old, replacing with new one might help.

And, I don't know why no one has suggested this one yet:
you should try good DI box with ground lift. A passive DI box breaks ground loop chain. Before you buy power conditioner (which I don't think will work for your case, because lap top AC adapter and computer are ones that mess up power condition) you should try DI box. They are small, so easy to return, if it doesn't work out.

its not a power conditioning issue at all its a ground loop with your computer and your audio interface.

see if this will fix it temporarily.

then figure out a real solution because the legend goes using one of those can lead to starting fires.
i used one in a club for a long time and never had an issue but i was always there to watch it and was only a few hours at a time a week.

point is - if that fixes it it is a ground loop issue and you can start looking into ways to fix that.
the di box with ground lift is another potentially good idea - though i'm not sure where you'd put it - between computer and mixer? mixer and monitors?
its a **** of a problem.

Here's my 2c.

I use a Furman Power Factor Pro

These were designed to condition AC for tube amplifiers (Which I use it for) but it has also worked wonderfully as the main conditioner in my studio.

As far as your interference issue is concerned, it's likely not your power supply (unless you have an ungrounded connection ) I would recommend chaining your studio in reverse from your monitor system and eventually you'll find the place where the signal interference occurs. In my personal experience, computer's connected to power supplies are prone to introducing hum or ground issues into your signal chain, especially MACbook power adapters because they don't have a dedicated 3 prong ground plug or the computer itself is not grounded. If you find the issue to be somewhere in your chain you can isolate it and fix it relatively cheaply with a ground loop conditioner (Radio shack has them)

you know i forgot op is using a macbook.

don't they provide you with two adapters? a grounded (3 pin) and an ungrounded (2 pin)?

whichever you are using (my guess is 3), you could try using the other one - it could very well solve the problem.
(i am currently on a mbp from 2011 using the grounded plug - but i can unhook it and connect the 2-prong directly to the power supply if i wanted)

tapedeck wrote:its not a power conditioning issue at all its a ground loop with your computer and your audio interface.

see if this will fix it temporarily.

then figure out a real solution because the legend goes using one of those can lead to starting fires.
i used one in a club for a long time and never had an issue but i was always there to watch it and was only a few hours at a time a week.

If the device is indeed grounded, then using the 3 to 2 prong adapter is not good idea. In the U.S 3 prong plug is used for devices that are not even needed. (In Japan, 2 prong plug is rarely used.)
I use generic non-Apple brand AC adapter for my Macbook Pro (the original adapter went down within 2 years of use), and it came with 2 prong cable. I don't think isolating ground pole will change anything for this case, but worth trying.

tapedeck wrote:point is - if that fixes it it is a ground loop issue and you can start looking into ways to fix that.
the di box with ground lift is another potentially good idea - though i'm not sure where you'd put it - between computer and mixer? mixer and monitors?
its a **** of a problem.

DI unit should be placed Between computer (or audio interface) and mixer (or MPC, for instance.)

tapedeck wrote:its not a power conditioning issue at all its a ground loop with your computer and your audio interface.

see if this will fix it temporarily.

with all the respect that three prong (grounded) plug wont do him any good if wiring in his place of residence is not properly grounded....properly grounded outlet has 3 cables, white, black and copper...copper cable connects to the ground rail at the main panel, then the ground rail is earthed by much thicker copper cable to the ground...

Lampdog wrote:Yep, that thing will output continuous clean power, emi/rf filtering and give you 30-45 minutes of power in order to gracefully shutdown your system, monitor voltages and amps as well, via software installed on your computer (usb cable connection - same as a printer cable).

+1

Im not using a macbook im using an imac desktop. I just posted about a laptop cuz i previously had the exact same problem with my laptop charger i previously used before i owned the desktop and everytime i unplugged the charger the noise would go away. But now im getting the exact same noise with the desktop i use.

it seems like this"ground looping" crap is my problem...man is this sh** a pain in the A**. im gonna cop a cheap DI Box and see if that helps.

thanks for all the help guys it really is greatly apprecited! i really appreciate the time you dudes take to help me out!

^^^ ill be hooking up the di box between my mbox and my mackie tonight when i get home from work. il post the results.

also this is just such a pain cuz my mpc records the noise in my samples !!!! total pain in the a**!!!!!

get a 15 amp extension cable... and plug it into a different circuit... this is common with computers.. often it is due to the ground... so yes, that 3 prong to 2 prong adapter very well could solve the issue on the quick and cheap regardless of proper power line grounding in the house... because while the ground may not be "grounded" ... the ground wires in the circuit may all be connected.

so i copped a cheap di box and it worked like a charm. i keep one of the switches up so its on "lift" as opposed to "ground" and bingo! works!!!

also got my mac plugged into one of those 3 prong to 2 prong joints, just in case. it sounds a lot better! the noise is gone...finally!

tyrone_biggums wrote:so i copped a cheap di box and it worked like a charm. i keep one of the switches up so its on "lift" as opposed to "ground" and bingo! works!!!

also got my mac plugged into one of those 3 prong to 2 prong joints, just in case. it sounds a lot better! the noise is gone...finally!

Congrats! I think it is wise NOT to use 2 prong adapter for your Mac, your computer is safe that way, and I don't think it'll make difference for the noise level anyway.
Which DI unit did you get? Just remember, cheap passive DI box sucks out audio details. There is reason why there are cheap ones and super expensive ones.