Tracking down EMI sources, Axe-Fx 3 Noise Gate settings?

Ahh, I misunderstood the OP's mention of power. Aside from proper shielding on the guitar, cables, etc., there are EMF-blocking panels and paints available. Depending on how serious of a problem it is, EMF meters are relatively inexpensive (at least compared to full spectrum analyzers). In addition to helping pinpoint the problem, they'd give you measurements that'd let you estimate how much attenuation you'd get from the paints/panels. I've seen the paint used in a local college radio broadcasting studio which was adjacent to a room with electrical service panels. Obviously not a take-anywhere solution for other dirty environments, but just fine for a room at home.
 
Noise gate won't fix EMI noise. Once a note is ringing out and dying off the noise will creep in and ruin your recording. I had similar issues and fixed it with a 2 input Hush pedal. I don't have this problem anymore, and there was another thread before dedicated to this issue.



https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/background-noise.137456/


I thought the "Secret Sauce" on the inputs was the same kind of single-ended noise reduction?
 
Would this work going direct to DAW via Axe-III and/or to powered FRFR (CLR)?
Either one of those scenarios will work. I do both. Works great for recording since it cleanses the emi noise from notes that ring out. Just use one input on the hush for direct guitar input, and also place the hush in the fx loop of the Axe-III.
 
Either one of those scenarios will work. I do both. Works great for recording since it cleanses the emi noise from notes that ring out. Just use one input on the hush for direct guitar input, and also place the hush in the fx loop of the Axe-III.

Just placed an order for one. We'll see how it goes and I'll post my results. This has been haunting me for years.
 
Just ordered the Rocktron Hush 2x as well to see if it will work. Haven't really been able to get the Axe's gates to work in a natural way, so here's hoping that does the trick.

Regarding the high-end rolloff on the Hush, apparently the input resistance is 220k Ohms. That's probably why they say not to run a guitar directly in.

Most guitar amp inputs have a 1M Ohm resistor, and a lower input resistance will roll off high-end. You can get close by setting the Input block to 230K Ohm. It's not something a ton of people will notice, though (and my guitars tend to be on the super-bright side, so no issues here).
 
Just ordered the Rocktron Hush 2x as well to see if it will work. Haven't really been able to get the Axe's gates to work in a natural way, so here's hoping that does the trick.

Regarding the high-end rolloff on the Hush, apparently the input resistance is 220k Ohms. That's probably why they say not to run a guitar directly in.

Most guitar amp inputs have a 1M Ohm resistor, and a lower input resistance will roll off high-end. You can get close by setting the Input block to 230K Ohm. It's not something a ton of people will notice, though (and my guitars tend to be on the super-bright side, so no issues here).
Yeah I remember it saying not to plug directly into it, but I tried it and it cut the noise out right there. So it is the first pedal that I plug into and then it sits in the effect loop (out 3 - In 3) between the amp and cab. Maybe I am doing it wrong in a sense but It has been a life saver for me, especially when notes ring out and that EMI noise starts to creep in.
 
Yeah I remember it saying not to plug directly into it, but I tried it and it cut the noise out right there. So it is the first pedal that I plug into and then it sits in the effect loop (out 3 - In 3) between the amp and cab. Maybe I am doing it wrong in a sense but It has been a life saver for me, especially when notes ring out and that EMI noise starts to creep in.

Whatever works! I'll try the same thing myself whenever my pedal shows up.

Here's hoping at some point Cliff makes the gates a bit more sophisticated. If Rocktron can do it, I'm sure Fractal can, too. It would be nice if it was built in to the Axe. The noisegate has always been a weakpoint for me.

In other news, I'm pretty sure the power company has a poorly bonded neutral in our neighborhood, I have 500ma of current in my water main even with the breaker turned off. My guess is it's routing to ground since the neutral has too much resistance. That's certainly a big source of the noise. We'll see what ComEd does...
 
For what it's worth, I've gotten better results by disabling the input gate and using a dedicated Gate block after the Amp/Cab blocks. I've only had to do this for bass presets for some reason. My guitar presets, even on high gain, don't seem to suffer much from EMI.
 
My Rocktron Hush 2x showed up today. I also was able to determine the meter isn't the source of the strange ticking noise. I think that's coming from an industrial building across my alley.

We'll see how well the 2x works when I get home from work today.
 
My Rocktron Hush 2x showed up today. I also was able to determine the meter isn't the source of the strange ticking noise. I think that's coming from an industrial building across my alley.

We'll see how well the 2x works when I get home from work today.
Do you have a midi cable near a cable with power? Frequent source of ticking noises...
 
I would be surprised that was causing the ticking as I could hear it a block away from my house when I walked my neighborhood.
Wait. You hear the "ticking" noise when you're a block away from your house and not at your gear at all? Just coming through the air? If so, walk around until you find where it's coming from.


NOTE: I just had a listen to the audio clip you posted. It's not a "ticking" noise at all. It's a sort of cricket-chirp sound, repeating at a rate of about 4 Hz.
 
Wait. You hear the "ticking" noise when you're a block away from your house and not at your gear at all? Just coming through the air? If so, walk around until you find where it's coming from.


NOTE: I just had a listen to the audio clip you posted. It's not a "ticking" noise at all. It's a sort of cricket-chirp sound, repeating at a rate of about 4 Hz.

Yes, the metal plate in my head picks it up :) j/k

What I did was got a small battery powered amp, hooked a loose single coil pickup to it, and put on headphones and walked around my neighborhood to determine the epicenter of the interference.

4hz is very interesting. I'm curious how that type of interference could be caused given it's so low frequency, and most interfering devices as I understand would be 60hz or at a harmonic of 60hz.
 
What I did was got a small battery powered amp, hooked a loose single coil pickup to it, and put on headphones and walked around my neighborhood to determine the epicenter of the interference.
Okay, that explains a lot. :)


4hz is very interesting. I'm curious how that type of interference could be caused given it's so low frequency, and most interfering devices as I understand would be 60hz or at a harmonic of 60hz.
Most of the components of the chirp your hearing are well above 60 Hz, but the chirp is repeating at a 4 Hz rate. Listen to it: it repeats four times per second.
 
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