Since no one has responded to Bastians post,
I'll make a new one out off it. Problem: Noise on all outputs of my Luna card w/ 2 breakout-boxes. It stops if you click on a window and hold it, and also changes with samplerate settings. I've tried the obvious stuff( canging power to another group, checking cables..) and notso obvious like takin' the Luna off the earth(taping off the backplate),did the same with my graphics card.... This is really bad when it's on 18 channels through my mixer, and it's pissing off my clients.....please help....
config: asus cusl2, pIII 1ghz, 256mb, matrox
g400 dual head, 2 maxtor drives,
constant whining, 'fluttering etc.
I also noted this "problem" but nothing I've tried so far seems to cure the problem completely. I will mention something though (which ought to raise a few eyebrows).
My PC absolutely needs to be configured for internet access (DSL) so I have a firewall and virus protection (Norton Antivirus 2002)installed. One thing I noticed that made a huge difference was the firewall software. I was using BlackIce Defender and replacing it with ZoneAlarm seemed to reduce the problem considerably. I determined this by systematically removing start-up programs in msconfig.
You might want to try this on your end and see if it makes a difference. If you have things loading in the background at start-up, try disabling them with msconfig and see if it helps. I was able to reduce the noise to a point where it doesn't seem as noticable.
My system config:
Intel 1.9GHz (P4)
512MB RDRAM
2) 80GB ATA Seagate drives
Matrox Millenium G450 video card (AGP)
Win ME
Asus P4T-E mobo
Enermax 400 power supply
1) Pulsar 2 & 1) XTC boards
Ethernet card
Microsoft Intellimouse
No USB devices
Every tweak known to man
A couple of other things I should mention...
I am running the analog out of Pulsar into a Mackie 1604VLZ Pro mixer (channels 13 & 14). The Mackie feeds a Hafler/JBL monitoring system and also a Rolls headphone distribution amp. The trim controls on channels 13 & 14 are slightly less than mid-way. Under normal listening levels I can barely hear any noise but if I crank the channel volumes up, the noise becomes evident. However, I'd rarely be listening to audio at that level (very loud) so the problem is basically not noticeable. I truely think it's a config issue at the PC. Haven't tried running through the digital outs to see if that cures the problem (maybe I'll try that through my A16). Noise not noticeable on CD recordings - only live monitoring.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: krizrox on 2002-04-29 16:00 ]</font>
My PC absolutely needs to be configured for internet access (DSL) so I have a firewall and virus protection (Norton Antivirus 2002)installed. One thing I noticed that made a huge difference was the firewall software. I was using BlackIce Defender and replacing it with ZoneAlarm seemed to reduce the problem considerably. I determined this by systematically removing start-up programs in msconfig.
You might want to try this on your end and see if it makes a difference. If you have things loading in the background at start-up, try disabling them with msconfig and see if it helps. I was able to reduce the noise to a point where it doesn't seem as noticable.
My system config:
Intel 1.9GHz (P4)
512MB RDRAM
2) 80GB ATA Seagate drives
Matrox Millenium G450 video card (AGP)
Win ME
Asus P4T-E mobo
Enermax 400 power supply
1) Pulsar 2 & 1) XTC boards
Ethernet card
Microsoft Intellimouse
No USB devices
Every tweak known to man
A couple of other things I should mention...
I am running the analog out of Pulsar into a Mackie 1604VLZ Pro mixer (channels 13 & 14). The Mackie feeds a Hafler/JBL monitoring system and also a Rolls headphone distribution amp. The trim controls on channels 13 & 14 are slightly less than mid-way. Under normal listening levels I can barely hear any noise but if I crank the channel volumes up, the noise becomes evident. However, I'd rarely be listening to audio at that level (very loud) so the problem is basically not noticeable. I truely think it's a config issue at the PC. Haven't tried running through the digital outs to see if that cures the problem (maybe I'll try that through my A16). Noise not noticeable on CD recordings - only live monitoring.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: krizrox on 2002-04-29 16:00 ]</font>
Noted Sub & Gary. Using very hi-quality cables.
Disabling antivirus has no impact on the remaining noise. But clearly, removing BlackIce had the biggest effect. I assumed it was a setup issue on my machine but have tried so many tweaks not sure what else to do. The problem is so minor now as to not be an issue really. But I will be watching this thread closely for a while. Thanks!
Disabling antivirus has no impact on the remaining noise. But clearly, removing BlackIce had the biggest effect. I assumed it was a setup issue on my machine but have tried so many tweaks not sure what else to do. The problem is so minor now as to not be an issue really. But I will be watching this thread closely for a while. Thanks!
A little more on the problem:
The outs of my Luna boxes go into a Mackie 24/8 analog mixer, wich then goes to Alesis Active M1's. Its connected with HOSA spinners
(8jack->8 phono), wich are pretty good quality. Since the luna is coming back through the tape returns, there's no gain involved(I did set them to -10 Db) The noise is on all channels, break-out box and analog outs on the card itself. On 1 or 2 channels it's not to bad, but if you're running a 20 channel mix, it's horrifying!!!
I'm not running any viruscheckers or firewalls, since my PC is multiboot and my music partition has it's network disabled, and gets only viruschecked stuv on it(this works great by t/w, I use partition magic).
Except for windows, Logic and soundforge, there's nothing on it, really, so that's unlikely to solve it....well , thanx again...
I'll be checking up this thread.
The outs of my Luna boxes go into a Mackie 24/8 analog mixer, wich then goes to Alesis Active M1's. Its connected with HOSA spinners
(8jack->8 phono), wich are pretty good quality. Since the luna is coming back through the tape returns, there's no gain involved(I did set them to -10 Db) The noise is on all channels, break-out box and analog outs on the card itself. On 1 or 2 channels it's not to bad, but if you're running a 20 channel mix, it's horrifying!!!
I'm not running any viruscheckers or firewalls, since my PC is multiboot and my music partition has it's network disabled, and gets only viruschecked stuv on it(this works great by t/w, I use partition magic).
Except for windows, Logic and soundforge, there's nothing on it, really, so that's unlikely to solve it....well , thanx again...
I'll be checking up this thread.
Well the two times I've experienced this, we replaced the (older, unshielded) Hosa's (both times) with 1/4" instrument jacks with small RCA connectors, and the problem was gone... maybe that was something different?
Also move power cables away from audio cables, disable bus mastering on your Matrox, and check your IRQs (if you haven't already) to be sure your Luna isn't sharing with USB or another device that polls...
Also move power cables away from audio cables, disable bus mastering on your Matrox, and check your IRQs (if you haven't already) to be sure your Luna isn't sharing with USB or another device that polls...
And if any of you are in XP, use "PIC" mode in your BIOS and install in "Standard Mode" by pressing F7 when it says to press F6 for SCSI devices at the bottom, near the beginning on the XP install. Disable Power Management and ACPI in the BIOS if possible as well, and turn Plug and Play to "NO" (careful with these bios options: PIC, Plug and Play, and ACPI: they may cause your machine to not restart, if you have to change these it's suggested to reinstall windows afterwords so it resets itself up for this configuration.)
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: subhuman on 2002-04-30 15:44 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: subhuman on 2002-04-30 15:44 ]</font>
If the problem still persists, did you remove the XTC or Midi cables to check if they influence the noise ?
If nothing else helps and the cards are known to be ok a last resort might be to shield them by foils connected to the grounded chassis, but that's no fun as an error could easily fry your PC or the boards.
The most safe way would be epoxy boards for printed circuit layout which have a protective plastic over the copper part. Remove this on one or two small spots to connect the copper to ground.
But only as a last resort and be very careful.
hope you don't need this, Tom
If nothing else helps and the cards are known to be ok a last resort might be to shield them by foils connected to the grounded chassis, but that's no fun as an error could easily fry your PC or the boards.
The most safe way would be epoxy boards for printed circuit layout which have a protective plastic over the copper part. Remove this on one or two small spots to connect the copper to ground.
But only as a last resort and be very careful.
hope you don't need this, Tom
In my case, I can tell you cables are not an issue. I am using very high quality A/V cables (double shielded with a second layer of metal foil). While poor cabling might account for some increased hum or buzz, this problem (as already described) sounds more like refrigerator noise. I actually thought it might have been fan noise inside the case. I tried dressing cables every which way and no effect (using very high quality cables inside the case as well). Even tried ferrite beads and no luck. Tried running from different AC sources. Tried all sorts of wiring and routing schemes - nada.
I still believe it's a config issue but, well... we'll see.
Hey can someone direct me to a source of info on setting up a double boot system (Win ME)? As mentioned above I'd like to keep my audio work separate from my other stuff. How do I go about doing that? Thanks!
I still believe it's a config issue but, well... we'll see.
Hey can someone direct me to a source of info on setting up a double boot system (Win ME)? As mentioned above I'd like to keep my audio work separate from my other stuff. How do I go about doing that? Thanks!
Would like to add one final comment to this.
The bubbling noise problem goes away when using the ADAT (Toslink) outputs. I am now running my audio out through my A16 Ultra and then into my monitoring mixer system. I've perceived the audio to be a bit better sounding this way also (a little crisper and cleaner).
The bubbling noise problem goes away when using the ADAT (Toslink) outputs. I am now running my audio out through my A16 Ultra and then into my monitoring mixer system. I've perceived the audio to be a bit better sounding this way also (a little crisper and cleaner).
just wanted to throw in a couple of things:
*For systems that need other than music work create a dual boot system. To do this check out this link:
http://www.duxcw.com/digest/Howto/softw ... dows/dual/
If you're looking for a piece of software to make it all possible check out a product called: Partition Magic
http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/
I see this problem coming from the other post and wanted to see if I could help. Where is the noise coming from. There hasn't been adequate documentation on this post as to the origins of the noise. Is it coming from the computer, a sound card, Pulsar, the mixer, the amp? Have we been able to isolate the source of the noise?
If so then it is a matter of fixing what ever that is. What kind of noise is it. A refigerator hum is an interesting sound but on most computers, unless you're supercooling and overclocking with a compressor, you won't have that compressed freon sound.
Are you doing the following:
Performing all windows tweaks for sound posted here on Planet Z for your OS?
Have you changed PCI slots?
You said that you were running DSL. Is this coming from a second phone line in your system with its own power source? I used to run ISDN on my system and that for some reason created a ground loop with Pulsar. When I recorded I disconnected it and the problem was solved.
The other thing that I was having a problem with was a ground loop in an external synth that was noisey! After a lot of argument (mostly withmyself) I broke down and went balanced on everything even the synths (I bought some isotransformers from Behringer for just such a problem!). Best thing I've ever done!!!! Cuts out a lot of noise and lowers my ground floor considerably (went from -48db to -54db) when opening a full blown mix and all channels were supposed to be silent. Getting rid of cheap cabeling was important. Buying the good stuff is only part of the equation. You need to go balanced with your other sound sources. That will quiet things up.
Check out this Behringer piece. It works wonders on isolation and its reasonably priced.
http://www.behringer.com/02_products/pr ... 0&lang=eng
Hope this helps.
_________________
Ravenwhite Productions
Digital Recording Studio
Milwaukee, WI USA
http://ohmelas.tripod.com/ravenwhitepro ... index.html
****************************
Two-Week-Endz, 40 Hours $995
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ohmelas on 2002-05-04 14:19 ]</font>
*For systems that need other than music work create a dual boot system. To do this check out this link:
http://www.duxcw.com/digest/Howto/softw ... dows/dual/
If you're looking for a piece of software to make it all possible check out a product called: Partition Magic
http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/
I see this problem coming from the other post and wanted to see if I could help. Where is the noise coming from. There hasn't been adequate documentation on this post as to the origins of the noise. Is it coming from the computer, a sound card, Pulsar, the mixer, the amp? Have we been able to isolate the source of the noise?
If so then it is a matter of fixing what ever that is. What kind of noise is it. A refigerator hum is an interesting sound but on most computers, unless you're supercooling and overclocking with a compressor, you won't have that compressed freon sound.
Are you doing the following:
Performing all windows tweaks for sound posted here on Planet Z for your OS?
Have you changed PCI slots?
You said that you were running DSL. Is this coming from a second phone line in your system with its own power source? I used to run ISDN on my system and that for some reason created a ground loop with Pulsar. When I recorded I disconnected it and the problem was solved.
The other thing that I was having a problem with was a ground loop in an external synth that was noisey! After a lot of argument (mostly withmyself) I broke down and went balanced on everything even the synths (I bought some isotransformers from Behringer for just such a problem!). Best thing I've ever done!!!! Cuts out a lot of noise and lowers my ground floor considerably (went from -48db to -54db) when opening a full blown mix and all channels were supposed to be silent. Getting rid of cheap cabeling was important. Buying the good stuff is only part of the equation. You need to go balanced with your other sound sources. That will quiet things up.
Check out this Behringer piece. It works wonders on isolation and its reasonably priced.
http://www.behringer.com/02_products/pr ... 0&lang=eng
Hope this helps.
_________________
Ravenwhite Productions
Digital Recording Studio
Milwaukee, WI USA
http://ohmelas.tripod.com/ravenwhitepro ... index.html
****************************
Two-Week-Endz, 40 Hours $995
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ohmelas on 2002-05-04 14:19 ]</font>
Thanks for the tips ohmelas. Didn't think about the DSL connection as a culprit. Will have to look into that.
Whatever was/is causing the problem is not affecting the digital ADAT outputs - only the analog outputs. Since my problem is, in effect, solved by using the ADAT output to my A16 Ultra, I am a happy camper. When time permits, I'll look into the DSL thing.
Actually, DSL is using the existing telephone line in my home - it seems to be connected through a pair of unused conductors in the phone cable (2 conductors used for telephone, 2 for DSL).
This was not a cabling problem - I'm sure of that but I had forgotten about the telephone line to the ethernet card.
One last thing I wanted to ask about Partition Magic: can you create a dual-boot system with a single license of Win ME? Or do you need a second license?
Whatever was/is causing the problem is not affecting the digital ADAT outputs - only the analog outputs. Since my problem is, in effect, solved by using the ADAT output to my A16 Ultra, I am a happy camper. When time permits, I'll look into the DSL thing.
Actually, DSL is using the existing telephone line in my home - it seems to be connected through a pair of unused conductors in the phone cable (2 conductors used for telephone, 2 for DSL).
This was not a cabling problem - I'm sure of that but I had forgotten about the telephone line to the ethernet card.
One last thing I wanted to ask about Partition Magic: can you create a dual-boot system with a single license of Win ME? Or do you need a second license?
This is just a thought, and I have nothing to prove it with:
"Could a low quality PSU cause such problems?"
On my old mainboard, mouse movements would affect noise - but only on the old one. However, I found, that my PC makes its own sounds, when I push it to its limmits :?: I have powered down the PSU fan, and if I turn up the voltage on that fan (cooling the PSU (and un-fanned CPU) more efficiently), the noise does not come. This leads me to the thought, that bad PSUs may be a problem. Because PC-PSUs loose a lot of their power, when they get hot. On some PSU manufacturers sites, they will tell you a bit about, how much power is lost at what temperature - just look carefully at the specs.
Immanuel
"Could a low quality PSU cause such problems?"
On my old mainboard, mouse movements would affect noise - but only on the old one. However, I found, that my PC makes its own sounds, when I push it to its limmits :?: I have powered down the PSU fan, and if I turn up the voltage on that fan (cooling the PSU (and un-fanned CPU) more efficiently), the noise does not come. This leads me to the thought, that bad PSUs may be a problem. Because PC-PSUs loose a lot of their power, when they get hot. On some PSU manufacturers sites, they will tell you a bit about, how much power is lost at what temperature - just look carefully at the specs.
Immanuel
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