Background noise?

[Jono Bacon]

If those lights are the curly fluorescent kind, swap them out for LEDs. You won’t have to play in the dark.

Strangely, these are LEDs. I wonder if it is the circuit itself (it has a dimmer, which may potentially cause an issue).

 

[Rex]

I wonder if it is the circuit itself (it has a dimmer...

That’s it. Get rid of the dimmer (sometimes, just turning it all the way up helps).

 

[∞Fractals]

Dimmers are infamous.

 

[Kamil Kisiel]

A lot of dimmers just rapidly turn the power on and off to achieve dimming, it's really bad for EMI.

 

[Jono Bacon]

A lot of dimmers just rapidly turn the power on and off to achieve dimming, it's really bad for EMI.

This is great to know. I am going to get it switched out. Thanks, everyone!

 

[Tremonti]

It's EMI being picked up by your guitar. Move away from the computer.

Either that or Marty McFly wasn't told, by Doc Brown, that there is a slight chance of an overload. Cue shiny pick........

 

[Nahtanis]

I am having this issues as well. I can get rid of the initial noise with the gate, but as soon as I start playing the noise is there behind the music. So I tried turning off every electronic device, computer, lights, phone and it is still there. Then it occurred to me that the unit itself has a slight hum to it. Does anyone else notice that the Axe 3 make a little bit of hum or fan noise?

 

[Rex]

Does anyone else notice that the Axe 3 make a little bit of hum or fan noise?

There's a fan in it.

 

[Nahtanis]

There's a fan in it.

Okay cool, I just want to rule out that the unit might have a problem and was contributing to the noise.

 

[Rex]

I am having this issues as well. I can get rid of the initial noise with the gate, but as soon as I start playing the noise is there behind the music. So I tried turning off every electronic device, computer, lights, phone and it is still there.

You just haven’t found the source yet. It’s there, waiting to be discovered.

 

[cobbler]

Had a similar problem years ago in a condo. It ended up being a mini fridge I had in the room. Of course that was the absolute last thing i checked.

 

[Nahtanis]

You just haven’t found the source yet. It’s there, waiting to be discovered.

Time to search some more... Kind of a fun game.

 

[Rex]

Time to search some more... Kind of a fun game.

It is, actually. Here's one thing to try:

Figure out which circuit breaker your Axe is plugged into. Then, turn off the other circuit breakers, one at a time, until the noise stops.The last breaker you turned off is powering the offending device.

 

[∞Fractals]

Re RFI - It could be outside ... not necessarily in your home.

 

[Nahtanis]

Yeah I think I am screwed, I turned off everything and then turned off all the other circuit breakers and still there is noise. Literally the Axe FX and studio monitors are the only thing with power in the entire house. So now I am thinking that it might be the power lines outside or something. I live in Los Angeles and the lines come into my house straight from the poles outside. At this point I am looking into some daw plugins that clean up the noise like Brusfri.

 

[Rex]

Maybe a neighbor is running something that’s kicking out noise.

Post a clip. That could help.

 

[200man]

Have you tried turning off and unplugging the monitors and using headphones?

 

[Nahtanis]

Have you tried turning off and unplugging the monitors and using headphones?

Yeah the noise is exactly the same with headphones and the monitors off. So I am thinking that it must be the guitars picking up something. I don't have any guitars with humbuckers, just active EMG's and some weird pickup from Chapman guitars. I can use the gate to get rid of most of it on a distorted tone, but the cleans are killing me as you hear the noise just behind the notes and if a note sustains it just eventually turns to noise.

I also tried using a VST plugin called Brusfri that works pretty good. It gets rid of the noise but does steal a little brightness from tone. At a minimum that can be used to clean up some of the noise with the cleans. I have an old Les Paul in the closet that I might try and resurrect and do a shielding experiment and swap out the pickups for humbuckers. I will upload a clip of what I am dealing with when I get a minute. I am pretty new to all this so I am learning a lot from everyone here.

 

[200man]

Yeah the noise is exactly the same with headphones and the monitors off. So I am thinking that it must be the guitars picking up something. I don't have any guitars with humbuckers, just active EMG's and some weird pickup from Chapman guitars. I can use the gate to get rid of most of it on a distorted tone, but the cleans are killing me as you hear the noise just behind the notes and if a note sustains it just eventually turns to noise.

I also tried using a VST plugin called Brusfri that works pretty good. It gets rid of the noise but does steal a little brightness from tone. At a minimum that can be used to clean up some of the noise with the cleans. I have an old Les Paul in the closet that I might try and resurrect and do a shielding experiment and swap out the pickups for humbuckers. I will upload a clip of what I am dealing with when I get a minute. I am pretty new to all this so I am learning a lot from everyone here.

Okay you have a weird one, sorry.
You said you shut the house down and just the axe and monitors....oh boy.
Well there’s the “proverbial” ground lift test.
I’m sure it’ll get tracked down...keep at it...we wish you luck!

 

[Nahtanis]

Okay you have a weird one, sorry.
You said you shut the house down and just the axe and monitors....oh boy.
Well there’s the “proverbial” ground lift test.
I’m sure it’ll get tracked down...keep at it...we wish you luck!

What is the ground lift test?