Ground loop noise

[TomSawyer2112]

The more I played RS14, the more I got annoyed by bad tones.

Not tones from charters, but the tones RS14 generates on my hifi.

Even official customs sound poor. :huh:

Santana doesn't sound like that, neither does Eric Johnson.

 

Amp plugins like Amplitube, Guitar Rig, Waves GTR sound so much better on this same hifi.

 

I envied my friends here who could play RS14 with a Y-split cable connected to the guitar,

to split one cable to RS14 and the other to an effect pedal and their Amp.

 

I read about some noise in threads by @doctorz and by @Hostilian how to get rid of it, by buying more electronic stuff, costing about 40€ for 1/4" input/outputs.

It didn't convince me because I had real noise in the Amp and in RS14 when connecting a Y-cable...

RS even recorded noise (speakers show waves) without connecting pedals, with the Amp shut off but plugged in.

I start this thread because I couldn't find the tag "ground loop noise"

 

Thanks to youtube, someone explained that electronic stuff  "fights" for the ground.

The one losing this fight gets current in his ground line, which causes the noise, and is not secure.

To remove this noise, one item has to be connected without ground.

I happen to have an elder plug without ground, and connected the Amp.

 

And the noise was gone.. completely ... silence, a new world opens, what a difference to play through pedals/ amp.  :lol:

 

Now, I don't know the risks, specialists warn (should anybody play RS taking a bath, or outside, or during a storm?), 

but if you feel uncertain, don't do it. However many electric items have non grounded plugs (three connectors) desk-lamps, videorecorders, PS2, Hifi Amps, even my TV ... And I guess it's more secure not to have ground then to have an electric current on the ground line, at least for the equipment.  :huh:

 

 

Looking for another solution, I found out that some power box (maybe weakly grounded) reduce the noise of the Amp.

Using a laptop with battery also silenced the ground noise, strangely only with the y-cable between the Pedal and the Amp.

 

But the final (free) solution came when I didn't listen to the specialists (again) 

who say all connected pieces must go into the same power box.

 

In fact I connected the PC to an opposite wall plug and no ground noise anymore, and no risk  :)

 

And if that doesn't help, consider the Behringer HD400 Microhd 2 Channel Hum Destroyer

(about 40€ or 25$ / strange currency difference  :huh:)

Edited July 26, 2015 by TomSawyer2112