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I'm afraid a serious problem has come to my home recording facility. It's a simple personal setting in my garage which I've transformed as a music space. Two computers (one laptop), two sound interfaces TC Twin Impact, a small 12 channels mixing table, a hi-fi system, keyboard, 4 different guitar/bass tube amplifiers, one digital modeled amp, effect units and some small gear around.

I record "pilot" versions of music pieces, so not aiming to crystal high end quality, but still decent. And most of all acceptably noiseless.

But here a problem appeared. Since few months I noticed a high "whistling" noise in my system when I plug any of my amplifiers with a guitar and (also the same in very high volume when my desktop computer is switched on). I spent quite few hours to test by excluding one by one different units. I also tested an amp with a guitar on other floors of my house and it has that high "whistling" noise everywhere. That's really frustrating, as I'm unable to continue recording anymore, the noise is always recorded.

I tried using a DI box, with no result at all. The mind blowing thing is that before I had no such a problem! I listen to past recordings and they are almost "crystal" clear! I'm heavily puzzled what could have happened and how should I go out of that situation! I've read some comments in the forums but they don't cover my problem.

*:-/ confused Any ideas or suggestions?

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    What changed from before? New equipment? Different location?
    – Harper
    Feb 23, 2017 at 15:44
  • Do you have any new appliances anywhere else in the house?
    – brhans
    Feb 23, 2017 at 17:46
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    Has there been any appliance upgrades refrigerators, furnace, new lighting especially fluorescent and LED Lamps cause harmonics that could be a root cause.
    – Ed Beal
    Feb 23, 2017 at 17:49
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    Yeah, harmonics from a switching supply - computer, LED or Florescent lights, even a phone charger. Or a malfunctioning RF device - garage door opener, WiFi, cordless phone (if working correctly none of those should be audibly interfering.) Try shutting off everything but a single circuit to the garage, and shut off everything in the garage but the amplifier - then start turning things back on. Might also want to check the grounding, as poor grounds can increase amplifier noise pickup.
    – Ecnerwal
    Feb 23, 2017 at 17:56
  • The only thing added were LEDs almost everywhere in the house. But the noise occurs in day time when no LEDs are on and in night time the problem is not bigger. For the rest, no fluorescent lights, desktop and laptop switched off, no phone chargers connected, no cordless phones (never!), no RF devise, no WiFI (we use "powerline" for the Internet but I unplugged all the adapters and still). It's mind blowing...
    – BadDisciple
    Feb 23, 2017 at 19:35

1 Answer 1

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To start, turn off breakers in the house til it goes away.

It could be something wacky like a replacment LED being unwittingly put on an old style dimmer. Some dimmers are NEVER off. And some dimmers , if you keep turning them past zero, you'll go over a stiff detent and there's a mechanical "off". Except people think zero is off (it looks like off) so they never try.

If you turn off every breaker but the music room, I would be surprised if it's still there... but also unplug every other appliance on that circuit.

If even this yields no results, I'd check every receptacle or other outlet on that circuit, and make sure the grounds are solidly connected.

I would also try taking the amp to another house.

If all else fails, start a My Bloody Valentine cover band.

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