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My Helix makes a really noticeable noise


fistwood
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Hi, I just bought a second hand Helix, and I am pretty newbie at using Helix. I have 1 concern that my Helix seems to be making a quite noticeable noise. Even if it is a blank preset, it still outputting a very noticeable noise. And if you put an amp in your preset and other effects, the noise for sure becomes so much bigger.
I will attach a video here.
I don't know if it is normal or not, but I feel like it shouldn't make this much noise.
 

 

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Umm... it could be all sorts of interference.  A cable that is not plugged into a guitar always makes some kind of noise as it acts as an antenna.  Fluorescent lights, computer monitor, power source can all be the culprit.  Try a different cable and/or plug it into an actual guitar and see if there is noise. 

 

I just tried the same experiment as you and my tuner is also reading some random notes, but I don't have the same noise as you, it's nearly silent. 

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On 10/29/2021 at 8:53 PM, SaschaFranck said:

Looks pretty much as some typical 50/60Hz cycle hum your cable is catching up. The tuner confirms that - 50Hz is roughly between a G and an Ab, hence just what your tuner is showing. What happens when you connect a guitar and turn the guitar volume down?

 

On 10/29/2021 at 8:29 PM, PierM said:

That's normal noise floor (plus EMI due the missing load at 1MOhm), and you need to plug that cable to the instrument to close the ground loop and load proper impedance to that input.

 

On 10/29/2021 at 8:24 PM, theElevators said:

Umm... it could be all sorts of interference.  A cable that is not plugged into a guitar always makes some kind of noise as it acts as an antenna.  Fluorescent lights, computer monitor, power source can all be the culprit.  Try a different cable and/or plug it into an actual guitar and see if there is noise. 

 

I just tried the same experiment as you and my tuner is also reading some random notes, but I don't have the same noise as you, it's nearly silent. 


Hi guys, thanks for replying, so when I connect the cable to my guitar, and volume turned down, noise is gone, but when volume turned up, the noise is there! And when I put amp there, the noise just got worse.

The thing is I plugged my helix to same power strip as my computer and monitors, since I use it as an audio interface. But its making so much noise that I wish there was a way to eliminate this. Do you have any tips for my case?

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EMI and RFI levels may be high or extreme at your location. If so, the use of a power strip for all of your devices will have little to no affect in eliminating ambient RFI or EMI.

 

To troubleshoot that your Helix LT is not the problem, try using it at another location (friend, family member, etc.) a good distance from your home.

 

Also, a low quality guitar cable suffering from poor shielding or an improperly grounded connector can contribute to the antenna affect.

 

Also know that the frequency of AC current in the US is 60Hz, which is a tone midway between A# and B. In Europe AC is 50Hz which is closer to G.

 

Hope you get it sorted out.

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