My Excessive Guitar Noise Problem Is Not Solved But..

Discussion in 'Guitars' started by RamboCalrissian, Aug 28, 2024.

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  1. evolasme

    evolasme Producer

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    PS i think you mentioned you tried different guitars if not check the output jack also make sure your using a know good cable lifted grounds will make all kinds of unwanted noise
     
  2. Smeghead

    Smeghead Platinum Record

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    It's probably extremely impractical to test this but it would give you a lot of information- to replicate your setup somewhere else and see if you have the same problem. Because then you'll know if it's your gtr/interface setup, or your room (and a lot of crazy rf interference that is specific to that location).
     
  3. clone

    clone Audiosexual

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    it's pretty easy to replicate your setup for testing; if you do not have any qualms about ordering another interface, testing with it, and then sending it back.
     
  4. Crinklebumps

    Crinklebumps Audiosexual

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    I had similar issues ten to fifteen years ago and I can't recall how I resolved them but around ten years ago I invested in a new and relatively expensive computer build (quality components self-selected and they build it) from Scan that cost me £2,800. Before that I had a cheapish Aldi computer and the problem with that type of machine is they cut costs, especially with the motherboard but everywhere they can really. It's likely that computer had something to do with my noise issues because with this new setup - and two decent audio device upgrades during that time - I've had no problems at all. Nothing has changed in my environment, same guitars.
     
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  5. helgenr1

    helgenr1 Newbie

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  6. nomojo

    nomojo Noisemaker

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    Does palming the bridge quieten the noise at all? Like when palm muting but the next chord needs to ring out so you slide back to the bridge, keeping yourself in the circuit. Otherwise, as I'm sure you've been told, a noisegate is your friend.
    For massive overdriven power-chords: DMG Audio's Track Gate, SSL's X-Gate, Softube's Valley People Dyna-mite Gate all work well with OD pedals and OD plugins. I find the DMG and SSL the most intuitive and effective. Anyway, hope you get it sorted. Cheers!
     
  7. deathroit

    deathroit Kapellmeister

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    I had similar problem. This is my solution:

    1) DI Box - I bought cheap active behringer DI Box and it helps a lot.
    2) gain on Scarlet all way down. Don’t believe any guide saying target gain -6db or just below clipping. T was debunked many times and it is bullshit.
    3) KLEVGRAND BRUSFRI - a powerful yet lightweight vst plugin can kill all noise real in real time by creating noice profile. Google for it. Minimal latency added, can by used on fly or after recordings.
    4) airwindows DeHiss - can reduce noise like Brusfri but it’s free
    5) airwindows softgate - noise gate but without affecting guitar sound tails like real noise gate pedals tend to do. Free as speech.
    6) check your shielding in guitar
    7) get used to it.
     
  8. astromag

    astromag Member

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    Oh, same problems here too, I'll stop by. This how I got it mostly solved (or about to be solved). I canot pinpoint any specific advice so I'll leave my (fresh)experience here, hope you can dig something useful.

    Few months back I got a cheap guitar DIY kit, for 'fun'. And fun it was. Guitar play level and tech:zero

    First test after assembly,first fun... guitar out right into audio card, my interface supposedly has some built in preamp at the inputs. "Your audio has preamp, no need for DI box" said someone somewhere. Not quite, the signal was rather weak and then noisy, even in a clean setting. This and a mighty 60hz+harmonics hum buzz, altogether not good for anything.
    Was about to give up quickly on this strange experiment but one thing led to another and eventually I started youtube and break things down.
    Here are the few main things I did, they worked their part together and significantly reduced noise and improved the guitar sound.
    - got DI box, that fixed the signal a bit, it was more powerful and defined after this, with more guitar for the same amount of noise. Some dispute the need for DI box, for me it's essential.
    - got-behringer hd400, this little box either works for me or against me. I don't know exactly how or why, I had this situation in the beginning where it got rid of hum buzz for sure. After a while I made changes, replaced broken pickup selector, 2 potentiometers, pickups etc really tinkered with that mf :))) now the box is against me, probably some polarity, but i'll get to the bottom of it. Need to investigate more, this whole thing it's a work in progress still.
    - Got the 2 cavities below insulated with kitchen alu foil, double layers, than got this surface grounded with a wire to a grounding point. While I cannot vouch for it, I consider the overall experience was quieter with this insulation.
    -cables/connectors? I got one that was leaking some noise without me being aware. I was using this 5$ cable because it was short but as soon as I replaced it (went faulty very quick), the new 20$ cable performed clearly better regarding noise and it wasn't even subtle.
    -bertom denoiser pro, this one really nailed everything, I still not believe I can play such quiet guitar with it. I had my share with denoisers, this is the one. The others have big latency, not suitable for practice and they'll chip off from the signal while taking the noise out. Bertom has zero latency 0 CPU and does one heck of a job at making noise go away clean.
    -the input type of my soundcard. 4 stages, 2 for Mic/instrument and 2 for line level. Same goal here,SNR, more juice for the same noise, eventually I got some from here too by accessing the right input and setting input levels careful not to clip it.
    - pickup height, I'm testing higher positions, closer to the strings but watching out not to loose definition or something. Again, signal is louder, distance to the noise gets even greater.
    - pickups , they have their own noise, I have dis considered the noname stock pickups on my kit and purchased a new pair (N+B) cheapos, but with a name and better definition. On the other hand, they introduced some buzz. Stock pickups are cleaner regarding noise but they pick the sound a bit loose. Bertom denoiser helped me choose the new pair.
    - half loose wire, got that too, troubles gone after a good solder.So checking solder points and conductivity across the guitar is a good idea. For conductivity checks you can use a small light source (led,bulb,etc) and a 9v battery if you dont have a multi-meter.
    - position of guitar against some interference. When my pickups got close enough to the pc unit a new kind of noise was introduced (or the existing one just got amplified and distorted i dunno) and it sounded just like in your example, especially at the end, that intermittent sample and hold like noise bleeps. At smaller scale tho, yours is quite prominent and 'defined' it makes me think you may have a significant interference messing with your rig. For me that sound is caused by something in the PC, but I'm not staying that close anyway. Mouse, keyboards, monitors, other rigs,devices all worth checking for any effect on noise buidup.

    To sum this up, last test, really good playable guitar sound, at least for a beginner.I'm currently waiting 2 painful weeks for lacquer to dry up (it was raw wood,just primer) and hopefully will give it one final wrap up with least noise possible. What is left is than routed to bertom denoiser and forgot. Now I can ease my mind of this issue and practice.

    I think guitar noise as a whole is mostly just a bunch of few different components adding their share of noise in the circuit. You cannot single one out, but together they make for a good amount of unwanted noise. Measures to counter it, same thing, one it's not enough to praise for, but a few of them together will work.
     
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  9. kouros

    kouros Platinum Record

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    A noise gate pedal will not solve anything. It will do the same as a plugin noise gate.

    One thing that makes a huge difference is to prevent your CPU from going into Turbo mode, meaning that you will keep it locked at base speed. In my case, the difference in noise between the base 2.9GHz and the 4.3GHz Turbo Boost mode is enourmous.
     
  10. Garamondo Furbish

    Garamondo Furbish Audiosexual

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    Variax, was interesting. I think Yamaha bought them. I always wanted one, but wound up buying too many guitars so now I'm on guitar probation and can't buy anymore til I sell one (yeah right like I'd ever sell a guitar)...
     
  11. Smeghead

    Smeghead Platinum Record

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    Yep, the one I got was a Yamaha strat. Pretty decent guitar just as a strat, but of course the magnetic pickups give you all the same problems this guy is having. But the really nice thing, besides doing relatively good emulations of a lot of different guitars, are things like the electric sitar which just sounds fantastic. Acoustics... meh. Emulations like Rickenbacker electric 12 strings are pretty far out though. And you can do alternate tunings with the twist of a knob and not have to retune the guitar. I usually turn the the knob to one of the Les Paul settings and just leave it there.
     
  12. taskforce

    taskforce Audiosexual

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    Well. Just do this. Unhook all external gear and hook your guitar in your audio interface's hi-z input. And then try a plugin or standalone amp emulation on your pc. See if you get the same noise. If yes then something's wrong with your interface. If not then you have to try each single pedal on its own and find the culprit. Also check grounding and try using good cables.
    Cheers
     
  13. No Doz

    No Doz Producer

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    guitar tech + professional guitarist here, common sources of guitar hum:

    - pickup type (single coils are noisier than humbuckers, etc)
    - guitar electronics not properly grounded
    - lack of shielding inside your guitar's electronics cavities
    - adjacent lighting / electronics / anything with a transformer or dimmer especially
    - poor quality, unshielded 1/4" cables
    - using pedal power that isn't isolated
    - extraneous ground loop between all your recording equipment

    noise is typically cumulative across your signal chain and can be mitigated by addressing all of the above in addition to the following:

    - noise gate pedal. some like it directly after guitar output, some prefer it after amplification at the end of the board or placed in an amp's fx loop

    - noise removal software post recording. i like izotope ozone's guitar de-noise. i'll capture a profile of the hum without playing and adjust the controls until it extracts the hum without audibly diminishing the tone

    - turning your body in whichever direction results in the least signal noise. you might be shocked at how often this maneuver gets done in multi-million dollar studios. guitar noise is just part of the process and natural sound of the instrument as long as it isn't distracting

    hope some of this helps!
     
  14. RamboCalrissian

    RamboCalrissian Noisemaker

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    Thank you for your help! I am going to attempt to put conductive copper tape in my Jackson Dinky J22 because it more than likely does not have any shielding.
     
  15. RamboCalrissian

    RamboCalrissian Noisemaker

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    Thank you dude! I'm going to try to install some conductive copper tape.. I have a jackson dinky js22 and it doesnt have the pots underneath a pickguard. Am I still able to shield it? or will i have to do a different method?
     

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  16. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    Embrace the noise and create a new genre, you'll be way ahead of the curve.
     
  17. Strat4ever

    Strat4ever Rock Star

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    Best solution would be having a friend who can check it out for you.
     
  18. Sectric

    Sectric Newbie

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    Hey, I have struggled with this same problem since getting into recording. I wanted to give up for a long time as I could not figure it out, and even took it to be looked at and told there was no problem. This below completely fixed my issue.

     
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