Mildly annoying buzz

[JD01]

Noticed an annoying buzz on the weekend.

Notable on all channels, whether pedals are on or off. However, if I stick a bare toe on one of my pedals it goes away, although it doesn't happened if I put a toe on the channel selector. Also, if I touch my laptop it goes away.

My first thought was dodgy patch cable, but could this just be a noisy room, two laptops running, spare monitor, amp, pedal board, piano...

[Lt. Bob]

if touching something makes it go away then it's a ground .... question ... are your pedals plugged into the same outlet as the amp?

[JD01]

if touching something makes it go away then it's a ground .... question ... are your pedals plugged into the same outlet as the amp?

No, they're in a different socket. My pedal board has its own socket actually, its not even on a strip or tower.

[Lt. Bob]

if touching something makes it go away then it's a ground .... question ... are your pedals plugged into the same outlet as the amp?

No, they're in a different socket. My pedal board has its own socket actually, its not even on a strip or tower.

Then try plugging the amp and pedals into the same socket ...... that could very easily take care of it ..... not guaranteed but very often that causes a buzz ..... ground loop .... that's always the very first thing I look at, amp and pedals or even an amp plugged direct into a mixer on different outlets.

[vomitHatSteve]

if touching something makes it go away then it's a ground .... question ... are your pedals plugged into the same outlet as the amp?

No, they're in a different socket. My pedal board has its own socket actually, its not even on a strip or tower.

We just had this conversation about getting giant power strips to plug all your gear into one outlet!

[JD01]

I'll have a faff about with it tomorrow. Its just been fine up to now and and I don't know where its come from.

[WhiskeyJack]

I'll have a faff about with it tomorrow. Its just been fine up to now and and I don't know where its come from.

Your new guitar only? Or all your guitars?

[JD01]

I'll have a faff about with it tomorrow. Its just been fine up to now and and I don't know where its come from.

Your new guitar only? Or all your guitars?

Actually, hadn't thought of that. I'll have a look

[WhiskeyJack]

Your new guitar only? Or all your guitars?

Actually, hadn't thought of that. I'll have a look

Circle back with us on that, won't you.

[JD01]

OK, messing with recording tones this morning - I'm pretty sure this is something to do with patch cables in the front half of my pedal board.
As I started trying to record, things just puttered out and stopped - I thought "Oh fuck, tube death" (How long would you expect EL84s to last?)

So I plugged by cable straight into the front of the amp - It lives! And I recorded some tones with less noise than before. Also, it shows that the patch cables on my FX loop pedals are fine, I didn't mess with that intentionally.

[JD01]

Ergh, just took the board apart and put it back together again - now everything works. This is obviously a fuckup waiting to irritate me again in future.

[Lt. Bob]

OK, messing with recording tones this morning - I'm pretty sure this is something to do with patch cables in the front half of my pedal board.
As I started trying to record, things just puttered out and stopped - I thought "Oh fuck, tube death" (How long would you expect EL84s to last?)

pretty much forever in an amp that just gets used around the house for recording and practicing.

[JD01]

OK, messing with recording tones this morning - I'm pretty sure this is something to do with patch cables in the front half of my pedal board.
As I started trying to record, things just puttered out and stopped - I thought "Oh fuck, tube death" (How long would you expect EL84s to last?)

pretty much forever in an amp that just gets used around the house for recording and practicing.

Excellent

[Armistice]

Ah, the dreaded intermittent fault. Good luck with that. Did you put every patch cable back connecting exactly the same things it did before, or did you change things around? And how many are there anyway?

[JD01]

Ah, the dreaded intermittent fault. Good luck with that. Did you put every patch cable back connecting exactly the same things it did before, or did you change things around? And how many are there anyway?

I might have changed a couple of them around - basically, I worked out that the problem was in the front half of the board. Then I gradually connected my pedals up one at a time in reverse order - guitar into flanger, guitar into phaser then flanger etc. until I got back to the tuner. It carried on working. Although the mildly annoying buzz returned.