Audio Static Noise Questions

[MisterFiero]

I bought a mixer and I am using my onboard soundcard for my mix minus setup. I have my computer volume assigned to a channel, my phone for music on another, and my mic through XLR. When monitoring my PC volume, I can sometimes hear static and electronic noise.. sometimes not. I tested the setup with my friend through Skype and he said my mic has the same sound I described. Also I've noticed when I plug in my Scarlett 2i4 through USB to record my guitar, I have the same noise. Is my motherboard not grounding properly? Will getting a soundcard help? Will getting a ground loop isolator help? It seems everything going into my motherboard gets this feedback.

 

Thanks, hope to get some answers.

[Enderman]

if you unplug the PC from it does the noise stop?

 

if it does, then yes you have EMI and a soundcard would fix it

[Bosspro1]

Well idk for sure but I had a similar issue with my mic/headphones and to fix it I plugged my PC into another power outlet and the noise went away. I think it is because of it not grounding my psu or something. So you might want to try that.

B)

[SSL]

What IS your motherboard model, by the way?

[SSL]

if you unplug the PC from it does the noise stop?

 

if it does, then yes you have EMI and a soundcard would fix it

 

Let's not jump to conclusions, please. There are any number of causes not related to "EMI" or buying unnecessary hardware.

[Enderman]

Let's not jump to conclusions, please. There are any number of causes not related to "EMI" or buying unnecessary hardware.

if the noise is coming from the PC then its definitely EMI, since hes using onboard audio...

 

there inst a little elf inside his PC putting static into his audio signals lol

[MisterFiero]

What IS your motherboard model, by the way?

Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3

[MisterFiero]

I'm going to try plugging my mixer apparatus/2i4 into my laptop to see if I get the same issue tomorrow and will keep you guys posted, thank you guys for responding so quickly. It seems like this is a good place for help.

[SSL]

if the noise is coming from the PC then its definitely EMI, since hes using onboard audio...

 

there inst a little elf inside his PC putting static into his audio signals lol

 

Uh, no. Could be bad drivers, buggy/outdated BIOS, SLI, cards need moving to another slot, ground loop, bad electrical wiring, etc.

 

I recommend by starting with troubleshooting drivers. Make sure they are up to date for ALL hardware, not just audio; conversely if you are not using a particular component (e.g. second SATA controller) disable it in BIOS and uninstall the driver. Use WASAPI or AISO if at all possible from whatever software you use for recording.

[Enderman]

Uh, no. Could be bad drivers, buggy/outdated BIOS, SLI, cards need moving to another slot, ground loop, bad electrical wiring, etc.

well drivers make it either work or not work, since drivers just control digital audio...

 

the bios has nothing to do with the audio...

 

and moving the card to another slot or bad electrical wiring are both considered EMI...

 

so yeah, its EMI

[MisterFiero]

Uh, no. Could be bad drivers, buggy/outdated BIOS, SLI, cards need moving to another slot, ground loop, bad electrical wiring, etc.

 

I recommend by starting with troubleshooting drivers. Make sure they are up to date for ALL hardware, not just audio; conversely if you are not using a particular component (e.g. second SATA controller) disable it in BIOS and uninstall the driver. Use WASAPI or AISO if at all possible from whatever software you use for recording.

I use ASIO for my interface, mostly for latency reasons. It seems everything connected to my motherboard has the EMI sound.

[SSL]

well drivers make it either work or not work, since drivers just control digital audio...

 

the bios has nothing to do with the audio...

 

and moving the card to another slot or bad electrical wiring are both considered EMI...

 

so yeah, its EMI

 

Dude, you clearly have no experience in this area, so knock it off.

 

I've seen multiple cases both on this forum and elsewhere of bad drivers or an out of date BIOS being responsible for degraded audio in the form of static, pops, and so on.

 

And yes, while some of these issues are EMI, the default response should not be to just recommend that someone spend more money on hardware they may not need. Make an effort or don't bother cluttering the discussion.

 

Trying the interface with another host is a good place to start. Software troubleshooting should follow.

[Enderman]

Dude, you clearly have no experience in this area, so knock it off.

 

I've seen multiple cases both on this forum and elsewhere of bad drivers or an out of date BIOS being responsible for degraded audio in the form of static, pops, and so on.

 

And yes, while some of these issues are EMI, the default response should not be to just recommend that someone spend more money on hardware they may not need. Make an effort or don't bother cluttering the discussion.

 

Trying the interface with another host is a good place to start. Software troubleshooting should follow.

???

all i said was that yes a sound card would fix it...

 

he asked if a sound card would fix it, i answered his question

what's the problem with that?

 

i never said that a soundcard is the ONLY way to fix it...

geez why you need to make so many assumptions?

[SSL]

???

all i said was that yes a sound card would fix it...

 

he asked if a sound card would fix it, i answered his question

what's the problem with that?

 

i never said that a soundcard is the ONLY way to fix it...

geez why you need to make so many assumptions?

 

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm easily annoyed.

[Enderman]

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm easily annoyed.

lol ok

[MisterFiero]

I can plug my mixer into my microphone jack and record my voice and phone audio with absolutely no EMI, but as soon as I bring my PC into my mixer and monitor/record with it through the headphone jack, I get the EMI. So my computer outputting itself is causing the issues.

 

Also.. I actually have a sound card, I left that info out just to see if I could learn something. The EMI with the card (Audigy FX) is actually much worse than my onboard, no joke.

[SSL]

I can plug my mixer into my microphone jack and record my voice and phone audio with absolutely no EMI, but as soon as I bring my PC into my mixer and monitor/record with it through the headphone jack, I get the EMI. So my computer outputting itself is causing the issues.

 

Also.. I actually have a sound card, I left that info out just to see if I could learn something. The EMI with the card (Audigy FX) is actually much worse than my onboard, no joke.

 

Go figure.

 

Procedure from here:

• Verify that all wall-powered peripherals are plugged into the same outlet via an EMI/RFI-filtered power strip
• Disconnect front audio header
• Disconnect all non-essential peripherals and/or try in different USB ports
• Move/remove add-on cards including GPU
• Ensure that motherboard and IO plate are properly seated (grouned)
• Run the DPC Latency Checker software to check for unusual levels or spikes
• Update audio drivers
• Remove and reinstall default windows audio drivers (using device manager)
• Update other drivers (LAN, chipset, secondary SATA/USB controllers) OR remove and disable in BIOS if unused
• Disable SLI if applicable
• Disable all overclocks and overclocking/tuning software
• Disable C1E, EIST in BIOS
• Update BIOS (use caution)
• Obtain and use an AC wall socket tester (usually available for less than $10); if issues are found, try a different outlet or re-wire

[MisterFiero]

I bought a cheap ground loop isolator and it did the trick. I am going to try to diagnose the issue further with my friend. I will bring my PC to his house to see if maybe my outlets in my house are the cause, if that isn't the case I will try his power supply with my PC. If the issue is still there I guess I'll say it's my motherboard. Is this a valid reason to RMA for Gigabyte? I'm still under warranty.

[SSL]

I bought a cheap ground loop isolator and it did the trick. I am going to try to diagnose the issue further with my friend. I will bring my PC to his house to see if maybe my outlets in my house are the cause, if that isn't the case I will try his power supply with my PC. If the issue is still there I guess I'll say it's my motherboard. Is this a valid reason to RMA for Gigabyte? I'm still under warranty.

 

What kind of isolater? Where did you install it?

[MisterFiero]

What kind of isolater? Where did you install it?

A cheap 3.5mm isolator from Pyle. It's placed in between my mixer's FX Send and my computer'so microphone port.