How to get rid of digital noise coming across on your audio on your synthesizer/DAW setup!
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- čas přidán 5. 01. 2021
- Are you fighting digital noise coming from your synthesizer when you have it connected to your audio interface and your computer via USB? Does the noise go away when you disconnect the USB connector from your synth? Here is the answer you have been looking for!
The iFi IDefender USB Ground Loop Isolator: amzn.to/3DldhuA
Music: Living Large, by Artificial Horizons, from the 2020 Album MMXX by Artificial Horizons, available on all digital and streaming outlets!
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Very interesting
Thank you so much. I've been trying to solve this problem with a MODX, and even sent it to a Yamaha authorized repair shop and they couldn't figure this out. They blame the surge protector. Very nice of you to post this video.
This is a very specific problem and you laid out a clear-cut solution in minutes. Thank you!
wow, this was insanely informative! literally the exact issue I was trying to fix. thanks
Hey Scott, great and timely video...I'm getting a lot of the same digital noise whenever I plug in my USB MIDI. I was tempted to use an inline audio cable version but you're right, significant drop in audio signal quality (worked like a HP filter of sorts).
Thank you so much for this info! I've been dealing with this for a long while and wondered how to fix it. Thanks again!
Thanks, I'm searching for weeks for this problem. I will try it!!!
Scott you are my guy! Literally the problem i was having, can't wait to get my iFi Defender USB's. Much appreciated.
I got one and it didn’t work.
Thank you so much for this video!
After some research, I went with the Hifimediy USB Isolators, since they can supply 200-600mA (depending on the version) without external power. I only bought 2, as when the TI ISOUSB211 is generally available, we should see the cost of USB Isolators (even for High Speed/480Mbps) slashed in half.
I have the same exact problem with my Fantom 08. Thank you so much.
the algorithm came through i was loooking for a solution to this yesterday to no avail. Thanks for the suggestion hope it works
You're a legend. Thank you so much
Great video, very informative :)
Thanks for this awesome explanation Scott. I have that noise however it comes from a mixer (a small Allen & Heath ZED-10x) I have connected to my Focusrite Octopre which connects to my interface (an SSL 12) via adat and not USB. The interface then connects to an OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock ultimately via USB-C.
All the other outboard synths that are connected to the octopre do not make noise, it's only the stereo channels from the submix. I tried taking the 1/4 inch outs into a DI into my audio interface and taking the XLR's directly to the interface as well.
I have reduced it somewhat by keeping the output level of the mixer pretty low and jacking the synth volumes and gain on the interface higher which sometimes distorts. It's manageable but I'd like to have this thing dead quiet like the rest of my rig if possible.
Sorry I know this is not USB related but if you have any quick thoughts on how to maybe resolve this would be appreciated. I do have the ability to bypass the Octopre and use the audio interface built into ZED 10 instead with the adapter that you're referring to. Would that work? Is that possible?
Man, this digital noise has been driving me mad! Thx Scott
So, I've tried the Ifi Defender+ with my Yamaha Reface DX and it made the noise SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE. Also tried it with my audio interface and it didn't help a thing. Then I went to a local shop yesterday and bought a powered external USB hub to which I connected my synth: this proved to be the solution, for me. The noise as good as vanished. Yes!
Great video thanks
Yep agree I just bought ifi idefender+ 3.0. I put mine into the rear USB port of my computer & into the focusrite scarlet, I had to add mains power to the idefender. Wow its totally Silent. Well recommended.
It's really a godsend, it completely eliminated horrible digital noise on my MODX.
Very helpful.
Great video, merci ! 🙂
de rien!
Thankyou for this. This is just a comment, not a solution - I need to try out the USB Ground Isolator yet, but your video described my issue with digital noise exactly.
I have a MODX and a Wavestate. If I plug them both in to my PC (for midi) and route the audio out to my Zoom L-12 (awesome mixer by the way), then I get digital noise on the MODX channels. If I use a Roland UM-One on the MODX and a USB Cable on the Wavestate, I get digital noise on the Wavestate channels of the Zoom Mixer.
I'm guessing that I could either try another UM-One, or get the isolator and try that.
On the PC side, I use Cantabile (also awesome) because I want to run various soft synths like Wavestate native or the Arturia V-collection
Thanks again
Nice. I ordered an iDefender too.
Question: would a dedicated USB midi interface (I.e. like Motu’s usb midi 5x5 or 8x8) eliminate this issue as well? Longer term I wanted to pick one of those up regardless.
Hi Scott, I have a lot of analog synths that are not connected through usb but only through audio cables to my interface and all of them have a noise floor(some more than the others) and combined is quite high. Is there any solution to remove that noise or at least lower it to be almost unnoticeable?
Process of elimination. Disconnect all add 1 by 1 keep Audio and mains runs separate as best as possible. As you build up each device notice the difference. Say you get 3 keyboards set try switching around the power plugs in different combinations and move PSU units away from each other, monitor the noise on head phones. This does help. Pc audio Def needs a filter though. It was easier in the old Atari midi days as it was just mains and jack and midi. Good luck.
THANK YOU!. I have tried multiple USB interfaces and always had some degree of the "electronic noise" on every one I tried. It was so annoying I went back to analog line-in for all my webcasts. It has been great for awhile, but depending where I go, the hum from the line-in is too much. I'll definitely pick up one and see how it goes. I'm so tired of asking how to get rid of this issue and being told I'm using the interfaces wrong.
There is another solution: Get an ADAT mic preamp. (cheap ones like the Behringer ADA8200 will do) Get a USB to ADAT Interface (I've got the RME Digiface USB) All noise is gone by now, because the hole audio world is not electrical connected to my digital domain. The Audio data comes in via Light pipe. Hope that helps
That worked for me too. This was one of the best invests. Thanks for your comment
Hey Scott. Nice video. Great synths. I was trying to record my synth yesterday (Roland JP08, going from the output jack, through a couple pedals, to an amp, then from the output of the amp to my audio interface. I don’t have any USB from the synth to the computer, but I’m getting that exact static noise you described. I might just take the amp out of the equation to see if that helps, but maybe that DI you mentioned would help as well?
You've got lots of things in your audio chain that could potentially introduce a ground loop - you're going to end up having to pull one out at a time to see which one is causing it - and keep in mind it might be more than one!
Okay, I’m going to trouble shoot after work. It’s just weird that it sounds perfect from the amp, but then I go amp to interface to comp, and I get that exact sound you show in the video. I’ll let you know how it goes!
So I found a solution. My friend told me about “gain staging”. Basically ran the synth at full volume and lowered the gain on my audio interface. I also took out the amp. Nearly perfectly clear!
@@theoliviaarchives4794 That's not what gain staging is, but what you're doing is reducing the S/N (signal to noise) ratio. So if you have say -20dB of noise floor, and your synth is putting out a signal at -12dB, the amount of noise compared to the amount of signal is significant. But if you jack up the synth so it's peaking at 0db, then pull down the gain on the input to bring it back down to -12dB, then you are also pulling down the noise. You don't eliminate the noise, but you're reducing it compared to the signal level. You just have to be careful that you don't have the synth up so high that you saturate your inputs and cause distortion.
In the old days of tape, we did the exact same thing - pushed as much signal onto the tape (without saturating/distorting) as possible, to try to make the tape hiss noise floor inaudible.
Oh okay, that makes sense. I might have got the terminology wrong. Basically pushing the signal the highest when it’s the purest, and like you said, as long as it doesn’t distort.
ok, so I have a keyboard that I plug into my interface with a 1/4 jack trs cable, would plugging that into the back of my synth help? or does this IDefender need to be in the circuit to eliminate the noise?
Can the same logic of your solution be used in my situation where I have a mixer to an interface which then runs to my laptop. If so how?
💯💯💯💯💯💯
To where should i conncet the ifi usb, its only connect to the audio interface.
my arturia dx7 plugin seems to make high frequency noise but undetectable by ear and doesn't stop even after stopping the melody, i can see it alive in my DAW EQ interface ... i know its the plugin but i don't know how to fix that
Hi Scott! Really good information. ¿Do you think this would work if I have a bunch of synths connected to a USB Hub and this Hub connected to the computer trough the IFi Defender?
As long as there is no ground/interplay between the synths and the USB hub, or between the individual synths (which will all be grounded together at the hub). The only way to know is to experiment - some synths are much worse than others in this regard.
@@ScottsSynthStuff thanks for answer!
I have the ol' every time I move my mouse while using high-gain guitar (that is properly gated) I get obnoxious noise kicking open the gate ect... So I believe I also need this device in-between my DAW (UR22) and computer. The question I have is: do I need the power supply version since the UR22 is powered by the USB? I doubt it but just figured I would ask.
The answer is...probably. Try it, if it doesn't work, then plug in a power supply.
Hi Scott. Thanks for the video. I have a question. I have multiple synths connected to by a powered usb hub and the hub is connected to my MacBook. Should I have one ifi defender connected to each synth’s usb input to the hub? Or should I have one connected between the hub output and the MacBook?
I do also have an ssd storage drive connected to the same hub
It...depends. I would certainly try this first, to see if it takes care of the issue. Keep in mind however that you are tying the grounds of all the USB connections together, and you then have the potential to create ground loops between those common USB grounds and the common audio grounds. In my case, I still had noise this way, so I ended up putting these iFi iDefenders on each USB cable even though they were all going to a USB hub.
@@ScottsSynthStuff thanks for the response man. Would you say that the quality of the USB cable (between a generic and high end expensive) would make a difference in eliminating the noise completely?
@@khalid6949 It shouldn't - it's not a question about shielding, it's about a physical connection with a ground differential between the digital and audio grounds. If all synth designers would use an isolated ground (or better: balanced connections) for audio, then this wouldn't be an issue. USB is a digital format, it either works 100% or it doesn't work at all. The quality of the cable isn't going to affect the "quality" of the sound.
Does using this device between audio interface and PC reduce functionality at all? For instance, between a Focusrite scarlett and a laptop, will there be loss of function or increased latency?
Absolutely not. It is a purely electrical connection, there is no decoding/re-encoding going on, so no latency added at all.
Thank you! I solved this problem accidentally, by getting MOTU audio interface and all of my noise problems went away.
Hi first time viewer, just subscribed!
I have a Juno DI that I’m also using as a midi… my synth is making a lot of noise… but only when I’m using the audio from it..
I also should mention I’m using regular fender cables.. on both the L MONO and R outputs to my interface…
Would I need to get two? One for my midi usb cable and then one being used on my interface > to computer. ???? Please help
Typically it's for where you have something connected in two different ways: audio and USB. So look at your Juno. If you disconnect the MIDI USB cable and the noise disappears off the audio, then that's your answer. If that's the case, then put one of those iFiDefender isolators on that cable (link is in the description).
Very good video. This is an issue for me on one synth, however my issue now isn't with USB, but with the power supply. The synth is off but plugged into power and the computer is on plugged into power and the noise is there, very quiet but there, unplug the power, noise disappears . no USB cables involved (except between the computer and audio interface). Any idea what might be the solution, does this call for a DI box? In the UK so the power supplies have ground pins if that makes a difference! Thanks!
That does sound like a ground loop - I suspect a DI box or audio ground loop isolator would solve this for you. Also make sure the synth and computer are plugged into power in the exact same spot!
@@ScottsSynthStuff It's very strange I've figured out the issue. It is the USB cables... but not the one on my polybrute, the one that has the noise! I have a grandmother and a minilogue that were plugged into a usb box and then into the computer. unplug one usb and the noise got better, both and the noise is gone. But it is still to do with the power becasue the polybrute is plugged into power and the audio interface but not usb and the problem is there and disapears when not plugged into the walll. Anyway long story it is a usb isse (sound changes with mouse movements. So just a usb will resolve it!
Where in the chain would you put this thing? I have an analog synth hooked up via Din midi and stereo 1/4 audio which both go to my SSL interface which is connected to my computer.
This is to prevent ground loops caused by using USB MIDI. DIN MIDI already has optoisolators built in to prevent this, so if you are still having noise, this product is not going to help.
I have recognized a significant sound that may be digital noise and drives me bonkers. I tried to use EQ to reduce it and it helped some, but I still hear it when I play it in my aux system in the vehicle. The aux system picks up what could be distortion easily, but even with all of the reducing that I do, the static sound is still there and stalls the ability to have a clean production. So my set up is 2, 3 MKII JBL Monitors that plug into the Focusrite Scarlett Solo which plugs into the USB jack attached to my Mac Pro. Separately, my Akai Midi is also plugged into the USB jack that goes in the Mac. I don't know where to begin with this complication.
Start unplugging things one at a time to see which one causes the noise to disappear. If I were to make an educated guess, it would be the USB cable from your Akai to your Mac. If that's the case, then put one of those iFiDefender isolators on that cable (link is in the description).
@@ScottsSynthStuff Thank you! I'll see and give you an update.
Can you use the IFI on a usb hub? I have a laptop and have multiple synths connected via the hub. So it would be hub->IFI->laptop. Thanks in advance. And the hub it’s AC powered.
It should work just fine, just make sure you don't introduce another ground loop from the power going into the hub.
Hi all,
Issues: Loud random static noise pop up on one HS8 left speaker and it won’t output guitar sound. Unless I change guitar preset on my Hotone Amero stage 2 and it works again. Sometimes it produces loud pink noise (on both speakers) and it won’t go away till I switch the power off on guitar processor and speakers. It’s happening every time I play almost every day.
Connections: Guitar -to Hotone ampere stage 2 - Xlr out from Hotone to XLR in Yamaha HS8 Studio monitors. Usb c to usb a to laptop.
All the power is from one power Board. Please advise if you any idea how to get rid of these- thanks in advance.
Does this apply when I have a device (Roland AIRA J-6) connected to the USB port on a notebook PC? No other equipment is involved. I even disconnected the charger, so it was only powered by the batteries in the computer and the J-6.
If you're using USB audio (where the audio is sent digitally over the USB port) and not using the analog mix out, then you don't have to worry about this. If you are sending analog audio out from the J-6 to a separate audio interface which is also connected to your computer via USB along with the J-6, then you could very well have this noise issue.
I have that same noise issue but instead of it being a synthesizer problem it's a interface-PC problem. I tried using a DIY cable, a generic USB isolator and even the iDefender+, with power supply as suggested, but still doesn't work - the noise persists. Would you happen to have any idea what the problem could be here? 😕
You've confirmed that it is the interface? If you unplug the interface USB cable from the PC, does the noise go away?
Same issue
Will this work to cancel noise from my audio interface connected to my computer? I’m only getting noise interference with my analog synths, not my digital ones. I’m sure the interference is coming from my pc because I tested my interface with another laptop and there was no noise.
I suspect it might in fact help you out - if the problem is between the ground on your PC and the ground of your analog synths, then having this in the USB line of your audio interface (to break that ground loop) could definitely fix it.
Yooo i got the same problem!!!! I can’t record anything, guitar, synths, vocals bc …. Did you ever find a solution ????????
@apollo jetson I solved the problem by getting a MacBook Pro. I don’t use PC for music production anymore because of this issue
What about for thunderbolt audio interfaces like the universal audio Apollo?
I can't speak to them, as I don't use Thunderbolt. It would depend on how they are implemented, and whether they depend on a common ground reference for the differential signals (assuming it uses differential signals at all).
@@ScottsSynthStuff Thanks Scott
how much did those idenders cost you?
Hey!! I watched your video on how to refill a sodastream co2 bottle for less than $1!! I called my local praxair and they told me a 20 lb co2 tank with the eductor tube costs $200!! Why does yours only cost $24?? please answer
It's based on the CO2 cost. The tank you buy once, after that you just exchange the tank, just like you do for a BBQ propane tank. You can buy a tank for much less than $200 if you look around.
Did it work for you
Yes!
It's not available on Amazon anymore.
I noticed they have become less available in the last few months - chip shortage perhaps?
Some sellers on Amazon still have them: amzn.to/3UamK0n
Discovered that most commercial cables do not come grounded so we snipped and re sautered these overpriced cables
£60...robbing douchebaggery! I do however appreciate the video as it has provided an answer to my problem. I'll certainly look for a more competitive product, though! Thank you!
I'm so frustrated, I thought my problem was "unbalanced" cables, so I bought some balanced ones, made zero difference, .. then I bought this iDefender product, and it's also made zero difference, I still got the same high pitched noise in all my recordings 😭😭😭
Did u ever find a solution????????
@@ApolloJetsonKND yes I did, the 3.5mm to 1/4 jack adapter I was using that plugs straight into my Scarlett focusrite was faulty, they're like $1.50 and I got a new one and it worked! Such a simple cheap thing was causing all my problems
@@kevlord9 do u still need this iDefender product? Or it works even without it and was solely an adaptor problem?
@@Rochester92G I still use the idefender product because it cuts the background noise to zero. If I don't use it then there's a little bit of "hissing" noise, but depending on how professional you need to be you could get away with it to be honest
Got one of those and it didn’t do a thing.
is this the only way to solve it?
Its pretty expensive :(
You're going to pay at least that for a decent DI box that will color the sound, so...
@@ScottsSynthStuff Ok thank you very much ,man.
If im using the Roland SH 01A, Do you think it will work properly?
I used that, it did nothing