Noise troubleshooting (part 1)

Posted on March 21st 2010 in Gear maintenance 40 Comments

Noise is every guitarists worst enemy. Weve all experienced hissing, buzz, crackle and hum. Its frustrating but there are
many things you can do to reduce noise to a minimum. In this first of two articles well look at the basics, the reasons for
noise and how to solve the problem.
I often get asked why is Davids guitar dead quiet while mine is hissing like hell? Davids guitar is certainly not as silent as
it may appear. If youve ever listened to a bootleg or had the chance to see him live, youd noticed that his rig is far from
silent. However, he might be dealing with other issues than you. Lets start with some basics.
Noise is mainly caused by two things outside interference and noisy components (usually a combination of both). Outside
interference is electrical radiation being picked up by almost any component in your rig mostly due to lack of proper ground
and/or shielding. Noise caused by the components them selves is often as a result of cheap or faulty parts, bad assembly etc.
Quick guide:
- Make sure your guitar and amp is connected to ground that has a clear path out of your house in into ground.
Check every cable (instrument, patch and speaker) for bad connections and plugs.
Make sure that no instrument or patch cable is touching any power cables.
Check every power supply for bad connections and make sure theyre not overloaded.
Switch off any nearby computers and assigned electrical components, radios and stereo units, cell phones and efflorescent
lights.
If possible, make sure that your amp and pedal board runs on a separate power circuit than your TV, computer,
refrigerator, light rig etc.
Be tough on your pedal board and ditch any overly noisy pedal.
Ground
Ground is what the name implies a connection to the earth. In case of a power failure or short circuit, the ground
connection will lead the electricity out of your rig, through the wall and outside into the ground, rather than the electricity
going through your body, which is a substantial conductor. Weve all heard stories about musicians being fried or shocked on
stage, and although this may sound cool, it can be very serious so the ground connecting is there to avoid this.
Youve probably experienced hearing this loud buzzing from your guitar and if you touch any of its metal parts, the buzz will
change in volume and/or pitch. This indicates that theres a bad ground connection somewhere that needs to be fixed.
Unscrew the pickguard, check all ground cables and make sure theyre connected to the right parts. If the buzz is still there
you need to check the power outlets to your amp and pedal board.
US power cable plugs has three pins and the lower round one is ground. Some musicians cut this one off, because the plug
wont fit into all outlets but this means youve cut the ground, which is like asking for trouble. As a touring musician you
should always carry a converter plug (with ground) that fits into any outlet. Most European plugs have two pins with ground
in the plug it self (usually two metal strips) but in any case, make sure that all extension cables have ground! The best way to
check this is to always keep a circuit tester ($20 at hardware stores) in your utility kit. Plug it into the socket and check the
ground connection.
Shielding
The word shielding is a bit misleading and often misunderstood. It does not mean that youre shielding your guitar from an
outside source with a protective layer but a shield (like copper foil) will gather the outside electrical interference thats
causing the noise and drain it out of your guitar. For this to work, you need to make sure the shielding is connected to ground
(a cable thats either connected directly to the output jack or via a tone pot thats again connected to the output jack) or else it
will have no place to drain the noise and it wont have any effect. In some cases your noise problems will be eliminated with a
proper shielding but it will only help for some types of interference (certain frequencies) and its by no means a miracle cure.
60 cycle hum
60 cycle hum (or 60hz) is a loud, low frequency buzz coming from your guitar. Bad ground connection is consistent but 60
cycle hum is directional and if you walk around the room it will come and go depending on the radiation field. This kind of
noise is caused by outside electrical interference and it may come from a nearby transformer, light rig, your kitchen or just
about anything. Now, shielding your guitar wont eliminate this kind of noise because its picked up by the pickups. Vintage
style single coil pickups have magnetic poles that are exposed to any outside interference so theyre basically acting like
antennas. In case you experience 60 cycle hum, you need to locate the source and switch it off if thats possible (computers,
lights, TVs, refrigerators etc) or, in case youre on a stage (interference from ligh rigs, power sources, PA systems etc) try to
find a separate power circuit.
Humbuckers and so-called noiseless single coils are less subjected to this kind of noise, or noise in general. Humbuckers
arent ideal for recreating Davids tones and those of us that swear by our vintage style single coils may find it easier to live
with a compromise but its well worth checking out EMG, Lace Sensor, Fender Noiseless, Kinman, Barden etc. Most

guitarists will agree that these does not sound like vintage style single coils like Fender CS69, Duncan SSL5 etc, they lack
some of that bite, the crisp top and character, but thats ultimately down to taste.
Guitars and pickups
As weve talked about, a proper ground connection and shielding is vital for keeping your guitar as silent. Ive had great
success with shielding the pickup cavity of my guitars with copper foil but then again, Im lucky to rarely encounter 60 cycle
hum or bad ground connections. Again, vintage style single coil pickups is a compromise no matter what and you are bound
to have some level of noise because the pickups will pickup electrical interference in addition to your strings.
From time to time you may also experience a pickup thats microphonic. This is easy to detect as one or more of the pickups
will be feeding uncontrollably and insanely loud (not to be confused with natural feedback). This means that some of the parts
inside the pickup are loose and you need to pot it reassemble the pickup and dip it in wax to keep all the parts in place. This
is a complex operation so in most cases youre better off buying a new pickup (or returning your guitar if its brand new).
Amps
Amps are no different from any other component in your rig but slightly more difficult to deal with and in case youre not
trained in electronics I strongly advice you to take your amp to a trained technician. Replacing a tube is easy but if you start
to poke around you might end up with a serious electrical shock worst-case death.
Assuming that your amp is properly grounded, the most common reason for noise is bad tubes, loose parts or parts that needs
to be replaced. Check both the head and cab for loose construction and cracks in the wood, loose screws, dying tubes, wires
etc. Old transformers and leaking/dry caps will add noise but also cause irregular current in the amp, which is not good for
neither the tone nor the components, so make sure you take your amp to a tech and have this checked once in a while.
In case of microphonic tubes you might hear a vague hollow ringing coming from your amp. This is typical for a tube thats
been shaken up a bit from vibrations in the chassis and its time to replace the tube. If youre unsure you can use a wooded
stick (remember that metal is a conductor and should never be used!) and tap gently on the tube. If it sounds like youre
picking a rubber band it means that the tube is broken.
Cables
Again, assuming that the ground is OK and your guitar and amp is working properly with the needed shielding, its time to
look at the signal line.
Cables acts as long antennas picking up electrical radiation, radio waves etc within a fairly vast range. Cheap instrument and
patch cables are not shielded (or not shielded properly) and as you now have learned, theres nothing to drain the interference
thats causing the noise out of the signal path. So the moral is get good quality shielded cables!
Length is also a factor. No matter how good the cable is, the longer it is the more it will drain your signal. A 20ft instrument
cable should be more than enough for most setups. I swear by my Evidence Audio Melody cables (Davids choice since 2005).
I also recommend Lava, Planet Waves, George Ls, ProCo and Mogami.
Patch cables are often overlooked and one tends to use whatevers convenient. Those multi packs with different coloured
cables are strictly forbidden! Make sure all your pedals are connected to good quality patch cables that are cut as short as
possible. You want to connect the pedals not clutter your board. Again, length is crucial and although your board might
include only the average of 10-12 pedals, small cables can turn up to be pretty long if you add them up. George Ls, Lava
Mini and Evidence Audio Monorails are ideal for boards that are frequently rearranged.
Speaker cables are perhaps even more overlooked than patch cables. Hands in the air those of you whos never used an
instrument cable between the head and speaker cab Instrument cables are not designed for this and in worst case you might
overload the cable and short-circuit the amp. Be sure to use dedicated speaker cables that are designed for more power. I
strongly recommend the Evidence Audio Siren for this.
I dont mean that you have to spend all your savings on expensive cables but keep in mind that although its no fun getting a
cable over a pedal, it often pays off putting a little extra into it. The reason why your new pedal may sound like shit might be
the cables that are attached to it. Check out this Q&A with Tony Farinella from Evidence Audio for more about the
importance of good cables.
Power supplies
Feeding the right power to your pedals is crucial for eliminating noise. The wrong voltage or the wrong use of power supplies
can be the main source of your frustration. A pedal board with 10-12 pedals is often hooked up to 1-2 Boss 9V adapters with
most the pedals in a chain. One pedal might need a separate 18V adapter and perhaps 1-2 vintage pedals are running on
battery. Batteries are noisy by nature but thats a compromise most of us are willing to take to get that old fuzz pedal warm
and smooth. Some pedals like digital delay processors are often a bit more demanding than the average overdrive and might
start to distort and hiss if you place them in a power chain with other pedals. The more adaptors you keep the more they
require your attention and you shouldnt take the risk of one of them not working in the middle of a show.

The best way to power your pedals is to use one unit dedicated to power as many pedals as possible. Voodoo Lab, Cioks and TRex (among others) offer power supplies in all shapes and variations depending on how big your pedal board is. Each unit
has separate lines for each pedal for a more consistent signal. Some of the bigger models also allow different voltages so that
you can use all your pedals on one unit.
Dont forget the power cable to your amp! Older amps often have chords that looks like a curled up snake or worse. These
should be replaced immediately. Not only for noise issues but you dont want to get an electrical shock sent through your body
next time youre unplugging your amp. A good quality power cable ensures the correct current to your amp, which again
means less noise and less wear on the parts. Check out the Source from Evidence Audio or simply take your amp to a skilled
technician and have him replace the old cable with a new.
Its impossible to cover everything but I hope this answered some of your questions. Please feel free to use the comment field
and share your tips and experience! Next time well look at pedal boards and how to tweak your favourite tone without
frustrating noise problems.
Noise troubleshooting (part 2)
Posted on April 06th 2010 in Gear maintenance 23 Comments
Noise is every guitarists worst enemy. Weve all experienced hissing, buzz, crackle and hum. Its frustrating but there are
many things you can do to reduce noise to a minimum. In this second part of the article well look at how to deal with noisy
pedals and how to set up combinations for Davids tones.
Before you make any hasty decisions its wise to determine what sort of noise youre experiencing. As we talked about in part
one of this feature noise can be caused by many things and most commonly from outside interference.
Loud low frequency hum thats consistent when you move around but changes in pitch and volume when you touch any metal
part on the guitar.
Bad ground. Make sure your guitar, cables, pedals and amp has a clear path to ground and are properly shielded. See part
one for further troubleshooting.
Loud low frequency hum that comes and goes when you move around.
60 cycle hum caused by electronic interference being picked up by the pickups. Switch off any nearby electric components
(TV, computer, cell phone, radio etc) and run your rig on a separate circuit in your house/studio/stage if possible. 60-cycle
hum is common for guitars with single coils that by nature are exposed to outside interference. Shielding your guitar will
help to some extent but it wont eliminate it completely. Keep in mind that gain pedals like a Big Muff or Tube Driver will
amplify this type of noise so be sure to determine what kind of noise youre hearing before you ditch the pedal. If youre not
able to eliminate the source, a noise gate will be needed (more below). See part one for further troubleshooting.
Static noise or inconsistent crackling.
Check all cables, jacks plugs and inputs, battery clips etc for loose components or bad connections. The source might also
be inside your guitar, pedal or amp. Unless youre experienced with electronics take your gear to a trained technician.
Consistent hiss or vague oscillation sounds.
Mainly caused by colouring and tone sucking due to cheap parts, wrong parts, faulty parts, long cables, wrong or bad power
supplies etc. Some noise and hiss is normal since any part of your rig is basically an obstacle and will colour and drain the
signal. However, loud hiss that dominates your tone needs to be fixed. Either ditch or replace the unit that makes the noise or
add a noise gate (more below).
There are mainly two reasons for hiss, hum and rumble from your pedal board: faulty parts and/or bad connections and
combinations and/or settings that are too extreme.
Old pedals and simple circuits
Older pedals from the early era of stompboxes are generally noisier than newer pedals. Back in the late 60s a guitarist was
happy just to get anything that could make his amp distort and noise wasnt really an issue. Basic circuits, inconsistent
designs and sometimes-cheap parts and hasty wiring caused (and still does) a lot of noise. Bleed through is a typical
problem for pedals without true bypass switching a slight distortion or oscillation (depending on type of effect) when the
pedal is off (typical for early Electro Harmonix pedals like the Big Muff, Electric Mistress and Memory Man). Replacing the
on/off switch with a true bypass switch easily solves this and it will not have any effect on the tone.
Cheap parts can be replaced and other components can be tweaked for a better sounding, more silent pedal but keep in mind
that this will alter the pedals character. Modifying a Boss SD1 for a smoother tone or a RAT for more lower end is quite
understandable but people seems to be scared shitless over even the slightest signs of noise and cant wait to modify their
newly purchased 73 rams head Muff or 76 Electric Mistress. Perhaps Im a naive purist but I strongly believe that these
classic pedals get their mojo and character from the imperfect circuit. Keep the authenticity of the pedal and get yourself a
clone or boutique version with better parts and wiring.

Noise from gain effects

So, what is a noisy pedal? Noise is relative and its hard to explain just what level of noise you have to expect. I get contacted
by people who hate their new Big Muff because it hums and rumbles whenever they stomp it. Others complain that the Tube
Driver hisses like hell. Gain effects are by nature noisier than other pedals and you will have to learn to live with that but also
get to know your pedal and find the settings that work for you.
Without getting too technical, overdrive, distortion and fuzz is created by compression/limiting and clipping. The harder you
drive a tube, the more compressed the signal will get and the more it will distort. This is called clipping. See here for more
technical info.
Heres a quick exercise to determine the noise level of a pedal and if its something you can live with or not:
Plug the guitar into the amp using a good quality cable, preferably no longer than 10ft to avoid too much interference and
tone sucking.
Roll off the guitar volume to avoid interference picked up from the pickups (typical 60 cycle hum).
Set your amp as youd normally would including the volume (you need to set the volume fairly high for this to have an
effect).
What you now hear is the level of noise generated by your guitar, the cable and amp. A healthy setup should have about the
same noise level as your stereo at home.
Place a pedal in the line using a similar cable to the amp as from the guitar to the pedal to avoid different colouring and
tone sucking.
Keep the guitar volume rolled off.
Set the pedal to unity level with the bypassed signal and the gain and tone controls to 50%.
Stomp the pedal on.
What you now hear is the noise created by the pedal and its components. A healthy Big Muff or Tube Driver should add
only a hint more hiss. Experiment by adjusting the controls on the pedal. Youll notice that the more you increase the volume
and gain, the more hiss youll get. This is basically the clipping reaching extreme levels and its perfectly normal but a
warning that you should keep your settings fairly moderate. Increasing the tone control adds more treble, which again
amplifies the noise. If you want more gain from your pedal, it often helps to roll off the treble or tone just a tad to eliminate
some of the increased hiss and the bright tops.
If you now set the guitar volume to 10 youll get more noise (mute the strings with your palm to avoid feedback). Again, if
youve covered the steps in part 1 (shielding and eliminating 60 cycle hum) this noise will only be a slight increase and
perfectly normal because the pickups will pickup some outside noise and the gain pedal will amplify it. The pedal will also
amplify 60-cycle hum so you might not have heard any with a clean signal but once the Muff is on, youll get a loud, low
frequency hum. This is not your pedal but outside interference so dont freak out! See the top of the article for
troubleshooting.
Vintage style single coil (non-noiseless) pickups are more exposed to 60 cycle hum than humbuckers, so if youre uncertain
whether the noise you hear is from the pedal or outside interference, try the exercise above with a guitar with humbuckers.
Davids tone settings and combining pedals
Combining gain pedals is like asking for trouble but we all do it anyway, including David. This kind of setup requires some
experimentation and will to compromise to make it work with your rig.
I often get asked why cant I get Davids tones with my Muff and Tube Driver? and this combination is impossible to
use just a lot of noise.
Davids been combining fuzz/distortion with boosters/overdrives since 1972 when he introduced the Colorsound Power Boost
in his rig. In recent years hes been combining Big Muffs and Tube Drivers to get that super smooth sustain. Its easy to forget
though that theres a third component in this combination his amps. Although David always sets his amps clean, they are
loud and set just at the breaking point where the tubes starts to heat on the edge of distortion. This allows him to use the amp
not only as a basis for his pedals but also as a component that works with the pedals. While Hendrix would crank his
Marshalls and add a Fuzz Face to take it over the top, David lets the amp and pedals work together to reach the ultimate
sweetspot. What this basically means is that the Muff and Tube Driver, or any other gain pedal, doesnt need to be maxed
because the tubes in the amp will add compression and gain.
I have said this many times before every setting and setup Ive listed throughout this site should only be used as a guide for
your own rig. Not as absolutes. Why would Davids Hiwatt and Big Muff settings apply to a small practice amp set for
neighbour friendly volume? Even if youd have a duplicate of Davids rig, youd need to consider the venue, acoustics,
playing technique etc. Tone and noise goes hand in hand and too much tone means more noise.
Davids gain pedals are set fairly mild. Both the Muff and Tube Driver (marked #1 in his pedalboard for clean boost) are set
to about unity gain with the bypassed signal:

 Big Muff: sustain 1:00, tone 10:00, volume 11:00 (oclock)

Tube Driver (#1): level 2:00, hi 2:00, low 2:00, drive 8:00 (oclock)
As you can see, theres no aggressive settings here and notice also that the Tube Driver isnt set for boosting the volume, but
rather for a very mild crunch. If you try this setup on a typical practice amp that you have at home, it may sound dull and far
from the huge tone David gets. Dont solve this by increasing the amount of gain. That will only add more hiss and feedback.
If combining pedals doesnt work for your setup then ditch the booster and slightly increase the settings on the distortion. In
some cases where the amp isnt suitable for a Muff or Tube Driver, youd be better off choosing different pedals that will give
you a much better tone and less noise. See the Buyers Gear Guide for overdrive and distortion for more.
Combining a distortion with an overdrive or booster is one thing but David often uses this combo with a compressor and
delay and perhaps even some modulation. Its important that you know how to arrange your pedals for this to work. There are
no rules, but the normal way is to have the gain effects first, then modulation and last delays.
You have probably experienced that distortion+overdrive is barely working but add a compressor and you get lots of feedback
and increased hiss. Theres two ways of dealing with this either roll off the amount of compression or switch it off. Again,
although this works for David it doesnt mean that it works for you and your setup. See this article for tips on how to use a
compressor.
Pedalboards
Huge pedalboards are almost synonymous with noise. For each pedal, patchcable and power supply you add, the more you
expose your rig to electronic interference, faulty parts and tone sucking. Designing the perfect pedal board can drive you
insane or bankrupt but my best tip is to keep things simple and tidy. Evaluate each new component and rearrangement and
make sure everything is working properly. And people try not to clutter your boards with too many pedals. Ive seen stuff
thats so big that I wonder how the hell it works at all. Davids PULSE setup is impressive but cleaned, modded and tweaked
by the best technicians in the business not to mention the fact that he can afford to use only the very best components
available. Again, keep it simple and you save yourself a lot of hassle.
One is often considering whether or not a pedal should have true bypass, hardwire bypass or buffers in terms tone but your
choice can also have in impact on the level of noise in your rig. Too many true bypass pedals will ultimately mean more
cable, which again means more tone sucking and hiss. Buffers are essentially pre-amps and too many of these means that
your signal is copied numerous times and cheaper buffers (Boss, Ibanez etc) will colour and drain your signal. Some pedals
are also extremely sensitive to whats placed in front or after it, which might cause both tone alteration and hiss. As an
example, a Tube Driver can change dramatically if placed aside the wrong pedal. Other pedals, often complex delays (Boss
DD20) and modulation processors tend to be more noisy if placed in a power chain with other pedals and needs to be
powered by a separate supply.
Power supplies
Some pedals are better off on batteries. You can argue all you want but a fuzz or vintage booster sounds much better on a nonalkaline battery. After much experimenting Ive found that both Rayovacs and GI produce the warmest tones and least noise.
Adapters can make a lot of noise so you need to make sure youre using one that fits the pedal and thats both regulated and
has a noise filter (a standard Boss 9V works for most pedals). DO NOT use generic hardware store adapters! These will sure
make a lot of noise and are not designed to be used with pedals! Se part one for more on power supplies.
Noise gates/suppressors
Im no fan of noise gates/suppressors. I know some swear by them but my experience is that too many are using them for the
wrong reasons. The way I see it, a noise gate should be used a last resort in case you cant eliminate typical 60 cycle hum (the
source can be interference from a power transformer on the other side of the street, which obviously isnt that easy to just
switch off) or if youre using gain pedals that have an insane amount of gain (Boss MZ2) that needs to be controlled. If used
wrong, a noise gate can do more harm than good. Ive seen many tutorials on You Tube that teaches that a noisy overdrive
pedal can be silenced with a noise gate. Thats fine, but the noise these guys are hearing is a loud, low frequency hum, which
you by now know, is 60-cycle hum coming from outside your chain. Not the pedal! Its easy to add a noise gate and go yes!
when the noise completely disappears but you havent really solved the problem. The noise is still there only suppressed by
settings that are probably so extreme that you have no sustain left or get a strange effect like a slight doubling or phase
shifting. Hopefully these articles will have taught you some tricks to more effectively eliminate your noise problems.
A good noise gate should be able to maintain the sustain and have a smooth threshold/decay allowing your tone to fade
without sudden stops (also depending on the settings). It should also be able to recognize your picking and not kill lighter
tones. Noise gates operate in different ways. Some are linear and should be placed last in the chain (MXR Smart Gate), while
others acts as loopers (Boss NS2) allowing you to place overly noisy pedals in a loop outside your main signal path. Check
out the Electro Harmonix Hum Debugger and ISP Decimator as well.
Its impossible to cover everything. Noise is a huge topic and every guitar player might be dealing with different problems.
Hopefully these articles have made you a bit wiser. Feel free to use the comment field to share your experience, tips and
recommendations! In the next feature well talk about the differences between true bypass, hardwire bypass and buffers and
what it all means in terms of noise and tone.