Guitar amp noise

- make sure the guitar is well shielded
- use good, shielded cables
- make sure your amp's tubes are not noisy (or replace them)
- make sure there aren't fluorescent lights in the room causing hum
- try turning your PC monitor off while tracking (they make some amps hum)
- move the player around the room to find the spot where there's the least hum
- crank the amp so that the signal to noise ratio improves
- place a noise gate (like the Boss NS-1 (or NS-2) in the amp's FX loop

Or (sorry to say) you may need to buy a better amp. Some amps are just plain noisy irrespective of what you do.

Check for ground loops too. Try plugging the amp into a different outlet with nothing else. Ground loops will sound like a constant frequency high hum. Radio frequency interference (lights etc.) will sound like a hum. Hiss can be from a microphonic tube or just the ground layout in the amp. Some amps just hiss due to the circuit.

If you are not familiar with electronics, DO NOT open up the amp and poke around. You can kill yourself pretty easily poking around in there.

Scott

[double post]

Hi Rob

Might be a bit of a long shot but if the noise is always at the same frequency, use a frequency analyser to see if the noise is at a single frequency or at least a narrow band, you could then try to use equalization to remove that frequency from your guitar track.

VOXENGO SPAN is a pretty good VST spectrum analyzer if you haven't already got one.

I use a lot of distorted guitars and most of the time, any noise is either lost or even enhances the sound sometimes. This obviously isn't the case with what you're trying to record - maybe you could fiddle around with volume envelopes around your guitar parts so any unwanted noise doesn't get mixed down.

Good luck

Steve

remove the transformer and/or tubes (splice all the leads) and put them in a lead box.

+1 to that suggestion, if you have the time etc.

also interesting maybe:

http://ayanmusic.com/leaddress.htm

They're likely tracking with the amp seperated from the control room space as well as the guitar seperated from the amps and control room. The one downside of home studio work to me is that's it's usually a one man show and you have to be pretty close to the computer and other noise generating stuff. If you're using Plug in's or any modeling amp then it's almost a must to insert a noise gate ahead of the amp sim in the chain and sometimes another one after. Real tube amps are much better at dealing with dynamics and are usually a lot quieter.

I have worked on and built a few power amps...they are nothing to play with.

Yeah, beside having the time, skill would be nice. If you have no experience, better start your modding career with some lighter task.

ORIGINAL: SteveStrummerUK


Hi Rob

Might be a bit of a long shot but if the noise is always at the same frequency, use a frequency analyser to see if the noise is at a single frequency or at least a narrow band, you could then try to use equalization to remove that frequency from your guitar track.

VOXENGO SPAN is a pretty good VST spectrum analyzer if you haven't already got one.

I use a lot of distorted guitars and most of the time, any noise is either lost or even enhances the sound sometimes. This obviously isn't the case with what you're trying to record - maybe you could fiddle around with volume envelopes around your guitar parts so any unwanted noise doesn't get mixed down.

Good luck

Steve

Thanks for that link Steve. That will be most useful!

Cheers
Shad

If you would like to learn more about the insides of your amps, check out the Hoffman Amp forum. Hoffman Amp Forum the folks there know a whole lot about building amps and the safety precautions needed.

There is a whole lot of circuit design that goes into making an amp quiet from a noise standpoint. First and foremost is how the circuit is laid out, avoiding parallel wires, using quality resistors and capacitors, good tubes or solid state amps, proper grounding inside the amp. I spent weeks getting my bassman circuit layout right to get it to be very low noise. Even then, some 12AX7 tubes would be noisey.

But even with all that, higher gain circuits can have noise. This is because of the gain stages multiplying noise. A Fender Bassman really only has two preamp gain stages followed by the power amp. Leo Fender used filters (resistors and capacitors) to remove low and high noise to keep it clean. Each gain stage can amplify your signal by up to 100 times.

High gain amps, some Marshalls and Mesas for example, can have up to 4 gain stages to get that wonderful crunch. This presents a challenge to keep the noise down because any minor noise from your guitar signal can be amplified up to 100x100x100x100 times. It's not really that much, but you get the idea.

I can almost certainly guarantee that Mark Knopfler used some kind of noise reduction to eliminate the hiss. Noise gates can do it, but you can also just "cut" out the noise with Sonar as Guitarhacker suggested above. It is really easy. I just split the clip and delete the noise on section that I am not playing or singing.

The other option is guitar pedals. There are some excellent ones out there that can get the crunch you are after with lower noise.

Scott

Maybe create an amp that uses a balanced signal at every single stage?

Not sure which Mark Knopfler tune you have in mind, but I would say definitely try the neck pickup with tone knob all the way off (or nearly so). Crank master volume (if equipped), adjust preamp gain for desired saturation, and adjust amp tone controls to taste. The tone roll-off eliminates much of the noise inherent in hi-gain applications, and the tubes will generate harmonics to replace your lost top end. Sounds amazing - might be what you're looking for.