Staticky Output (AxeFx Ultra)

gdelisa

New Member
Hello,

I've been really enjoying recording with my AxeFX Ultra, but recently I've noticed it puts out an inordinate amount of staticky sound. At first I thought it was my guitar or my cables, but swapping those out doesn't make a difference. In fact, even when the AxeFX is receiving no input at all, it still outputs constant static. It is not overwhelming the sound --the AxeFX still sounds amazing-- but it is audible.

I know ground loops can cause distortion problems, so I took the AxeFX out of my rack and tried it out in another room way across the house. I know that mixing balanced/unbalanced equipment can sometimes cause a problem as well, so I plugged in headphones. No difference.

To recap: I hear constant static being outputted, even when there is no input and even when I plug headphones directly into the output. The noise gate on some of the presets manages to mute the static, but on others it is clearly audible. It doesn't seem I should be able to hear anything when there's no input. Am I wrong?

I was hoping you knowledgeable folks have some ideas; I just wanna get back to making music with this otherwise amazing piece of gear. Any insight or advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
 
hmmmm....maybe the power coming from your outlets are dirty? I have had that at some venues when setting up front of house, very dirty power and constant static. Are you using a power conditioner as well?
 
I just started getting static over my spdif the last week or so. I think it might be related to Mac OSX 10.6.7 update... grrr. I havent changed anything else and i have never had this issue before. Anyone else have any ideas?

Oh and I am running the ultra of a furman voltage regulator/conditioner into an m-audio profire 610 interface via spdif into Digital Performer 7.22

Hey gdelisa, how are you connecting everything and what gear is in the signal chain?
 
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Does the level of static change when you:
1. Adjust the output level?
2. Adjust the input level?
3. Bypass the amp block?
4. Switch from output 1 to output 2?

In theory I wouldn't think noise on the AC line would matter, as the switch mode power supply generates a lot of noise internally and successfully filters it out. But then maybe it is possible it originates with the power supply...?
 
Try jumpering from the shell of your guitar connector to a solid chassis ground. There's nothing on the Axe-Fx front panel that will serve the purpose, but you might try one of the screws that retain the IEC power connector on the rear. The ideal test lead would be one with alligator clips on each end, but a piece of wire with both ends stripped will do.

Edit: I guess I should have made it clear that this is a diagnostic, rather than a remedial, suggestion. Try it and let us know what, if any, effect it has on the static.
 
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Thanks everyone for the responses so far!

hmmmm....maybe the power coming from your outlets are dirty? I have had that at some venues when setting up front of house, very dirty power and constant static. Are you using a power conditioner as well?

Yes, I use a Furman M-8Dx.

I just started getting static over my spdif the last week or so. I think it might be related to Mac OSX 10.6.7 update... grrr. I havent changed anything else and i have never had this issue before. Anyone else have any ideas?

Oh and I am running the ultra of a furman voltage regulator/conditioner into an m-audio profire 610 interface via spdif into Digital Performer 7.22

Hey gdelisa, how are you connecting everything and what gear is in the signal chain?


Right now I have my Strat hooked up to the front input of Ultra, which is hooked up to my RME Fireface 800 using balanced XLR->TRS. But as I mentioned before, I have this problem even with no guitar plugged in. I've tried outputting over SPDIF and unbalanced TRS cables, as well. I even tried plugging in nothing except headphones; there is still static output.

Does the level of static change when you:
1. Adjust the output level?
2. Adjust the input level?
3. Bypass the amp block?
4. Switch from output 1 to output 2?

In theory I wouldn't think noise on the AC line would matter, as the switch mode power supply generates a lot of noise internally and successfully filters it out. But then maybe it is possible it originates with the power supply...?

1. Yup
2. Yes. When I adjust the input level, the static is louder for a few moments, then drops down. I assume this is because the noise gate is kicking in.
3. I'm not sure what this means, but when I press the Bypass button, the static goes away completely.
4. It doesn't seem to make a difference.

Try jumpering from the shell of your guitar connector to a solid chassis ground. There's nothing on the Axe-Fx front panel that will serve the purpose, but you might try one of the screws that retain the IEC power connector on the rear. The ideal test lead would be one with alligator clips on each end, but a piece of wire with both ends stripped will do.

Edit: I guess I should have made it clear that this is a diagnostic, rather than a remedial, suggestion. Try it and let us know what, if any, effect it has on the static.

I can try this, but since I hear the static even with nothing plugged into the inputs, it seems like a grounding problem there is kind of ruled out. But maybe I am misunderstanding the purpose of this test?
 
I can try this, but since I hear the static even with nothing plugged into the inputs, it seems like a grounding problem there is kind of ruled out. But maybe I am misunderstanding the purpose of this test?
Please try it, and report back what you find.
 
A little noise from the input (even with no cable connected) that increases temporarily when moving the knob is normal. Make sure input 1 select is "left" if only using the front input.

If you're concerned the noise level is unusually high you could leave the cable disconnected, set Input 1 knob to maximum, load this preset, make a stereo recording--noise amplified by amp panned left, synth tone panned right for a level reference--and post it. Then others could tell you if they get similar results.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28651/axefx/noisetest.syx
 
What do you get with input level=0?

On the AxeFx go to Layout, and then move the cursor to the first block in the chain. Press Eff. Bypass and note what happens. Move to the next block and repeat.
 
Has anyone actually tried what I suggested?

Jay, lol. :lol

Quick, sort of off topic question for you: what's the best ways to deal with RF interference being picked up by the, (wait for it...) pickups? When I'm playing down in my basement, close to all the duct work, heating/cooling equipment, I get a lot of nasty RF interference, especially with my humbucker equipped guitars (Strat has noiseless pups in it). It's gets very noisy for some reason using the Plexi model, especially if I'm facing toward the heating/cooling equipment.

I'm hoping to create myself a small 7' by 10' room down there to use as my mini-studio, and I'm hoping that having some walls will help with the RF issue.

Thanks!
Tom
 
I just finished a cover of American Woman, all guitars with my Axe FX.
In the lengthy into part (clean sound in Open G) there are many static pops that I did not hear during recording but during mixing.
gdeslia, callaballa11: is this the same problem that you are talking about?

Here is the clip: YouTube - Outer Sunbelt - American Woman
 
I have had that at some venues when setting up front of house, very dirty power and constant static. Are you using a power conditioner as well?
 
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