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Post by gplayer1965 on Jan 5, 2013 14:52:11 GMT -7
brothers:
Please forgive my ignorance and lack of knowledge on this subject thus the reason for my questions. I am a "bedroom" player and have never gigged but I have been to concerts at small and large venues as well to a couple of local bands shows at the local sport bar.
So when I play at home there is always some type of "noise" "interference" etc present. Sometimes it is the guitar pick ups and I try to reduce such noise with a noise gate(NS-2) but even with noise gate and guitar volume down there is always a hiss (even a small amount) at the speakers. happens with all my amps (DRZ or different amp). I would assume that having a "mic" to the speaker the audience would hear this hiss. At the concerts I have been to I don't hear such noise, even at the local small shows. is this somehow taken care of by the "sound guy"? PA system?
Again, I don't know how this all works as I have never played in public ( I would be ran out of town if I did) But I have learned much here in the Forums about ABY box,DI box,AMP selector switch, to mic or not to mic at the cab, monitors...etc etc
I hope I am being clear with my inquiry. maybe don't know enough to ask the right questions.
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Post by bryan0418 on Jan 5, 2013 15:47:27 GMT -7
Hi. It is hard to determine exactly what is causing the issue without seeing it but here are some "Tips" to help.
Make sure you use good quality guitar cables. The cheap ones from guitar center do not cut it when you use a quality amp such as the Dr Z. It is like putting the cheapest tires on your new BMW. Invest in some quality cables like Mogami 2524 with Neutrik or Switchcraft ends. You can get a deal on eBay.
The same goes for speaker cables. If you use a head/cab make sure you get a good quality speaker cable. Do NOT use a regular guitar cable to connect your head to the speaker cab.
Make sure you use good quality, heavy gauge power cables. The cheap one that came with your DVD player is not a good choice.
I would suggest you use a surge protector, again a good quality one. The better ones filter the power somewhat. The ideal solution is a Furman power conditioner but that can be kind of expensive.
What devices are on in your house when you play? Are big electrical appliances such as stoves, washers or dryers on? Electric heat? All of those produce electrical noise and it can bleed into your amp. Also overhead lights can make noise as well. Try to plug your amp into a house circuit that you know doesn't have big noisy appliances on it.
Is your cell phone near your guitar or on top of your amp when you play? They emit radio frequency and could cause issues. Move it away when you play.
How good is your guitar? If the pickups aren't good quality, they could be part of the issue. Single coil pickups have noise by nature. If you have a strat you should get no hum when you have the bridge/middle and neck/middle pickups on. Have you tried a humbucker guitar through it?
What is your signal chain? Do you hear the noise when it is guitar-cord-amp or is it when there are pedals? What kind of pedals? Some vintage or cheaper pedals do produce noise. Also how much gain do you use from your pedals? Even the best hi gain pedals will produce some hiss if you crank the gain all the way up. Usually classic rock players are ok. Shredders may hear hiss due to the amount of gain they use. What is the power source to your pedals? Something like the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power is a great unit to produce clean power to your pedals.
You shouldn't need a noise gate with the Dr Z amps. Would be ideal if you could stop using it.
The sound guy can help take some noise out but I try not to let sound guys do anything to my tone except push it and mix it through the PA. Sorry sound guys! I just like to control my own sound and effects. Never met a sound guy who didn't love a ton of reverb. If you provide a good, clean signal to the PA, less has to be done to it.
Let us know what your setup is and me or one of the guys (or gals) here will try to help you out.
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Post by gplayer1965 on Jan 5, 2013 16:14:50 GMT -7
that was a nice reply thank you so much. 2 of my guitars are top notch and all my cables are Monster or Mogomi. My source of power is a Voodo pedal power and my electronics are usually off in the bedroom when I play.... so there are 2 noises...the interference that appears mainly when I play my Tele (made in Mex) with Stock PU but I use the NS-2 for that the other noise is more of a slight hiss...hard to explain. I have taken My Z to other peoples home and same occurs. In fact, there amps hiss as well, all but a Line 6/Bogner amp that my friend has, it is quite as a mouse. So, if you plug in your guitar directly to your amp (Z or otherwise) you get not noise whatsoever? Thanks for answering my question regarding if the sound guy can assist with noise reduction etc. I guess sometimes you are at the mercy of the venue's power source, and in addition everybody has cell phones and/or some type of personal electronic.. PS: I am assuming the Monster and mogami cables are good but rest assure PCNS will be receiving an order soon
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Post by Dustin on Jan 5, 2013 16:25:14 GMT -7
Could be the outlet/power source you're plugging into like the other poster said. A lot of times at bar gigs, neon signs wreak havoc with amps/PA gear. Even in a residential home, it depends on what else is running on the same circuit as your amp as to how much noise you'll get.
Another thing to keep in mind: with all that cable (guitar>pedalboard>amp) you have what amounts to a giant radio antenna (in the most basic electrical sense). Antenna + amplifier = noise. Quality cable will be shielded to eliminate some of this but that could be a source as well.
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Post by gplayer1965 on Jan 5, 2013 20:13:22 GMT -7
thank you
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Post by jesslm02 on Jan 5, 2013 22:28:28 GMT -7
The other posts made some good points so I won't repeat but just thought I'd say this; even though Dr Z amps are some of the most quiet I've ever played, they are inherently noisy by nature. I've yet to here ANY tube have some sort of hiss or buzz. Some just do it way more than others. It's been my experience that proper grounding and the electrical circuit being plugged into are the biggies when it comes to noise. I have a power conditioner with an LED voltage readout and it does help in most cases.
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Post by doctorice on Jan 6, 2013 7:41:33 GMT -7
I'll come at this from a slightly different angle. My bands play mostly in small places using our own sound system in a "set and forget" approach. Some venues have more crud in their power lines due to dimmer switches on lights, neon beer signs, etc. What generally happens, though, is that the level of signal when playing sufficiently exceeds the noise that the noise does not seem present to us or the audience. Between songs, I often just back off my guitar's volume or stomp on the tuner, which mutes the signal from my guitar. In addition, crowd noise often overpowers a lot of band noise between songs. (We try not to let those periods last very long unless we're on break. When I practice at home, if the signal-to-noise ratio seems too low, I look for possible culprits, such as appliances turning on or off in the house, bad cable, amp issue, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 8:18:42 GMT -7
+1 on Doc's angle.
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Post by bwc on Jan 6, 2013 8:25:50 GMT -7
Yep, hit the tuner or roll back the volume.
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Post by gplayer1965 on Jan 6, 2013 9:31:09 GMT -7
I'll come at this from a slightly different angle. My bands play mostly in small places using our own sound system in a "set and forget" approach. Some venues have more crud in their power lines due to dimmer switches on lights, neon beer signs, etc. What generally happens, though, is that the level of signal when playing sufficiently exceeds the noise that the noise does not seem present to us or the audience. Between songs, I often just back off my guitar's volume or stomp on the tuner, which mutes the signal from my guitar. In addition, crowd noise often overpowers a lot of band noise between songs. (We try not to let those periods last very long unless we're on break. When I practice at home, if the signal-to-noise ratio seems too low, I look for possible culprits, such as appliances turning on or off in the house, bad cable, amp issue, etc. awesome
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Post by aslerjack on Jan 6, 2013 14:11:05 GMT -7
Hey gplayer,
I am a bedroom/basement player myself, though I have been playing with some guys for close to a year now. I use to worry about noise but don't anymore. I pretty much follow/subscribe to what doctorice posted.
We have played 3 small shows at local bars and each venue is a new experience. The last place we played at caters to live music, actually all 3 pretty much do, but the 60 cycle hum at the last place was wicked. Made my house sound like a studio. Pretty much followed what has been posted above. During sound check, I just flinched when when I stepped on an overdrive pedal. Once we started playing, we didn't notice. Just need to watch it between songs. Other thing I learned to do at this location, is to spin around 360 degree's and find that sweet spot where the hum is the slightest, which happened to be pointing the neck due north for this stage.
Jack
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