Help me get rid of the buzzing noise, please! :)

[AKSO]

Hello everyone!

I am writing to ask for some help. I've been experiencing a horrible buzzing noise and none of the conventional solves have proved effective. I'll try and keep it short put there is quite a bit to go through, so bare with me.

My current setup is a 15" Macbook Pro running Traktor, 3xCDJ 400s, a DDM4000 Behringer and a Maschine MK2. The problem originally started a while back with my old laptop (an old Toshiba), which would manifest a buzzing noise, while plugged in the mains. I've now upgraded my laptop and that led to a whole lot of new problems.The issue now comes even when the laptop runs on battery. I've tried ground loop isolators and DI boxes but nothing helped. Last weekend I decided to strip down the whole setup and try and find the source of the buzz, so I ran the following tests.

I pluged one of my CDJs directly to the laptop (running on battery), which was then plugged to the mixer, which went to the speakers. As soon as I linked the CDJ to Traktor and it was recognised as a sound card, the buzz started. I should note that for the purpose of the test I had the gains of the speakers and the mixer all the way up.
Then I decided to take the mixer out of the equation and connected the speakers directly to the CDJ. Initially I thought that solved it but then I realised that the buzz was super quiet. I had to press my ear against the speaker to hear it but the noise seemed to be in the same frequency range.
I thought the problem was my extension lead (I run everything from a single power source) but changing the lead, or moving around the house wasn't helpful at all. I then tried to test the cables. When out and spent £18 on a single 1m RCA cable - triple isolated and all that jazz. This slightly reduced the volume of the buzz but not enough to make any real difference.
I tried all 3 CDJs with all channels on the mixer, swapped the power cables, audio cables....nothing seemed to help.
So I hit a dead end.

One thing I like to point out is that although changing the CDJs didn't help, I noticed that one of them "generated" a slightly higher in volume buzz, same frequency though. And the buzz went away completely when I moved the pitch fader ever so slightly. Weird right?!? This sort of thing makes me think that the problem comes from the CDJs themselves but I bought all of them independently and at different times, so I can't imagine all of them have the same problem all of a sudden (or at least I hope so).

I should also say that no buzz is present when I run any of the CDJs as normal cd/usb players.

The one thing I haven't tested yet is to run a mixer with an internal sound card and run the audio through the usb cables but I am trying to arrange that now.

So, after all this, is any of you, nice people, able to come up with any suggestions on how to proceed, what else I can test, etc.? Any help will be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

AKSO

[SlayForMoney]

I should note that for the purpose of the test I had the gains of the speakers and the mixer all the way up.

And the buzz went away completely when I moved the pitch fader ever so slightly.

One question with these two things in mind: is the buzz audible when mixing at moderate volume or in a recording of a mix? These settings don't seem to be something that should be audible in a real life application.

[AKSO]

Hi,

Yes to both, the buzz is still there unfortunately. It can be heard mainly during breakdowns or more minimalistic tracks.

I can hear it all the time on my headphones as well.

Cheers

[SlayForMoney]

Then why did you NEED setting the gain on the mixer and speakers all the way up if it's audible during mixing? You don't mix with gain set so high, don't you? What's the master gain set in Traktor?

One other thing: have you tried setting loop isolators and DI boxes on the CDJ power supply? If I were you, borrow a external audio interface, use CDJ's just as HID controllers and see if that helps (maybe with a loop isolator or DI box on the laptop power if neccesary).


Also, as far as connecting a CDJ directly to speakers and hearing a buzz: all audio gear adds noise in the signal (S/N ratio value in gear specs). Proper gain stagging and quality cables help minimize it. In any case, it's ok if you can hear a little bit noise when there's no music playing but the volume is up. But only little, like if you press your ear to the speaker.

[AKSO]

The reason I cranked up the gains is to be able to make the distinction between the normal speaker hiss and the buzz as clear as possible. I don't use that gain setting when I mix
For so long I thought I was over-obsessing with it, so I just wanted to make that frequency distinction between the two.

The Traktor gain setting is what it's always been to be honest. I've never even touched that

When I connect the speakers directly to the CDJ, I can hear the same sound. It is quieter, as I mentioned before, but there is a distinctive tone to it that makes it hard to miss.

The other day, I tried a transformer box, which goes on the mains and is supposed to resolve any electrical issues (ground loops, electrical spikes, etc.) but, again, no luck. Is that what you mean by loop isolators on the power supply?

Cheers

[SlayForMoney]

Sorry, didn't see the reply before (takes a while for noob posts to be moderated, by the time that's done the thread is already at the bottom of the list).

- Traktor main gain - I was asking at what value is it set in db?


- When testing a single CDJ - did you connect it with Traktor or using music on a CD/USB stick? If you have buzzing problems just when connected to the laptop then it's definitely a problem with laptop power supply not with CDJ's.

[Alubat]

Just got one of these for my hifi tube amp yesterday. Now buzz is gone :-)

AC-210 A E COMPACT POWER CONDITIONER WITH AUTO-RESETTING VOLTAGE PROTECTION
http://www.furmansound.com/product.p...03&id=AC-210AE

Havent tried jitterbug yet. But could be a suggestion for usb ports

Audioquest Jitterbug
http://www.audioquest.com/jitterbug/jitterbug

[AKSO]

Yeah, that is not a problem.

The Traktor gain was at about -1db but I've now set it at -3db.
When I use the CDJs with CD/USB I have no probs. When I plug it to the Laptop I get a buzz only when Traktor recognises the CDJ as a sound card (closes the chain I suppose). The laptop is running on battery though. It was NOT plugged in the mains when I was running those tests.


@Alubat

I've been looking at power conditioners myself and the one I was thinking about is this:
http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?div=03&id=M-10xE

Any thoughts at all?

I may check out the Jitterbug but I have to say that I am a bit sceptical