Cleaning up / eliminating power related noise on stage ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter * velcro-fly *
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* velcro-fly *

* velcro-fly *

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Sometimes the rig is church mouse quiet, others it will hum like a mofo once any amount of gain is introduced. One club in particular added more neon and the noise went off the charts. I've got the cheap Furman power strip which I understand is just a glorified better power strip, not really any power conditioner or noise fix.... Will something like the Furman AC-215A help to possibly eliminate that buzz? other suggestions ???
 
So, I run a cheap furman ML-8Lx in my rack with a power station, and as long as everything im running is plugged into it, I stay very quiet even with lighting/neon/smoke machines etc.

From what I understand, the easiest way to avoid light noise is to run your rig on separate power from the lights. Dimmer switches are especially bad, too.

I haven't used the ac-215, but in general, most of these types of noise issues can be solved other ways, and you buy the power conditioner/amprx/whatever to help solve it.

I would almost guarantee that if you buy the ac215 and run it in the exact situation that was noisy, it wouldnt make any difference. But if you use it in conjunction with another solution - IE, use a different outlet, run off power from another location on the stage, it would probably help.
 
DanTravis62 said:
So, I run a cheap furman ML-8Lx in my rack with a power station, and as long as everything im running is plugged into it, I stay very quiet even with lighting/neon/smoke machines etc.

From what I understand, the easiest way to avoid light noise is to run your rig on separate power from the lights. Dimmer switches are especially bad, too.

I haven't used the ac-215, but in general, most of these types of noise issues can be solved other ways, and you buy the power conditioner/amprx/whatever to help solve it.

I would almost guarantee that if you buy the ac215 and run it in the exact situation that was noisy, it wouldnt make any difference. But if you use it in conjunction with another solution - IE, use a different outlet, run off power from another location on the stage, it would probably help.
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Good call and about what I was thinking....for sure its situational, I thought it was maybe pedalboard wiring or power source interference but i set everything up back at home and it was silent. Problem club installed a full wall of cascading lights, now that I think about I was plugged into a 4 outlet box that probably shared that power. We're back there tomorrow, I'm going to bring an extension cord and try to find some cleaner power. Thanks for the input
 
* velcro-fly * said:
Good call and about what I was thinking....for sure its situational, I thought it was maybe pedalboard wiring or power source interference but i set everything up back at home and it was silent. Problem club installed a full wall of cascading lights, now that I think about I was plugged into a 4 outlet box that probably shared that power. We're back there tomorrow, I'm going to bring an extension cord and try to find some cleaner power. Thanks for the input
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Yep see you already are two steps ahead. I almost guarantee the shared power is the culprit!
 
I have had good luck with the ebtech hum x isolators.
 
Fluorescent lights and such also can induce a lot of interference into your guitar’s electronics if they are unshielded or insufficiently shielded. I’m sure it’s obvious but if the noise is only present or mostly present when the guitar is plugged in and its volume is up then it’s more of a guitar than a power problem.

In my experience interference at the guitar has been a much bigger issue. Even with EMGs or whatever I have been in situations where there was so much EMI/RFI getting into the signal that it was easily audible under a decaying note well before any gate could kick in.

But I have also had amps that were not built to deal with today’s environments that are much more polluted with interference. The 2204 I have was insanely noisy in certain places - including my home studio, unfortunately. Replacing the input wire that runs to v1 with a grounded coaxial made it just about as quiet as any modern amp everywhere I have plugged it in.

It just lets enough of the interference go to ground before the signal hits v1 and gets amplified. It is a night and day difference. The amp went from unusable in my studio to almost as quiet as my JP2C.
 
Bardagh said:
Fluorescent lights and such also can induce a lot of interference into your guitar’s electronics if they are unshielded or insufficiently shielded. I’m sure it’s obvious but if the noise is only present or mostly present when the guitar is plugged in and its volume is up then it’s more of a guitar than a power problem.

In my experience interference at the guitar has been a much bigger issue. Even with EMGs or whatever I have been in situations where there was so much EMI/RFI getting into the signal that it was easily audible under a decaying note well before any gate could kick in.

But I have also had amps that were not built to deal with today’s environments that are much more polluted with interference. The 2204 I have was insanely noisy in certain places - including my home studio, unfortunately. Replacing the input wire that runs to v1 with a grounded coaxial made it just about as quiet as any modern amp everywhere I have plugged it in.

It just lets enough of the interference go to ground before the signal hits v1 and gets amplified. It is a night and day difference. The amp went from unusable in my studio to almost as quiet as my JP2C.
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Went to a different outlet off stage yesterday and the noise disappeared.....this isn't / wasn't guitar related. Good call on your own fix!
 
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