Ground noise

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i3enjamin

New member
I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of my ground noise problem...

It's less bad than it used to be... but I still have problems with it. I tried rerouting everything... plugging everything into the same power outlet. Which helped a lot... but I still can't seem to get a totally clear signal when you crank the volume up. Is having a tiny bit of white noise normal? It bugs the shit out of me lol...

Here's what I've done to limit the noise:

- got everything powered by the same outlet.
- unplugged all USB connections.. except audio interface. (helped a lot)
- pay meticulous attention to input volume... to make sure it's maximum instrument signal and minimal noise.

80% of the noise comes from 1 device. The Korg Kaoss Pad 3. When I put this at the end of my chain... the noise/ground problems get out of control. I love this piece of gear... so I don't want to sell it just because of the electrical issues.

Here's a pic of my basic setup... Virus + Motif + SH-201 ---> Mixer ---> MPC ---> Kaoss Pad ---> Audio Interface/Computer.


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What would you guys suggest to eliminate the problem?
 
Well a small amount of white noise when the level is cranked is normal depending on your monitors its just noise coming from the internal amp but it shouldnt really be noticeable. However if your having your problems when connecting the kaoss then it could have to do with the level coming out of the kaoss. I could be wrong but i beleive the kaoss outputs at -10 db (consumer level) whereas your other equipment should be operating at +4 (pro level). Also you should make sure you are using balanced cables and not crossing cables over each other as that can create noise, especially for example having a usb cable running across a audio cable.
 
Ground noise isn't white noise. Why don't you patch the Kaoss pad as an external effect of the mixer. You should have nothing on the path between your mixer and your monitors.
 
well, no wonder. The chaos pad will convert the signal to digital, process it and convert it back to analogue "made in china". Directly after this, it has to be converted again to digital as soon it hits the soundcard.

Throw that stupid chaos pad out of your chain. It is obviously misplaced.
 
Lol... don't get mad, bro. :D

Sonically, the Kaoss is actually at a very effective place in the setup. Electrically... different story. But it allows for live FX processing on the entire mix... or even listening to something random on the computer... whereas routing things a different way would force me to bounce around files. No matter where the sound is coming from... the Kaoss can affect it. And if the mixer was at the end of my chain.. I couldn't do this.

I also couldn't route all my instruments into the MPC... Which only allows for 1 input. Hence... Mixer --> MPC.

So what you guys are saying is that there's no way to connect things in this way and get a totally clean signal? I figured there must be some kind of DI box/noise remover/etc. I see one dude recommended a power conditioner... which also may be worth looking into.
 
i3enjamin said:
I also couldn't route all my instruments into the MPC... Which only allows for 1 input. Hence... Mixer --> MPC.

So what you guys are saying is that there's no way to connect things in this way and get a totally clean signal? I figured there must be some kind of DI box/noise remover/etc. I see one dude recommended a power conditioner... which also may be worth looking into.
Click to expand...

The Kaoss pad is the source of your problem. Really, just remove it.

The main issue is perhaps somewhere else, what exactly do you have in mind with such a setup?! Creative DJing? A live act? (not music production i guess)

Honestly, it doesn't make sense at all to me. You might want to give modern audio software a try and do all the processing in the box (i.e. your computer) and just use all your hardware as controllers. Buy a multi I/O audio interface in case you really want to use all these not really good sounding devices.
 
Thanks for the response. And lol @ THETRUTH projecting.

My purpose is for producing... not for DJing. Most of my stuff is heavily synth based. Pop, hip hop, & r&b. Having filter sweeps... distortion breaks... etc... is part of the production process for me. It could also be done in my DAW (Pro Tools or FL Studio) after the fact... But I much prefer to do it live because it's as much part of the creative process as anything else. You can test out a quick filter sweep as part of your arrangement... most commonly as an intro or to lead from a chorus back to a verse. It's a lot more work to do that on the computer. But if I had to get rid of anything... it'd be the Kaoss. Right now, I just hook it up only when I need it.

I've gotten rid of almost all the noise by now. It's now just that one item that I can't use. But it's a mostly new home studio... It used to be just the Virus and the MPC. Everything else is recent. So I still need some time to work around the issues.

As for using the hardware for controllers only... absolutely not! I don't know if you've heard an Access Virus before... but it absolutely crushes any synth VST on the market. Plus the hands on control is a dream for any decent sound designer. But with the SH-201... you'd have an argument. Kinda unnecessary. But I own that one for different reasons. I've tried just about every VST out there... and that's where I got my start... like many others. But in the synth domain... there really is no competition for good hardware. Just my opinion.
 
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