Dir box makes amp buzz loud...

[broken81]

Ive been trying to take a dir signal for reamping and it is making the amp buzz real bad. I have tried flipping the ground switch on the dir box. I even tried using my sansamp as a dir also with the same problem. Now if i skip the dir box and the guitarist goes strait to his amp the buzz is gone. Oh and i got a good zap plugging and unplugging the guitar cable from the dir box.

How do i deal with this problem because i had to skip getting dir signals on my latest project because it was that bad and I was actually pretty happy with the jcm2000 and mesa cab tone we were using.

Sorry if I'm making no sense as its been a really long day...... :zombie:

 

[Metaltastic]

Wow, it did it with two different DI boxes? Did you try another guitar? (I can't imagine why the guitar would be the problem if there was no buzz going straight into the amp, but hey, what do I know)

 

[broken81]

Yea when there is no dir box in the loop there was basically no buzz at all except like normal tube amp noise. So i don't think it was the guitar.

Yea I'm doing some reading now and i think its something to do with the amp being in a different plug than my recording gear and causing a ground loop or something.

Not sure how the dir box makes makes this happen with a xlr cable to my recording hardware. But i did get shocked pretty good!

 

[Metaltastic]

Wait wait wait, you put it in the loop? That's different, I thought you were going guitar --> DI box --> "thru" output into amp and "XLR" output into preamp (which doesn't capture the preamp signal for impulses, which I assume is what you were going for, but then again you don't need a DI box for that anyway)

 

[broken81]

I thought you were going guitar --> DI box --> "thru" output into amp and "XLR" output into preamp.

Yes that is how i had it hooked up. I was just saying as soon as i used the dir box it caused real bad hum and caused me to get zapped a few times....

 

[AdamWathan]

My Redeye did this as well but as soon as I engaged the earth lift switch it all disappeared... Don't know what to tell you bro!

 

[Keiffer]

is the recording interface on a different AC circuit breaker than the amp?

do you have any two pronged AC plugs?

any equipment on long AC extension cords?

 

[Metaltastic]

Yes that is how i had it hooked up. I was just saying as soon as i used the dir box it caused real bad hum and caused me to get zapped a few times....

Haha, that's what I figured - but you did say "in the loop..."

 

[everybody's x]

is the recording interface on a different AC circuit breaker than the amp?

do you have any two pronged AC plugs?

any equipment on long AC extension cords?

this is the issue,you have a ground loop, make sure it is all in the same (clean)ac circuit

 

[broken81]

is the recording interface on a different AC circuit breaker than the amp?

do you have any two pronged AC plugs?

any equipment on long AC extension cords?

My recording stuff and computer was all on one power strip ran by a pretty long extension cord to the outlet. The guitarist was using a different plug across the room for his amp. So I'm guessing that the extension cord and the guitarist in a different plug are both a problem.

Now should i buy a power conditioner and run all my recording stuff on that and also any amps the band uses so I'm only using 1 outlet for everything?

 

[Metaltastic]

Power Conditioners kick ass, I'd definitely recommend one, made a huge difference in the background noise of my amp

 

[Keiffer]

My recording stuff and computer was all on one power strip ran by a pretty long extension cord to the outlet. The guitarist was using a different plug across the room for his amp. So I'm guessing that the extension cord and the guitarist in a different plug are both a problem.

Now should i buy a power conditioner and run all my recording stuff on that and also any amps the band uses so I'm only using 1 outlet for everything?

first, test this by connecting all AC to a single location. make sure all power polarities are correct. if you still have a 60 Hz hum, start eliminating things you don't need. turn them off and take them out of the circuit.

grounding is very important for a quite signal.