Humming noise when recording acoustic guitar with the 828?

rubberwarrior · Post by **rubberwarrior** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:06 am

I have got an old 828 firewire and record in Garage band on an iBook. When I record acoustic guitar I got a very low input signal and when increasing the volume I get this loud humming noise. What do I do to increase the input signal?

Phil O · Post by **Phil O** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:36 am

The hum is probably 60 Hz (and/or harmonics of 60Hz). If you could give us more info about your recording set-up (cables, microphone, etc.) perhaps we could help you track it down.

Phil

rubberwarrior · Post by **rubberwarrior** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 7:38 am

Ok, thanks.
So, I‘ve got a Shure SM 57 and an ordinary mic cable. I put it in mic channel 1 and use firewire between the 828 and the Mac. Can it be that simple that all I‘ve got to do is buy a better cable?

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 8:28 am

Well the SM57 is a mic that needs lots of gain and honestly is about the last choice of mic I'd use on an acoustic guitar. The pres on the 828mkII are far from great, but certainly aren't bad--but on the original 828, they weren't that good. So the combination of a less than average pre with an SM57 and a generic cable can equal disaster.

rubberwarrior · Post by **rubberwarrior** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 9:03 am

Thank you very much for fast replies. Thats what i guessed, any tip on getting the best out of it anyway. Always liked it lo-fi but grown tired of it. I want a clear sound, probably getting old. What mic do you suggest for both acoustic and vocals? Haven‘t got a lot of money right now....

jmoore · Post by **jmoore** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 9:12 am

Like Brad said, the 57 isn't exactly the greatest mic for recording acoustic guitar, but I've done it myself on more than one occasion when I'm going for a particular sound. I love the natural compression that mic adds.

As far as the humming goes...because the 57 requires so much gain, I would imagine that you've probably got your preamp pretty much cranked. That is likely to introduce a fair amount of hiss and likely a bit of a 60 cycle hum as well. (If you want to know what a 60 cycle hum sounds like, go french kiss a light socket.) There is a possibility that you are picking up hum from either the transformer on the 828 or that of another piece of gear racked nearby. Try moving your mic cable around while you're listening through headphones. If the noise changes as you move the cable around, then go out and get yourself a high quality mic cable with quality connectors (neutrik or switchcraft). If that doesnt' take care of it, then my assumption would be (as Brad stated) the overall quality of your signal chain needs to improve. My first suggestion would be to sell off the 828 and upgrade to something along the lines of the 828mkii or perhaps the Ultralite. Good luck!

Phil O · Post by **Phil O** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:47 am

You said "loud humming noise" which suggests a severe condition. I have two 828s that I've used for various things through the years and I doubt that an "upgrade" will fix your problem (unless it's defective). The SM 57 is not ideal, as others have said, but again I doubt that it would cause severe noise unless it was bad. The cable would be my first suspect. It could have a damaged shield connection. I can't believe that it's a "quality" issue. I think something is broken. Also, the cable is the cheapest component in the chain and thus the easiest to troubleshoot by substitution.

Also, you said "ordinary mic cable." That would be XLR on BOTH ends, right?

Phil

rubberwarrior · Post by **rubberwarrior** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:19 am

Thank you so much for the replies. I check out all these things. Thougt it had something to do with the computer but i realize I hav to check the whole chain. I‘ll be back....

Appalachian Boy · Post by **Appalachian Boy** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 1:58 pm

i recommend this for acoustic guitar http://www.chameleonlabs.com/product2.htm it is awesome.

very warm and clean

HCMarkus · Post by **HCMarkus** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:59 am

Check for ground loops in your system. If you unplug the mic cable and turn up the mic pre gain, do you still get the hum? If so, you have problems elsewhere. Look for multiple paths to ground. Connect all devices to the same wall outlet. Firewire and USB cables provides another path to ground, so your computer must also be connected to the same outlet. I had to cut the ground wire/shield on my Motif USB cable to eliminate a lo-level hum in my system.

Finally, get a new mic, a condensor, before you start spending money on pre's. Most bang for the buck by far.

daniel.sneed · Post by **daniel.sneed** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 9:35 am

Acoustic guitar is a rather low level instrument.
You need a high sensivity and high output mic.

Some times ago, I have tracked a guitar decently on my Motu 828 (original) with a very low budget condenser mic : Stagg 5060.

jerkrecords · Post by **jerkrecords** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:46 pm

question: were you actually humming while you were playing?

-pete