guitarboy_02451 Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 Did some tracking tonight. My chain was Guitar -> Pedal Board (with HX on it) -> DR Z Maz 38 Amp -> UA Apollo -> Pro Tools. I use the HX Stomp for two different applications. When using with my amp, it's just an effects box (vol/wah/reverb/delay) no amps/cabs. The second application is for direct USB into ProTools with amp/cabs/effects. My Dr. Z amps are normally quiet. You could hear a pin drop when the guitar volume is turned down. Beauty of point-to-point wiring by the Doc. Well, my amp sounded as noisy as a 63 Falcon. First troubleshooting tip is to always remove what's between your guitar and amp. So I went right from guitar into amp. Quiet as a butterfly. Plugged everything back in and loads of noise. Now this is where I asked myself, have I noticed this before... long pause... NO. What changed? Could be the USB cable plugged into the computer with the UA Console and PT running? I unplugged the USB cable and all noise went away. There must have been some weird feedback loop of audio getting fed from the daw or something. Weird because the playback device was set to Apollo Twin X. So, lessons learned I guess. Of course when I decided to do a few tracks with Stomp directly into PT, I used the USB again. This is the first time I've experienced this and can't recall why it happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsdenj Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 USB cables can create ground loops just like audio cables. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinner52 Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 3 minutes ago, amsdenj said: USB cables can create ground loops just like audio cables. I have a problem with usb cables in my setup as well. Lots of noise with my Princeton but when I had a borrowed Powercab none. I followed all of the suggested methods of eliminating ground loops and with the Princeton there was no way to eliminate the noise in my room. Interesting is that the music recording gear runs off a separate isolated panel. My new power cab is coming today I hope ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patdixon Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 This happened to me yesterday- got a Marshall amp for Christmas & thought I'd see what it sounded like with my LT- horrible noise before playing the first note. Was baffled at first then realized I'd left the USB hooked up to the PC since doing the 3.01 update. Noise instantly went away. I hope no one returns a unit or piece of other gear because of this- probably often over looked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicLaw Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 On 12/29/2020 at 5:36 AM, amsdenj said: USB cables can create ground loops just like audio cables. Ground loops don't care how they're conducted!!!! So long as there is a path to ground or a different potential to ground, there can be noises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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