Noisy board :(

hotpickups

I’ve rewired my board and noticed something I never noticed before. It may well have been there before but never really noticed it but thought I’d ask if it’s normal. When I use certain modulations like a chorus or flanger etc I hear a background noise like someone using an oscilloscope or something i.e. high pitched electrical whirring noise etc. I hope you know what I mean? Could it be bad wiring ? I’ve used Evidence Audio solderless plugs so I’m pretty sure it couldn’t be them or could it? Obviously this gets more noticeable when using gain etc.

Any pointers

hotpickups

Quick update it's not all the time but occasionally. Definitely quite bad with an old school fuzz I have but that is expected IMO. Won't be using that with certain modulations (more noticeable chorus) anyway. 

MikkiMcMurderer

Could this be digital noise? Digital pedals, if not using isolated power, can add high pitched nonsense into your signal.

MikkiMcMurderer

The Gigrig power isolators should sort you out if you are using non isolated power and digital pedals. 

hotpickups

I'm using a voodoo Lab 4x4 so that should be covered  It could also be my house electrics as I do know I have some ground loops going on. Always clears up at a friends house but I haven't tried the current board at his house yet

MikkiMcMurderer

Even isolated power can still not solve everything. I had a weird situation where a digital clock was causing crazy noise through the power lines even though every device was isolated. Maybe try and go one by one through your pedals and use a wall wart power supply and see if you can find the culprit...

MikkiMcMurderer

It definitely won't be the evidence cables they are rad!

hotpickups

MikkiMcMurderer said:

Even isolated power can still not solve everything. I had a weird situation where a digital clock was causing crazy noise through the power lines even though every device was isolated. Maybe try and go one by one through your pedals and use a wall wart power supply and see if you can find the culprit...

Yeah that's a good idea. It's not a massive problem but would like to sort it if I can. Thanks 

hotpickups

Tried that but no difference. It's looking like it's my vintage Fuzz. It doesn't like chorus on the multi setting at all. I'll just not use it with it then

Thanks

stickyfiddle

What exact pedals are you using? 

ICBM

That sounds like clock noise from the chorus getting into the fuzz through the power supply. As MikkiMcMurderer says sometimes that can get through even an isolated supply.

I had a similar problem with a friend's pedalboard with a Digitech Drop - the only solution I could find was to have two separately mains-powered supplies, one for the Drop and one for everything else. A pain...

hotpickups

It's not a big problem for me really as I don't use multi chorus and fuzz together anyway but just stimbled on it

hotpickups

stickyfiddle said:

What exact pedals are you using? 

Just an old fuzz that I found lying around nothing special. And a möbius

bbill335

Fuzz and wah are sometimes less noisy when running off a battery if noise is getting in through the power supply.