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02-29-2008, 02:01 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Lakland Basses | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Charleston, South Carolina | | | Annoying buzz with my XO Qtron+
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I literally JUST got this pedal 30 minutes ago and whenever it is hooked up into my chain and sitting idle (and while playing but hard to hear it then obviously...) I get this annoying buzzing sound coming through my amp. Anyone experience this? Did I get a lemon? 
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Funky since '81.
Give yourself an inch, it'll take you a mile.
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02-29-2008, 02:10 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Oakland, California, USA | | | Buzzing could be a number of things.
Some pedals tend to amplify the hum of your pickups. Some can sometimes pick up EMF interference depending on where you are. It could even be a cable issue - something not hooked up properly, a bad cable, etc.
Let's try to eliminate the variables. Does the buzz go away when you touch the strings or bridge of your bass? Does the buzz go away when you stomp on the footswitch to bypass it? Does the Q-Tron work fine, buzzing aside?
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Bassist for Vernian Process
Founder of the Lefty Union
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02-29-2008, 02:26 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Lakland Basses | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Charleston, South Carolina | | Ok, so far, the only thing that stops the buzzing is when I simply TOUCH the bypass switch. I don't have to depress it, but if I simply touch it w/ my hand or foot, the buzz goes away... 
Other than that it's always buzzing, even when bypassed.
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Funky since '81.
Give yourself an inch, it'll take you a mile.
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02-29-2008, 03:22 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Lakland Basses | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Charleston, South Carolina | | | Also, now that I've tried it with my amp at gig-level volumes... it has a very loud pop come through when I engage/disengage the pedal.
Is something not grounded/shielded right?
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Funky since '81.
Give yourself an inch, it'll take you a mile.
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02-29-2008, 03:39 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Oakland, California, USA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by 3toes  Also, now that I've tried it with my amp at gig-level volumes... it has a very loud pop come through when I engage/disengage the pedal. | Pops are common with ALL true-bypass pedals, unfortunately. It's the one flaw of an otherwise great bypass system. Quote:
Originally Posted by 3toes Is something not grounded/shielded right? | Regarding the buzz: that could be the case, but based on what you said about how your Q-Tron+ itself stops the buzz when touched, I'm really not sure what it could be anymore...
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Bassist for Vernian Process
Founder of the Lefty Union
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02-29-2008, 03:46 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Lakland Basses | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Charleston, South Carolina | | Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticBoo Regarding the buzz: that could be the case, but based on what you said about how your Q-Tron+ itself stops the buzz when touched, I'm really not sure what it could be anymore... | Hm, well thanks for the help. I think I'm gonna get in touch w/ EHX, if all else fails I have 45 days to return it to MF.
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Funky since '81.
Give yourself an inch, it'll take you a mile.
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02-29-2008, 04:43 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Dallas, TX | | | This won't be much help, but the only times I've ever been let down by an ElectroHarmonix pedal is when I purchased it from MF. Don't know what that means exactly, but twice I got an Electric Mistress Lemon.
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02-29-2008, 05:27 PM
|  | TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
Endorsing Artist: Lyt Pedalboards Beta tester: Source Audio Moderator | | Join Date: May 2002 Location: Connecticut | | I got a lemon Nano Small Stone in from MF yesterday- small world  I also got a Q-tron+ XO as well- mine works fine, but I'm returning it as it takes a bit more knob twiddling to get a good tone than my monkey brain can handle. |
02-29-2008, 05:37 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Lakland Basses | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Charleston, South Carolina | | Ok now it seems to be doing it through all of my pedals individually too... I think there might be some kind of weird interference in my room 
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Funky since '81.
Give yourself an inch, it'll take you a mile.
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02-29-2008, 09:48 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Inland Empire | | | It's the Mystic Boo haunting your board. |
02-29-2008, 11:08 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Lakland Basses | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Charleston, South Carolina | | | Ok now it stopped altogether. I think there's just some weird interference in my room. Probably because I have like two A/C units right behind my wall outside.
Oh and EHX is freakin lying when they say there isn't a volume spike w/ this new model. I have to watch my dynamics like crazy or I clip the crap out of my amp.
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Funky since '81.
Give yourself an inch, it'll take you a mile.
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03-01-2008, 12:24 AM
| | TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
Endorsing Artist: Lyt Pedalboards Beta tester: Source Audio Moderator | | Join Date: May 2002 Location: Connecticut | | | I also noticed an overall volume boost and some volume spike on most of the "good" settings I found, although volume spikes/dips are pretty common with most envelopes. I'm going to try either a Maxon AF-9 next or try to find an older DOD FX-25, and both of them have been known to have spikes or dips in volume. |
03-01-2008, 02:58 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Oakland, California, USA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by syciprider It's the Mystic Boo haunting your board. |
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Bassist for Vernian Process
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03-01-2008, 10:00 AM
| | | | My Mini Q Tron sounds so freakin good but the volume spike is an issue. I have a Punch Factory compressor set up after the filter to tame the volume. This results in a lot of pedalboard space for some simple filter funkyness!
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03-01-2008, 10:34 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Inland Empire | | Quote:
Originally Posted by 3toes Ok now it stopped altogether. I think there's just some weird interference in my room. Probably because I have like two A/C units right behind my wall outside.
Oh and EHX is freakin lying when they say there isn't a volume spike w/ this new model. I have to watch my dynamics like crazy or I clip the crap out of my amp. | Did you try to use the boost function? When it is on you can control the volume spikes. Also many of the tweakable env filters have settings that can be downright dangerous for your amp. My Maxon, BSW, Qtron + and BMS can all generate those huge Godzilla playing dub sounds that rattle the cab. |
03-01-2008, 11:06 AM
| | TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
Endorsing Artist: Lyt Pedalboards Beta tester: Source Audio Moderator | | Join Date: May 2002 Location: Connecticut | | | Hey sycip, how's the Maxon compare to the Q-tron+? As far as ease of use, etc. I imagine they're both along the same lines of wetness/squelchiness based on the reviews. |
03-01-2008, 11:09 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Inland Empire | | | It is easier to dial in the Maxon but it isn't as adjustable as the Qtron+. For strictly bass use, I'd go Maxon. If I were gunna filter keys, drums and everything else, I'd go Q Tron+ |
03-01-2008, 11:12 AM
| | TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
Endorsing Artist: Lyt Pedalboards Beta tester: Source Audio Moderator | | Join Date: May 2002 Location: Connecticut | | Thanks. I'm just using it for bass. The extra adjustability of the Q-tron ended up being just extra work- too bad too- I really wanted to like that one |
03-03-2008, 01:30 AM
| | TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
Endorsing Artist: Lyt Pedalboards Beta tester: Source Audio Moderator | | Join Date: May 2002 Location: Connecticut | | I think I may be going crazy. Since I never made it to UPS on Friday to drop the Q-tron+ off for return, I decided to open the box back up this afternoon and give it one more try. This time I was getting great sound easily, as opposed to the hours of fiddling around the other night. I tried turning the Boost on and using that gain to cut the volume like syciprider suggested (and I hadn't thought of), and that also worked like a charm. Now I'm keeping the pedal 
I'm just curious if my head was up my arse on Thursday or if it is today. Thursday I tried it out after returning from being a pallbearer at my uncle's funeral and generally being exhausted and sad, but today I'm having some sort of allergy cold, so that doesn't bode well either
Oh, and the Nano SS is still a dud. At least I didn't mistake a properly working unit for a bad one.
Last edited by Bryan R. Tyler : 03-03-2008 at 01:44 AM.
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03-03-2008, 08:09 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Inland Empire | | I think they shoulda labeled that knob "Level" or something. Switching it to "On" doesn't boost anything does it? | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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