Hi all. I am struggling with a very annoying noise in the sound of my guitar. It has active pickups and in the DI sound like strong buzz, so when I plug in unto my Tonex unit make the sound so dirty. Any ideas about where does it come from?
I would appreciate any help.
Thanks in advance!
Welcome to the forum!
It sounds like your input may be clipping, i.e. the signal is too hot. Can you lower the input gain of your interface?
As a rule of thumb, you want the input gain low enough such that even your hardest/loudest playing remains below 0dB
I have tried this too. I set up the input trim -15db ,also lowering the knob volume to 2 or 3, in order to send lower signal, but the DI makes the same noise. In the DAW, when I monitor the input signal is near -5dB. So, I dont know whats happening. I dont have now other inteface to try. I will need to wait to come back home to try in the focusrite and lets see if makes the same. The point is if the problems lies on the guitar or in the tonex unit.
Thanks for the reply.
For what it’s worth, with certain guitars (i.e., certain very hot pickups) I need to have my input knob gain on the very lowest setting in order not to clip.
No matters how I set up the pedal or the guitar volume. It clips anytime. Thanks!
That’s an odd one. It doesn’t SOUND like something’s clipping, the static sounds almozt vibrational and doesn’t intensify on the initial attack of the note or decay afterwards. Even stranger, it goes away at a few points - 0:12 you mute the strings but can hear something faintly ringing out static free, then again at 0:14 until you hit the next note, and then for a while after 0:16.
It sounds like something vibrating, but it’s steady and doesn’t really vary with how loud you’re playing so that doesn’t make sense, and it’s too even to be fret buzz, too. Maybe it’s some sort of grounding issue? are these open strings you’re playing, and if so does it go away when you fret notes or touch a metal part of the guitar? What ARE you doing at those points I mentioned where you can hear something faintly ringing out but no buzz?
This will definitely get you an answer.
I am afraid you are right and it is not clipping… For me sounds like a vibration, but all screws are tight. It sounds on every fretted note. It’s so weird. I don’t know nothing about electronics, I can’t figure out how to check some grounding issues.
Thanks!
Just to rule out the obvious… you’re ONLY hearing this in the recording, right? Not while playing?
I can hear it all time. When I am using the amp+cab emulation is also audible although not that obvious when using high gain captures. When playing clean is more obvious, and it sounds like broken strings. I have some practice session recorded.
Here it is.
Thanks
This is through the same interfce, though, right? Do you use a real amp, and if so does it happen then? And, to confirm, you DON’t hear this when you play the guitar unplugged?
Yes, this is the same interface. until I get home can’t do any other tests. Maybe in 10 days or so, I am on holidays and I will be back at home end August or beginning of September. I carry my guitar and the little tonex one to play everywhere, but full equipment only at home. I will wait to do more test and I will post it.
Thanks all for the answers.
I can hear a buzz with the guitar unplugged, very similar in fact.
A hack for the time being could be to sample the noise and then filter it out right after the DI and before any pedals and amp sims. If you use reaper for example you can use ReaFir for that
PS or an aggressive low pass filter if the boise is high frequency enough. The amp will then give you back most of the missing high end especially if you play with high gain
I don´t use Reaper, but I will try to filter the DI signal in the DAW and lets see. Thanks Tommo!
UNPLUGGED SOUND RECORD WITH CELLPHONE
Those are DIs recorded at different volumes: Knob position 2 - 4- 10
This with a Soldano Emulation without the 3k filter
The same above with filter
And this extra for fun:
I hope it helps. I didnt fint nothing to low the DI signal on the tonex one as interface. And If i use it as a pedal, the trim knob doesnt affect the DI input. Just the tone of the capture.
Thanks!
In the clips it does’t sound EXACTLY the same as the cell phone audio, there’s more of a dynamic change in there… but it could be as simple as you’re hearing fret buzz. If so, either slightly more neck relief, or slightly higher action, should fix it.
Have you tried replacing the battery?
That was the first thing I did …
For some of the clips, this is what it was seeming like it could be. That and/or the buzzing/ringing out of the the strings after the nut or perhaps the tremolo springs (if you have one) or sympathetic resonance of the instrument itself.
Do you have a guitar with passives, and have you a/b’d with those?
If it was an issue with the signal level that is entering into the devices, the guitar volume and the level adjustments though the devices would have reduced the effect.
