Studio Wiring Assistance

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Studio Wiring Assistance

So I’ve recently purchased a pair or Gold KRK 5s (from guitar center for a wicked price of 110 dollars with their up coming January clearance: AKA Check that out lol) and upon setting them up, I noticed a low pitched hum that seemed to sync up with what my mouse was hovering over on screen. Different Icons had slightly different frequencies.
So I’ve separated my computer from the outlet the monitors run from.
Made sure all the outlets were properly grounded.
Separated most cables behind the computer.
Funny enough it seemed the main problem was a thin USB wire running from my computer to my sound card was crossed with my computer power line. Changing the cable ultimately reduced the hum to almost inaudible. However whenever my mouse runs over any icon on screen, I still can hear a quick buzz from my monitors.

I was wondering if the USB cable in the DJTT store would fix that completely?
And is there much else I can do to keep any garbage noise out of my monitors?

2

What sound card are you using? I have the same issue when using onboard sound, but the noise is greatly reduced when using an external card.

You can buy USB cables with ferrite cores that cost much less than those in the DJTT store.

3

Could be a ground loop issue as well? My friend bought a contraption at guitar center that fixed her issue, although she had a constant humming, not when she moved the mouse over icons, etc.

4

You need something called a Ground Loop Isolator. They’re dirt cheap, and will save your bacon immediately

5

I’m using a Scarlett 2i4 by Focusrite
And I’m going to guitar center today to look into the cables.

Alright. I’ll ask around in GuitarCenter to see if they know of the item you’re referring
to.

I’ll look into this as well!

Thanks everyone. I’ll post again soon to let you know the results!

6

Trust me, it’s the GLI you need. If you’re getting audio activity coming through when you move your mouse, I had the same issue up until a few weeks ago. You’ll be amazed at the instant gratification you get when you listen to your speakers after plugging it in.

Good luck.

7

A ground loop isolator did not help eliminate noise from mouse scrolling for me - it sounds like it could be related to your graphics card, but since the noises are more random than ground loop interference (50/60Hz) it’s not so easy to eliminate. An isolator will help more with constant background noise, but you seem to have eliminated that already.

Keeping your output as hot as possible and turning down the gain on your monitors may help mask the noises. Have you tested the sound card on different ports, and with a USB cable that has ferrite cores?

I am also using the 2i4 which does still make a little noise, but it’s far quieter than my onboard sound. I always keep the Monitor dial at 75% or greater to maximise the signal to noise ratio.