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synkrotron

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Posts posted by synkrotron

  1. My preferred way of achieving a similar effect is to have a bus, or an aux track if you wish to freeze/render it, and have the reverb effect on that bus/aux track. Then I use a send to that bus/aux track and this allows me to use normal automation lanes instead.

    I personally do not like using clip automation, but that is just me.

  2. 1 hour ago, Grem said:

    So with just the Active monitors plugged in to the electrical wall socket, and not to the audio interface, they still make noise?

    Good question Grem, so as soon as I read this I turned everything off and did some rearranging of my stuff.

    Just to explain, although I have some active nearfield monitors I am using them more to just monitor my hardware synths and modular system. I had therefore positioned the monitors to the left and right of those pieces of hardware so that I could play around, especially with the modular, without having to put my headphones on.

    A waste of nearfield monitors, perhaps, but I am not a professional studio and I am simply using what I have gathered over the years, without seeking much advice (not much on the interwebs back then, or forums). So I have all sorts of stuff, these monitors, cables, my audio interfaces and what have you and I haven't put in as much thought into that. Whereas if I had started from scratch then I would probably have done some proper research before building up my system, and the outlay, in one big go, would have probably put me off doing this sort of thing altogether.

     

    Anyway... Here I am, sat at my computer having moved my active monitors to either side of my video monitor. And as I am typing this, my computer is on, as are my audio monitors. But I have not plugged in the audio cables to my audio monitors yet. All is quiet, well, apart from a very, very low mains hum and I am not really bothered about that.

    Okay, plugged the audio cables into my audio monitors but not into my audio interface. All is still quiet.

    If I now plug in the other ends of the audio cables into the outputs of my audio interface, which is still not powered up, the computer noise starts. There is a constant noise but if I move my mouse around then I get additional noises. And if I open another web page or open windows explorer I get more noises. The noise isn't particularly loud, but loud enough to get annoying over time, especially when monitoring at low levels.

    At this time all the other cables, power, USB and other audio inputs and outputs are all connected, so I will disconnect everything until the computer noise stops.

    Okay, so the noise only stopped once I removed the USB cable which is connected to the computer. So it is something to do with being connected to the computer with the USB cable. I have some ferrite chokes available and when I stick these in place it does not affect the computer noise at all.

    I should also note that at this moment in time the audio interface and all the instrument hardware is not attached to the mains at all.

    Mains is now on and I have powered up #1 OCTA-CAPTURE.

    The computer noise level has gone up quite a bit, regardless of what I set the volume to on the O-C. I can have that on full blast and the computer noise stays the same.

    The only thing I cannot try at the moment is balanced cables or the ground loop isolator thing.

    It is a shame that you have to throw money at problems like this when the issue, in my opinion, should be resolved at the source. Perhaps I should have checked with my PC builder first...

     

  3. 2 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

    Seriously, try a ground loop isolator between your audio interface and your powered monitors.

    It totally solved this for me, and it's only £6

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/AV-Link-Ground-Loop-Isolator/dp/B000NVWB9O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1552292358&sr=8-4&keywords=ground+loop+isolator

     

    But how can I use balanced cables with this thing? Are you saying to use this instead of balanced cables?

    In the product description it says, "Prevents unwanted hum on an audio system" but I don't have hum. So I am not even convinced that this will work.

    Plus, I have now tried using ferrite chokes, which I am assuming is what this thing is, and they do not eliminate that computer noise.

     

    I know what you are saying, it is only six quid so it may well be worth a try... I'll keep you posted on this one...

  4. Hi Michael :)

    10 hours ago, Grem said:

    Now synkrotron have you tried to unplug the cables from your audio interface to your speakers and listened to see if the sound is still there. If it is, then it's the speakers themselves. Although I am doubting this to be the case (I mean I can't see both speakers generating the noise, but you never know). It's worth a check.

     

    I hasten to add that wherever I mention "ground lifted" or "un-grounded" in the following post I only do this in limited and controlled situations in order to test something out. I will never instruct anyone to try this in a permanent situation in order to eliminate noise problems as it is far too dangerous. Electrical equipment is grounded/earthed for safety reasons and failure to use the correct power cabling can result in serious injury or death due to electrocution and loss of life and property due to fire.

     

    I tried a number of things. I went right back to basics and only had a single O-C set up with nothing attached but the power lead and the USB cable. No computer noise.

    I then brought O-C #2 online and still no noise.

    I then decided to bring in my outboard effects and the MPX 500 introduced that noise. If I used a power lead with the ground lifted the noise went away. I therefore assumed that I had found the culprit. But after leaving my studio for a bit, to have some tea, and then went back to continue my testing, the MPX 500 no longer created noise, event though I had reinstated a grounded power lead.

    The speakers are a different problem, I think. Right now, with grounded power leads all round, if I use my active monitors, the computer noise is present in the monitors, but NOT in my DAW, where as before the noise was already present in my DAW.

    If I use un-grounded power leads with the active monitors the computer noise goes away.

     

    I am assuming that the computer noise is entering the system via its grounded power lead. And sensitive pieces of equipment that are grounded are then being affected by that.

    I am now looking at buying a small power extension lead that has a RFI and power conditioner built in, as well as some balanced audio cables to run between my O-C and the active monitors and the MPX 500, as they are the only units that have balanced connections.

     

    cheers, and thanks,

    andy

     

  5. 7 hours ago, ØSkald said:

    Don’t have longer cables than you need and don't blend them with the power cables in a pile behind where nobody can see them.

    Indeed :)

    I always try to make sure that I have some separation between data, power and audio cables. Of course, with equipment all over the place it is difficult not to have stuff crossing but I have tried to keep this situation to a minimum.

  6. 12 hours ago, Gswitz said:

    I looked closely at making my own cables but decided that for me it was ultimately cheaper to buy what i need.

    Possibly, as you may have some soldering fails.

    The main problem with buying made up leads is you have to compromise on length and end up with cables that are a little bit too long.

    Fortunately, after looking at @JohnG's link above, Studio Spares offer a range of sizes for the same product and although I could make them cheaper it removes any uncertainty, and lots of burning flesh and melting surface tops.

    12 hours ago, Gswitz said:

    Regarding cabling, the best thing I've bought is a patch bay.

    I appreciate the usefulness of patch bays but my setup is small and I therefore do not foresee the need of one. The OCTA-CAPTURE interfaces have four inputs on the front so if I need to I can temporarily connect other instruments there, if need be.

     

  7. 24 minutes ago, Chuck E Baby said:

    Same here. My position is 60 degrees left or right of the monitor (which is basically almost having my back to the video monitor:D)

    PS- My Fender J-Bass is the same way

    Must be a common enough thing then... Once you hit record you have to remember not to move haha

    • Like 1
  8. Thanks @JohnG :)

    I am currently looking at this place in London:-

    https://www.studiospares.com/

    They appear to have a load of stuff on their website, including a selection of Neutrik connectors.

    Having a look at their cables, though, and I can't find one that is 600 ohm impedance. And is that a per metre figure? And I can't find any reference to +4dBu or -10dBu either. So I'm still doing a lot of head scratching here.

    Okay, I shal get more specific.

    I want to connect my OCTA-CAPTURE audio interface audio L+R outputs to my Tannoy Reveal Active nearfield monitors with balanced cables.

    Spec of the OCTA-CAPTURE output, from the manual, is as follows:-

    Nominal Output Level +0 dBu (balanced)

    Output Impedance 1.8 k ohms (balanced)

     

    And the Tannoy monitor specs are:-

    Input 32 kΩ balanced on combined XLR/jack
    Sensitivity 0 dBu

     

    I'll be honest, the above doesn't make much sense to me and isn't really helping me to decide on which cable to get.

    Perhaps I should e-mail Studio Spares and hope that they offer me the correct cable for the job.

    cheers,

    andy

  9. Hi Peeps,

    Now that I am finally admitting to myself that I have a bit of a cable issue, I need to start looking into replacing some of my current cables for "critical services."

    I have googled the phrase "balanced cables" as this is what I am interested in and, to be honest, like most things, it is a bit of a mine field.

    Who is telling me the truth about their gear?

    For instance, I already have cables that have "high quality" or some such statement printed on the cable but is that just a load of rubbish? How do I know for sure what the real quality of an audio cable is? Is there some sort of standard I should be looking for? Again, I have searched for that and all I find are reviews by third parties or claims by manufacturers that their cables are best.

    Can anyone recommend a particular brand of cable?

     

    And, of course, there is more to cables than just the actual wires.

    The means of connecting those cables to your equipment are probably just as important as the actual cable.

    The two that I am looking at are XLR male plugs and 1/4" TRS  jacks.

    I seem to recall, going back twenty years or so, that Neutrik were a good brand, and they are still available today. Are they that good? Are there better?

     

    And, finally, is it best to make up your own?

    DIY cables, to me, seem to be the only way of ensuring any kind of quality, providing that you are handy enough with a soldering iron. I've spent an hour this morning searching the interwebs and I struggle to find just the right cable, in terms of length and end connector configuration. So I am definitely considering buying the bits in and making my own. That way I can make the cables exactly the right length and configuration to suit my exact requirements.

     

    Okay Peeps, hit me!

     

    cheers

    andy :)

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