Static from poor quality power line?

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Posted by feelgood on Nov-22-2010 14:55:

Static from poor quality power line?

Hey folks,

I have two behringer truth's, a xone 32, two CDJs, and my computer (TDP=600w) running out of a surge protector coming from one wall socket.

I have this unbearable hiss coming from the speakers and my headphones when plugged into my mixer.

The house I live in is old, and i question the quality of the wiring and power. Is there anything I can do to get rid of the hiss?

Would a power conditioner help?

Posted by ZeJayMan on Nov-22-2010 15:05:

get yourself a ground loop isolator for the laptop and you'll be fine.

Posted by feelgood on Nov-22-2010 15:17:

quote:
Originally posted by ZeJayMan
get yourself a ground loop isolator for the laptop and you'll be fine.

With the computer disconnected the buzz is still there.

Posted by Brandt Slater on Nov-23-2010 02:07:

I would try to go through every piece of gear you have plugged into the conditioner one by one. Both electrical and audio signal. If you notice that the hiss is gone from leaving one device unplugged from power, than that would be you culprit. Also check all of your signal cable. RCA connections from cdj's to mixer. Connections from mixer to monitors. Unplug everything to the mixer and cue up your mixer by itself. Most of the time, these type of problems are caused by one single audio cable.

Posted by trancypantzzz on Nov-23-2010 02:37:

check the cables. i had a hiss one time and it was due to some crappy rca cables.

Posted by miamitranceman on Nov-23-2010 03:46:

Are you using balanced cables from the mixer to the truths?

If not, the hiss will probably be there.

Posted by feelgood on Nov-23-2010 05:50:

I have isolated the problem to be the mixer.

I am not running balanced TRS cables to the monitors, but when i run the cable from the CDJ to the monitor, there is no feedback. Only when connected directly to the xone32 does the feedback become apparent.

I am plugged into a cheaper powerbar so perhaps a power conditioner will do the trick.

Posted by brucelee6783 on Nov-23-2010 06:59:

Since it's your mixer,

Make sure all of your volume controls are not turned up too high, not only is this bad for flexibility of mixing, it could be causing you to clip.

I have the master volume knob on my mixer set to halfway so the entire mixer won't clip. I have each individual channel only turned up halfway to prevent clipping from a single channel.

If I need to increase the overall volume, I adjust my amp/receiver knobs.

Posted by Brandt Slater on Nov-23-2010 07:43:

Is feedback the issue or is it hiss? I've never heard of a cdj creating feedback.

Best suggestion for input and output on your mixer. Reference both to 0db. This should eliminate noise. As for the noise in your mixer. It is possible you could just be plugged into dirty power. Dj mixers are typically your weakest link because most do not have a true ground that plugs directly into an outlet. The grounding is relied on the chassis of the mixer, which isn't the best grounding source since it now runs through the common line to the outlet of an Edison plug.

Another thing to consider, your power bar may not be isolating filtering the power correctly. What kind of power bar is it? Does it have surge protection on it? Has this power bar been subjected to any brownouts? When devices like Furmans take a power spike it could damage the electronics inside them. Which would leave you without proper protection. After all Furmans and other powerbars/conditioners were designed to take the hits and save your gear. If the power bar is damaged I would just replace it. It could cost more to fix it than get a new one. Or possibly as you stated being a cheap power bar, I would look at something better like a Furman Power Conditioner. They have the best protection and they produce many models to choose from. Just depends on what you want to spend.

Posted by feelgood on Nov-23-2010 13:31:

quote:
Originally posted by djkatmaus
Is feedback the issue or is it hiss? I've never heard of a cdj creating feedback.

No the CDJ is silent. I have isolated it as being the mixer

quote:

Another thing to consider, your power bar may not be isolating filtering the power correctly. What kind of power bar is it? Does it have surge protection on it? Has this power bar been subjected to any brownouts?

Its a cheaper no name rebranded as GE powerbar with surge protection. It has been through alot, so i think it is time to pick up a power conditioner.

I think I might pick up one of these this weekend.

Furman M-8x

Posted by Brandt Slater on Nov-23-2010 20:47:

The store bought power bars will get the job done but after time and few too many power spikes, they tend to lose their protection. Furmans and the likes have better protection because they're built for pro gear. The M8 is a good conditioner and it's price tag is good. If you prefer power strips, Furman makes three of them. One of them is designed for home theatre use but built tough for pro use.

Glad you found the problem.