noise noise noise....

[462]

I've got a problem: My bass (An Ibanez SR1300) souds great, but the pickups send out a fair amount of noise. I have a multiFX (Digitech BP200) which I am quite fond of, but it's also quite noisy. My amp (GK SEB12000) only puts out a little bit of hiss, but there is already too much. I really need to fix this. Is there a pedal that acts simply as noise reduction or a hiss eliminator. I really could use something to plug into my GK after my multiFX that wont turn me into a charity case. Any info would be great.

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally posted by 46&2:

I've got a problem: My bass (An Ibanez SR1300) souds great, but the pickups send out a fair amount of noise. I have a multiFX (Digitech BP200) which I am quite fond of, but it's also quite noisy. My amp (GK SEB12000) only puts out a little bit of hiss, but there is already too much. I really need to fix this. Is there a pedal that acts simply as noise reduction or a hiss eliminator. I really could use something to plug into my GK after my multiFX that wont turn me into a charity case. Any info would be great.

There are separate Noise Gate devices available, but all they do is silence the signal chain when you are not playing; all the noise will be present when playing.

 

I think you owe it to yourself to analyze each item in your chain to reduce their noise levels, and use top quality cables; I like George L's, and have my rack wired with them as well as my effects loop. I also note that the BP200 has a Silencer Noise Gate function built within it (page 20 in the booklet, "Cabinet-Gate"). But still, that won't reduce the problems when you are playing. Some of the BP200 effects are naturally noisy, but I find that those that I use (chorus, flanger, octavider), though I don't use it often, aren't as noisy as other multieffects boxes I've used.

[g.]

Are those single-coil pickups? Single-coils are inherently noisy {though some companies and players make spurilous claims to the contrary for their favored models ; }. In some form facotrs the pickups can be replaced with side-by-side or stacked humbuckers to reduce the problem from there...

 

But shielding the pickup, control and jack cavities with conductive paint or foil and using star-grounded (single-point ground) wiring can greatly reduce the noise coming from those areas.

 

I don't know the BP200 intimately, but the BP-8 has a decent noise gate as do some other multieffects devices, and some heads and preamps like the Carvin R1000 also have good noise gates. Rocktron's Hush series of single-ended noise reduction is especially effective live or in studio, as are downward expansion circuits (essentially the same as the Rocktron method) like that found in Rane's rackmount DC24 dual band compressor/limiter/gate expander.

[dcr]

I know that a friend of mine had lots of trouble with hiss with his BP200, until he moved from in front of the input jack & put it through the effects loop. (I think that was the trick.) Problem solved. Try moving the fx around in your signal chain. As for humming pickups...the only solution I know of is a humbucking pickup! (However, running single coils through my Peavey Bassist/Peavey PA power amp setup really kills the hum, for some reason.)

[g.]

I should note, that as Bob said, standard noise gates only kill the problem when the system is not reproducing an input audio signal as well (Rocktron hush units have filtering that can help during playing depending on the settings). With a clean shielded bass this is not a problem however because the frequencies of the notes can mask the hum-derived noise.

 

dcr, it is possible that your bass with single coils has a grounded bridge and the one with humbuckers does not, and a noisy cavity as well.

 

Note: grounded bridges without a resistor and cap in parallel on the bridge grounding wire can hurt or even kill a person in a bad AC supply grounding situation.

[Jason Hoyt]

All good calls ... I just wanted to add, that it may be a possibility that the location where your set up and the power supply can also be an issue. Neon lights for example create a terrible amount of noise. Also, if you try everything else that the good and experienced people here have suggested, try a different circuit/outlet in your house, and make sure all of your equipment is on that circuit. Another possible helpful gadget is a DI with a ground lift... A power conditioner is a great piece of gear too... I think it regulates more strictly the power flow from an outlet. I find a good outlet, then make sure I plug all my effects into my power conditioner. It seems to help... good luck

[g.]

Yep, an isolated tapped transformer type of line conditioner can get rid of some badnezz, as can a balanced power unit, which "humbucks the AC power by putting +60 volts on one side of the ground, and -60 volts on the other side.

 

Breaking ground pins off of AC cords is bad, as saftey is at stake. If you have ground loops in your system, all power for interconnected gear should flow from one AC service circuit if possible, and experiemtn with where in the signal chain an AUDIO ground may be lifted. You can make cables for this (for either unbalanced or the vastly superior balanced inputs and outputs), or buy them, and Ebtech or Peavey ferinstance make ground isolated line-level converters (-10 to +4 and vice versa) that can help in two ways: by making levels correspond, and by isolating ground loops.

 

This can get complex when you have a sophisticated setup that interconnects such as in a studio, or SR linking to a backline.

[Hanshananigan]

Hi Folks,

 

I brought this thread alive to ask whether any of you have tried something like a Radio Shack AC Noise Filter (of different dB strengths) to reduce noise?

 

My bass (active peavey accu-bass, 1985) has been humming lately. Balancing the pickups helps, and the noise is variable depending if I hold the bass horizontal or vertical.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated!

Thanks, Scott

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally posted by Hanshananigan:

Hi Folks,

 

I brought this thread alive to ask whether any of you have tried something like a Radio Shack AC Noise Filter (of different dB strengths) to reduce noise?

 

My bass (active peavey accu-bass, 1985) has been humming lately. Balancing the pickups helps, and the noise is variable depending if I hold the bass horizontal or vertical.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated!

Thanks, Scott

Those are symptoms of single coil pickups, like the original jazz bass types. Balancing the pickups causes the humbucking effect, reducing the 60 cycle hum, as does moving on a vertical or horizontal axis. It's a curse of the type of pickup. Sometimes improved shielding of a bass' cavities and pickguard can help.

[fig]

Has the setup you described always been noisy, or was it originally quiet and only recently became noisy?

[Mike F.]

My setup is fine, until i move it too close to computer monitors and or other electrical equipment.

 

Possibly its a simple problem such as this, before you start tearing stuff apart.

 

[Hanshananigan]

Thanks folks-

 

The hum is new, at least as noticeable as it is now. The jack is alittle loose, so I thought it might be that? The battery is new, and other basses work fine on my equipment. The only thing that has changed is that a movie is being filmed in the next warehouse, and I thought the equipment might somehow be noticeable in the so-called "ferrite" pickups but not in a Jazz. I thought the key might be the way the hum is different depending on the horiz/vert position of the bass itself, but not how the cords are positioned or the location of the bass in the room. Curious?

 

oh yeah, and thought I keep calling it an accu-bass, it's actually a dyna-bass...