Hiss at rehearsal space

Frank L.

Frank L.

Member
So I spent some time over the weekend setting up all my presets/scenes. I have a noise gate in the loop for when I am on my high gain channel of my amp (EVH 5150iii). I gated fairly aggressively to kill any noise, and it seemed to work fine at home.

Fast forward to band rehearsal yesterday. After hooking everything up, I have some relatively loud hissing coming out of my amp when I'm on the red channel of the amp. Muting (enabling the tuner) doesnt change anything. However, if I rock my global volume pedal down, it goes away.

My first guess was dirty power, but I figured that would still be there even if I rocked the volume pedal back. I believe I have the volume pedal set in the OUT 2 position.

Any other thoughts? The noise is annoying when I'm not playing, but not really noticeable when I am.
 
Frank L. said:
Also, before anyone asks. Its not a ground loop hum. (60Hz). Its more "staticy" kind of sound.
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"Staticky" would suggest that it's not hiss, but interference. Hiss is a constant "shhhhh...".

There's something in your rehearsal space that's kicking out interference. Either find out what that is and shut it down, or raise the threshold on your noise gate.
 
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Ya, I guess that sounds right. It definitely has that "terrible wireless audio" sound going on. (I am using wireless, but its digital and doesnt make any noise)
 
Frank L. said:
Ya, I guess that sounds right. It definitely has that "terrible wireless audio" sound going on. (I am using wireless, but its digital and doesnt make any noise)
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I would plug straight into the front of the FX8 without anything but a short guitar cable. This is typically the first thing I do when debugging these types of issues. Anything that is different from your home setup is suspect. Try to simplify the setup as much as possible and see if the problem resolves. Then slowly add one thing at a time back to the setup until the problem appears.
 
The only difference between the at home test and the rehearsal area is the wireless unit. Mostly because I forgot to bring the transmitter home. I've used the wireless unit (Line 6 G50) for years without any issues, being that its digital it shouldn't be susceptible to interference like this anyways. I'll give it a shot though.
 
Well. It was a combination of things. The power in my rehearsal space is questionable. After trying other plugs I finally found if I plugged my amp into the same plug as my board, the problem went away. Oddly enough, if I plugged both in by the amp, the problem still existed.

So solution for now is to run a heavy duty extension cord around the room, no problem!

Thanks for the help.
 
Frank, I know you resolved it by using the extension cord, but I'm just curious... are you using Humbuster cables with your FX8? And, also curious as to what volume pedal you're using?
 
Thomas-Hawk said:
Frank, I know you resolved it by using the extension cord, but I'm just curious... are you using Humbuster cables with your FX8? And, also curious as to what volume pedal you're using?
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Not using humbusters, built my own cables.. Though in hindsight I'll probably get a couple TRS connectors and make them humbusters.

I'm using Ev1s for my expression pedals.
 
Frank L. said:
Not using humbusters, built my own cables.. Though in hindsight I'll probably get a couple TRS connectors and make them humbusters.

I'm using Ev1s for my expression pedals.
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You need 3 conductor cables to construct Humbuster cables. Regular 2 conductor guitar cables will not work.
 
joe rogers said:
You need 3 conductor cables to construct Humbuster cables. Regular 2 conductor guitar cables will not work.
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Yes, I realize this. The cables I used have 3 conductors, I was just not using the drain shielding on the TS connectors. (I'm using Redco mulicore wire for my pedalboard snake).

EDIT: That being said, I'm not sure if I've even seen a 2 conductor audio cable. Most of the ones I've used had 2 conductors along with a drain wire, which is effectively the 3rd conductor.
 
When you make your Humbuster cables... would be very interested if you could then eliminate the need for the extension cord. :)
 
I also have a loud hiss which goes away when I use vol pedal - also seems to be most noticeable on my lead sound (hi gain of course) but other times it can be silent - I have humbuster cables.

My setup is 4CM so a lot of cables to rule out but will also try direct - I think the rehearsal rooms power is dodgy and I was into a 2 gang extension - I always take my own power to gigs with earth detector and circuit breaker built in but not had time to really troubleshoot - def louder when I put on the GEQ for boost
 
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