Noise, interference with Axe Fx 2.. Need some clarity / help pls! :)

syndrone

syndrone

Member
Hey guys,

So I`ve noticed there is some really bad noise which makes all my high gain presets sound really bad. You can hear it here:

https://soundcloud.com/syndrone-1/noise-problem

https://soundcloud.com/syndrone-1/a-friends-lead-patch-noise-problem

Does any of this sound familiar or typical for a certain problem (like interference, something broken internally in the Axe Fx, or something else)?

I have it with every guitar and also every preset that uses high gain. I tried using the input noise gate and crank it, still there. Tried using it in combination with an additional noise gate in the chain, still there. I can get rid of it, but then I don`t have any sustain or guitar signal anymore, plus the noise is not ENTIRELY gone, it just gets shorter.

On another note: I`ve realized that there is no zero volume anymore since USB Return Level has been introduced (Output level is turned down all the way down but there is still some signal coming through). This has nothing to do with the aforementioned problem, it`s just something that has been bugging me as well.

Any help would be cool! Thanks! :)

-syn
 
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how close is your guitar to any thing electrical while you are getting this noise, with that much gain it will be very sensitive to anything electrical that the pickups in your guitar will pick up. For me if I get close to my rack to make adjustments wile my guitar volume is one I can step forwards and back and bring a similar noise in and out. also to close to the computer or fluorescent lights are both problems. also try plugging all your connected gear to the same outlet to see if maybe it is a electrical ground issue.
 
paranoid said:
how close is your guitar to any thing electrical while you are getting this noise, with that much gain it will be very sensitive to anything electrical that the pickups in your guitar will pick up. For me if I get close to my rack to make adjustments wile my guitar volume is one I can step forwards and back and bring a similar noise in and out. also to close to the computer or fluorescent lights are both problems. also try plugging all your connected gear to the same outlet to see if maybe it is a electrical ground issue.
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thanks for your reply.

Anything electrical is around 50cm to 1 meter away from my guitar, though I tried walking around in my room and it didn`t disappear nor change at all.

Not sure how I could recognize or solve the electrical ground issue exactly? :/ I have 2 outlets in this room, each has got one coupler strip. the Axe Fx, my studio monitors, my PC + its screen go into one of the strips while lamps and other stuff go into the other one. I tried to disconnect the "non-studio" line (lamps and whatnot) but the noise is still there...
 
paranoid said:
have you tried just the axe and some headphones, with every thin else turned off?
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..yup!

Just a question: is it possible to identify the "noise" as an a) interference problem (IOW does it sound typical for this problem?) or b) COULD it be that the unit is broken in some way? because if b), I would send it to a certified FAS repair guy I know but I try to avoid not having my Axe for 2 weeks and pay him for "nothing" :)

Though: I tried it in every room, it was still there. Will try it in a friends environment...
 
do you get this noise with out a guitar plugged in ? if not it is probably some thing the guitar is picking up. High gain makes this much more of a problem with any amplification. if yes you may have an internal problem.
 
Sounds to me like the typical noise created by badly grounded PCs/laptops. Does the noise go away if you unplug USB and play only with guitar and headphones?
 
So, not to hijack the thread but, I'm having the same issue and would like to know if the OP has found a solution. I just moved into a new apartment and am getting really bad noise with all of my guitars on high gain patches. I've tried all suggestions made so far (different guitars, unplug everything and use just headphones and guitar, move away from all other electrical devices, different outlet...) and had no success.

Several other things I've noticed:

-the noise goes away with the guitar unplugged, but returns if I touch the end of the lead
-the noise is increased when using the rear input as opposed to the front input
-the voltage meter on the front of my Furman is reading a little high compared to my old apartment

Thanks in advance for any solutions the OP has found or suggestions from the other members.
 
It's is the sound of a spinning hard drive, probably form your computer, try a earth lift adaptor on your laptop or computer, it should stop inducing noise right away. If it's a laptop, simply try to run with no power supply for a couple second
 
d2dark said:
It's is the sound of a spinning hard drive, probably form your computer, try a earth lift adaptor on your laptop or computer, it should stop inducing noise right away. If it's a laptop, simply try to run with no power supply for a couple second
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My computer is turned off and not even plugged in. As I stated above, I have turned everything off and disconnected everything from my AFX but my guitar and a set of headphones and am still having the same issue.
 
Unless I miised it mate, my custom strat died a noisy death on my first Axe gig. I had power generators, lights, loads of gear around me, not trying to teach you to suck eggs but is this a single or humbucker, my buckers were fine but single coil even with oxygen free wiring summoned up minicabs, radio, and stuff that even Spinal Tap didn't get. Could also be leads and connectors. I couldn't resolve it as the gig was in full flow. Even noise gate raised way high did nothing, it's a cliche but single coils and surrounding electrical points can be a bummer. Good luck mate.
 
Ahmed Badreldin said:
Unless I miised it mate, my custom strat died a noisy death on my first Axe gig. I had power generators, lights, loads of gear around me, not trying to teach you to suck eggs but is this a single or humbucker, my buckers were fine but single coil even with oxygen free wiring summoned up minicabs, radio, and stuff that even Spinal Tap didn't get. Could also be leads and connectors. I couldn't resolve it as the gig was in full flow. Even noise gate raised way high did nothing, it's a cliche but single coils and surrounding electrical points can be a bummer. Good luck mate.
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My mistake, all of my guitars have humbuckers.
 
Can't listen to clips now, but I had an issue last week with my active pickups, and I ended up tracing it back to a defective new battery which I had just installed. Pickups worked but there was a huge background hiss going on. Swapped it for the other battery in the pack, and that one turned out to be completely dead. Had to buy new ones again.
 
What amp model are you using and what are your basic settings? Some amp models with certain gain settings are naturally noisy in real life, and the Axe can accurately replicate that to a fault.

As a side note, that was a mighty tasty lick in the second clip. I'm excited to hear more from you.
 
Thanks for all your answers, suggestions and for chiming in, people!

Sorry for my absence, I`ve been away a few days. Unfortunately, I had no chance to test it in another environment yet.

Regarding my problem: I still do have this issue and I don`t have a solution for it.
Poozer79, I guess we face the exact same problem. I tried everything but had no luck yet. At least I know I am not alone! ;) At this point, I`m pretty sure it is not a malfunctioning Axe-Fx device. But I can definitely tell it is not a computer or a cell phone causing that noise, too. The more I think about it the more I m sure it`s just a poorly or incorrectly wired electrical system in my apartment. Or Or some strange aliens trying to get in touch with us. ;)

@Poozer79, if you bypass your Axe-Fx, then spin around the output level 1 (like zero to max then zero max again and again pretty fast), do you also get a similar noise-signal which resembles the initial noise problem?
Also, what`s your noisegate offset value under GLOBAL?


@metal190: The amp model used was a Friedman HBE but the preset was created by a friend. I have this noise with many different if not all high gain amp models though.
thanks, but that was just some noodling around in the worst and most uncomfortable sitting position haha :p if you want to hear more, feel free to check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/freakguitar1/videos (sorry if this isn`t the right place to share this link... also I`m desperately looking for some music by your band The Consequence of Chaos ;) )
 
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syndrone said:
Thanks for all your answers, suggestions and for chiming in, people!

Sorry for my absence, I`ve been away a few days. Unfortunately, I had no chance to test it in another environment yet.

Regarding my problem: I still do have this issue and I don`t have a solution for it.
Poozer79, I guess we face the exact same problem. I tried everything but had no luck yet. At least I know I am not alone! ;) At this point, I`m pretty sure it is not a malfunctioning Axe-Fx device. But I can definitely tell it is not a computer or a cell phone causing that noise, too. The more I think about it the more I m sure it`s just a poorly or incorrectly wired electrical system in my apartment. Or Or some strange aliens trying to get in touch with us. ;)

@Poozer79, if you bypass your Axe-Fx, then spin around the output level 1 (like zero to max then zero max again and again pretty fast), do you also get a similar noise-signal which resembles the initial noise problem?
Also, what`s your noisegate offset value under GLOBAL?


@metal190: The amp model used was a Friedman HBE but the preset was created by a friend. I have this noise with many different if not all high gain amp models though.
thanks, but that was just some noodling around in the worst and most uncomfortable sitting position haha :p if you want to hear more, feel free to check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/freakguitar1/videos (sorry if this isn`t the right place to share this link... also I`m desperately looking for some music by your band The Consequence of Chaos ;) )
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I agree Syndrone. I definitely don't think it's the AxeFx. I've reluctantly accepted that it's out of my control being that I live in an apartment and have no control over the electrical in my place, let alone the others around me. I've tried everything suggested in this thread and all the others I've found about this topic with no success.

I leave my noisegate offset value at factory settings and try to adjust the input gate to eliminate as much of the noise as possible with out completely ruining my tone. I can get rid of most of it but, it still lags behind on staccato/quick stop type stuff. I've tried using a second gate block also but, that completely killed the sustain. I get this noise (it really does sound like aliens sometimes ;)) on almost every patch that has any dirt to it, even low to mid gain. The higher the gain the more obvious it is. I haven't tried the bypass/output level idea but, I'll check it out later today.

Good luck bud!

By the way: AMAZING playing on your YouTube channel!!
 
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Poozer79 said:
I agree Syndrone. I definitely don't think it's the AxeFx. I've reluctantly accepted that it's out of my control being that I live in an apartment and have no control over the electrical in my place, let alone the others around me. I've tried everything suggested in this thread and all the others I've found about this topic with no success.

I leave my noisegate offset value at factory settings and try to adjust the input gate to eliminate as much of the noise as possible with out completely ruining my tone. I can get rid of most of it but, it still lags behind on staccato/quick stop type stuff. I've tried using a second gate block also but, that completely killed the sustain. I get this noise (it really does sound like aliens sometimes ;)) on almost every patch that has any dirt to it, even low to mid gain. The higher the gain the more obvious it is. I haven't tried the bypass/output level idea but, I'll check it out later today.

Good luck bud!

By the way: AMAZING playing on your YouTube channel!!
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Same here. :/ I do the exact same thing with the noise gates though I find this to completely kill the dynamics and especially the amp-feel which the Axe Fx is so famous for :( However, I guess we have to deal with it until we move to another place or there`s another solution coming....

The bypass/output level idea was just to definitely check if we deal with the exact same thing. However, I guess it`s redundant to do so...

Good luck to you too, mate!!

And thanks a lot for checking my channel :) Feel free to send me whatever you are up to in your guitar territory :)

Cheers!
 
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