JayPH Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hi Guys I have a small 30w Marshall bass amp and sometimes I get a lot of interference from it. The strange thing is when I scroll down web pages with my mouse wheel, the interference on the amp changes pitch like the mouse/computer is interfering with it. Sometimes I get this weird bing bing noise that sounds like an old computer modem. I get that in a plugin doorbell plug in another room too. Someone said it's mobile phone interference? What do you guys think is going on and how can I stop it. Would somthing like this help: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Mains-Conditioner-Power-Strip/dp/B00289GSC0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1301739896&sr=8-2"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Mains-Condit...9896&sr=8-2[/url] I'm speccing out a home recording studio rig so I really need to figure this out. Thanks in advance John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveO Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) 1st thought is that you have an old crt monitor. Some throw out lots of em radiation. the obvious solution here is to dump this and get a lcd or led screen*. Mobile phones are also a real problem in that they are [u]designed[/u] to pump out radiation on order to communicate with the nearest antenna. solution here is to turn off your mobile when you're recording. I have no doubt that there are some solutions to filter out the noise, but I would guess that they are relatively expensive and a signal with the noise filtered out is going to be worse than one with no noise to start with. *edit: of course if you don't have a crt monitor then you can safely ignore this suggestion Edited April 2, 2011 by SteveO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPH Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thanks for the reply fella. No it's an LCD panel mate. I'll be switching my phone off from now on though to see if that other modem type noise stops. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Sounds like it's picking up the wireless signals from nearby. Is it a wireless mouse? You could try shielding your amp with tin foil - don't do anything dodgy that might give you an electric shock ie stay away from the mains lead. You don't need to be too finicky with it to start with just cover the outside... but don't let the men in white coats see you doing it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Does the problem occur when there's no intrument connected to the amp? Check the earth wiring to the amp. If the interference only occurs when an instrument is connected, check the instrument cable (swap with another) and the instrument earthing/shielding. Interference could be radiated (via the air) or conducted (via cables). Shielding might help with radiated interference, filters might help with conducted. Clip-on ferrite cable filters can sometimes help - Maplin sell them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPH Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='1185819' date='Apr 2 2011, 02:20 PM']Sounds like it's picking up the wireless signals from nearby. Is it a wireless mouse? You could try shielding your amp with tin foil - don't do anything dodgy that might give you an electric shock ie stay away from the mains lead. You don't need to be too finicky with it to start with just cover the outside... but don't let the men in white coats see you doing it though. [/quote] Cheers Ou7shined Yes it is a wireless mouse I'll try anything if it will stop the interference. i don't care how much of a nutter I look like haha. [quote name='flyfisher' post='1185833' date='Apr 2 2011, 02:31 PM']Does the problem occur when there's no intrument connected to the amp? Check the earth wiring to the amp. If the interference only occurs when an instrument is connected, check the instrument cable (swap with another) and the instrument earthing/shielding. Interference could be radiated (via the air) or conducted (via cables). Shielding might help with radiated interference, filters might help with conducted. Clip-on ferrite cable filters can sometimes help - Maplin sell them.[/quote] I haven't tried without the instrument in flyfisher so i'll try that as soon as I can go missing for a few minutes The wifes Birthday today so my bass is out of bounds for today haha The cable is brand new but it only cost 8 quid so I'll try it with a different one next time I'm at my mates. Do you think I should invest in a more expensive cable anyway? There's a maplin not too far away from me so i will check those filters out. I'll let you know if I get rid of the nloise Thanks for all your help fellas. I'd have waited until next Pancake Tuesday for a response on GearSLuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 [quote name='JayPH' post='1186022' date='Apr 2 2011, 06:22 PM']The cable is brand new but it only cost 8 quid so I'll try it with a different one next time I'm at my mates. Do you think I should invest in a more expensive cable anyway? . . . . There's a maplin not too far away from me so i will check those filters out. I'll let you know if I get rid of the nloise[/quote] A more expensive cable is no guarantee for a fix, and it might not even be an instrument cable problem anyway. For the problem in hand a 'good' cable will be one with a well-soldered connections and a good shield. At this stage, I was suggesting changing the cable only to try to isolate the problem. Again, those ferrite filters are no guarantee for a fix. They'll certainly significantly reduce RF interference in the cable - but that might not actually be the problem. Or it might only be a part of the problem. If you eventually isolate the problem to the wireless mouse then the simplest fix might just be to use a wired one, or move the PC away from the amp. Sorry to be vague but interference problems can be a b*gger to find and fix. There's rarely a simple, universal solution. The basic approach is to first change things (e.g. remove cables, swap cables, switch things off, move amp to another room, shorten cables where possible, etc) to try to isolate the cause and then to try some targeted fixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPH Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 [quote name='flyfisher' post='1186052' date='Apr 2 2011, 06:49 PM']A more expensive cable is no guarantee for a fix, and it might not even be an instrument cable problem anyway. For the problem in hand a 'good' cable will be one with a well-soldered connections and a good shield. At this stage, I was suggesting changing the cable only to try to isolate the problem. Again, those ferrite filters are no guarantee for a fix. They'll certainly significantly reduce RF interference in the cable - but that might not actually be the problem. Or it might only be a part of the problem. If you eventually isolate the problem to the wireless mouse then the simplest fix might just be to use a wired one, or move the PC away from the amp. Sorry to be vague but interference problems can be a b*gger to find and fix. There's rarely a simple, universal solution. The basic approach is to first change things (e.g. remove cables, swap cables, switch things off, move amp to another room, shorten cables where possible, etc) to try to isolate the cause and then to try some targeted fixes.[/quote] Cheers flyfisher It turns out it's the PC itself so I'm gonna be doing some feng shui haha Thanks for all the pointers man and sorry for the slack reply JOhn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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