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I have an electric guitar (Yamaha Pacifica 112V) and I am using it with a Steinberg UR-22 on a Macbook Pro. When I plug in the guitar to the UR22 I can hear noise coming through the input, even if I do not even pull a string. The noise is very noticeable and is comparable to white noise. I can hear the noise structure changing from time to time and if I touch a knob on my guitar the noise gets way less noticeable.

What can be the reason for that noise?

Update:

  • This is the noise of when the guitar is plugged into UR-22
  • This is the noise of the UR when nothing is plugged in (not even the guitar cable)

It is hard to decide, but I guess it is EMI buzz?

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  • There are many alternatives for different types of noise, but first of all what type of noise is, it seems to be hum noise, does it sound like this noise? youtube.com/watch?v=Nakpj_Mee0Q
    – hexadecimal
    Aug 1, 2017 at 18:25
  • Thanks. This is an awesome video! I will check what kind of noise it is.
    – AlexLiesenfeld
    Aug 1, 2017 at 19:05
  • OK, I have uploaded some sound files. For me, it's hard to decide what kind of buzz that is. Probably EMI buzz?
    – AlexLiesenfeld
    Aug 1, 2017 at 19:19
  • Yes already suspected that it was hum noise because you said it was reduced when you touch a knob on guitar. I offer a response and then we follow comments, because I know that the answers on this topic generate more questions.
    – hexadecimal
    Aug 1, 2017 at 21:01
  • Sorry but I can not offer the answer that I had prepared because while I´m writing it, the question has been marked as duplicate and I can not post it. Sorry and good luck.
    – hexadecimal
    Aug 1, 2017 at 21:53

1 Answer 1

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The good news is, I'm not hearing any hum when the guitar is turned off/unplugged. That means that your electrical lines in your home are not producing any troublesome frequencies. However, the hissing and slight humming you hear with the guitar plugged in can be mitigated in lots of ways.

The best way to reduce noise is to find a "sweet spot" volume by playing around with your guitar volume knob and the gain knob on the UR22. Finding the right output volume/gain alone can cut off a significant amount of noise.

Then, get a good noise gate pedal like this one:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SentryGate/reviews

Even the most expensive guitar rigs employ noise suppression gadgetry to some degree...

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