Laptop Noise

[ÆIUM]

I need to vent a little.

My Prodipe Pro Ribbon 8's (monitor speakers) came in the mail a couple days ago. Trouble is, they maybe have been too revealing. Apparently there is a buzz in my laptops audio out. I can hear it when I move the mouse around and open windows and stuff. It never really bothered me before, but it seems like a shame to finally have real monitors and then get all this ungrounded buzzing coming out of them.

I can't be the only one on here that needs to get clean audio from a laptop to a pair of monitors. How do you do it?

I have been reading up on studio setup, and it seems like my problem would be solved by some kind of firewire pre-amp interface, but everything I come across seems to focus on the recording side of things. I am not about to go and buy a professional recording preamp. I'm not sure which would be more insane, trying to turn my room into a recording studio, or wasting hundreds of dollars on recording functionality I know I will not use.

All I want is a little thingy to take a digital signal out of my computer (firewire, usb, ethernet, whatever I don't care) and turn it into a clean analog signal for my speakers with some grounded outputs. As far as I can tell, this does not exist.

Honestly, I am starting to rue the day I decided to start learning about all this audio tech stuff. The information availabe on the internet just seems like a bottomless pit of gear mastrubation, and I am sort of losing it trying to make sense of it all. I just want to get a clean signal going to a clear pair monitors, and then put all this gear stuff out of my head and hopefully never read anything on soundonsound again.

/rant

[FSTZ]

happens to a lot of people



^^^that works for me

[ÆIUM]

happens to a lot of people



^^^that works for me

that might do the trick. I'll try one out.

[FSTZ]

I fully endorse this piece of gear...

I have had mine for over 6 years and it killed that ground loop that was driving me nuts

everytime I moved my mouse it made a noise!

terrible shit, but it's fixed now

[Mold Inpsektor]

Nooo, dont do that honestly, try this. I got an extension cord for a two way prong. cut off the tip top of it so I could fit my computers 3 prong in it with the third prong sticking out and then plug the extension cord in the wall. Works like a charm, and is wayyyyy cheaper. Try it out, guarantee you it works.

[ÆIUM]

I need to run off to class but I think I will try both methods. Will post results.

[deadly_habit]

Nooo, dont do that honestly, try this. I got an extension cord for a two way prong. cut off the tip top of it so I could fit my computers 3 prong in it with the third prong sticking out and then plug the extension cord in the wall. Works like a charm, and is wayyyyy cheaper. Try it out, guarantee you it works.

that works but it also kills your ground connection, so any power spikes or surges and you'll have a very expensive paperweight

[ÆIUM]

Ok, so I stopped by Guitar Center and I grabbed one of these



http://www.zzounds.com/item--EBTHUMX. I asked for a Hum Eliminator, and this was the closest thing they had.

It says I should get one for every piece of audio equipment, but I just plugged the power strip for my whole setup into it and it seems to be ok.

First off, I am relived that these hum eliminator things work by getting the grounding issues worked out, and not by filtering the sound, so thank you FSTZ for turning me on to them.

Whats weird is that the ground loop seems to be gone now both with and without the Hum X. There is still some barely audible white noise (I would like to get rid of this too but I am getting the impression it might be unavoidable) I right now I cannot get it to reproduce the processor/computer noises I was hearing before. Even without the Hum X in place which seems kind of odd to me.

If I understand the packaging correctly, it is telling me the interference is caused when the ground line voltage is too low, so high voltages need to find their way out in other directions (my audio). Maybe now that the high voltage noise found it's way properly to the ground once, it charged/polarized enough stuff along the way the rest of it knows where to go, like a siphon or something. If thats even how it works. Not sure.

In any case, now that it's gone I kind of wish I had sampled it.

And I think I am going to keep the ground plugged in.

[deadly_habit]

are you using balanced or unbalanced cables?
hum eliminator is def the solution, i'd also recommend as an alt later on a power conditioner or one of those overpriced monster or furman power strips

[ÆIUM]

Unbalanced cables. I would love to hook up some XLR cables to my laptop somehow, but the best I can do right now is an 1/8th inch stero to dual RCA cable.

[deadly_habit]

Unbalanced cables. I would love to hook up some XLR cables to my laptop somehow, but the best I can do right now is an 1/8th inch stero to dual RCA cable.

gotcha
so default soundcard i take it?
heh also mac or pc and what os. specs would help too

[ÆIUM]

Yeah, it's the built in sound card.

I am currently hoping to make the switch from FL studio to Logic. Right now I am getting everything settled with a new macbook.

I am trying to get all the technicals worked out within the return period, so I can go back to my old setup if all else fails.

oh right specs

its the 13 inch model I think, with a ram upgrade.

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html

[deadly_habit]

Yeah, it's the built in sound card.

I am currently hoping to make the switch from FL studio to Logic. Right now I am getting everything settled with a new macbook.

I am trying to get all the technicals worked out within the return period, so I can go back to my old setup if all else fails.

oh right specs

its the 13 inch model I think, with a ram upgrade.

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html

ah well trying to help ya out in next purchase for an audio interface.
depending on budget i have some recommendations

[ÆIUM]

ah well trying to help ya out in next purchase for an audio interface.
depending on budget i have some recommendations

An audio interface would be great, but if i am going to get one at this point it would have to be as inexpensive as possible.

Would you mind if I ask you in a few weeks once things have settled down?

[deadly_habit]

ah well trying to help ya out in next purchase for an audio interface.
depending on budget i have some recommendations

An audio interface would be great, but if i am going to get one at this point it would have to be as inexpensive as possible.

Would you mind if I ask you in a few weeks once things have settled down?

yea hit me on aim or at store and i'l guide you