What is causing this noise?

randerson

I'm tracking guitars through a Suhr reactive load box into logic.

Meters for tracking are all averaging -18db so am pretty sure this isn't clipping but I am encountering two different types of noise on all guitar tracks. 

This is occurring on different guitars and different amps

The first noise is a high pitched digital popping sound that can occur during tracking but will appear and disappear at various points within an 8 bar passage.

Sometimes it will appear 2 secs in and sometimes 6 secs in. However it doesn't print. i.e when I bounce the isolated track it isn't there.

The second sound does print and is heard in this short mp3 (after 2nd strum and more thereafter)

https://soundcloud.com/user-224518695/guitar-test-4/s-GM3v2

randerson

I had the thought it could be power related and have now plugged straight into the wall as opposed to a plugboard but it makes no difference.

Funkfingers

Take a look at the waveform in the Track/Region File edit page. If the original guitar signal seems present and correct, you could have an issue with the monitoring via your audio in/out device.

Another possible explanation is that your host computer is struggling to process all of your multi-track recording quickly enough.

randerson

Funkfingers said:

Take a look at the waveform in the Track/Region File edit page. If the original guitar signal seems present and correct, you could have an issue with the monitoring via your audio in/out device.

Another possible explanation is that your host computer is struggling to process all of your multi-track recording quickly enough.

Thanks for this. Wave forms are all correct no blips registered visually.I've literally got one guitar track in the whole project nothing else added as I'm just mucking around with IR's. Surely it can't be processing power?

Having said that I've just tested with a mic. Same issue -  happening on mic inputs too so not just guitar..

randerson

By way of exclusion I can now positively state however that it is definitely not one of the following:

The Suhr Reactive Load Box
The amp
Microphone / Mic Cable
Guitar / Guitar cable
Power in the room
Light Dimmer switch in the room


Therefore it has to be either the DAW, Macbook or the Firewire cable, I can't immediately swap any of these out to see if the noise persists sadly. I have also had no issues with my macbook or DAW to date so it is most likely the firewire cable.

So I suppose my question has become - Can a Firewire cable cause the noises demonstrated in the mp3 in my original post?

Danny1969

Try increasing the buffer size, you get that kind of noise when the computers busy doing other stuff in the background and the buffers set small 

spark240

Well...I definitely had issues with a dodgy FW cable, not the same as you but a new Lindy FW cable did solve my problem.

randerson

Danny1969 said:

Try increasing the buffer size, you get that kind of noise when the computers busy doing other stuff in the background and the buffers set small 

Currently set on 64 - too low?

spark240 said:

Well...I definitely had issues with a dodgy FW cable, not the same as you but a new Lindy FW cable did solve my problem.

Thanks, ordered now!

randerson

New Lindy firewire cable arrived today. Made no difference unfortunately. I really am at a loss here..

siremoon

randerson said:

New Lindy firewire cable arrived today. Made no difference unfortunately. I really am at a loss here..

As mentioned earlier it could well be the buffer size.  If it's too low for the capabilities of your computer hardware then you'll get clicks and pops because the computer can't keep up with the processing demands of the incoming signal.  Try increasing the buffer and see if that effects any improvement.  If you set it too high then you get perceptible latency so the trick is finding the lowest value that doesn't click and pop and which doesn't have unacceptable latency.  If you can't find a value that works then basically your computer hardware doesn't have enough grunt to do the job.      

equalsql

randerson said:

Danny1969 said:

Try increasing the buffer size, you get that kind of noise when the computers busy doing other stuff in the background and the buffers set small 

Currently set on 64 - too low?

spark240 said:

Well...I definitely had issues with a dodgy FW cable, not the same as you but a new Lindy FW cable did solve my problem.

Thanks, ordered now!

64 is pretty low, I would get shit load of artifacts on my system with that setting. Try 128 and see if it improves.

randerson

Danny1969 said:

Try increasing the buffer size, you get that kind of noise when the computers busy doing other stuff in the background and the buffers set small 

You beauty. That was exactly the problem. Increased buffer size = problem solved. Thanks for all your help guys!