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incurable crackling

ejackson92

ejackson92

Guest
Jun 21, 2011
42
0
Norfolk, VA
www.paperaliens.bandcamp.com
#1
For some reason, I am having a large amount of static/crackling coming through my setup. The same problem exists whether I play through my acoustic b100 combo or recently acquired gk 1001rb/neo212 series 1.

For a while I had thought it was just the questionable quality of the combo but I am still experiencing the same problem with my brand new GK rig..so that eliminates either amp as the issue.

Also, I've got a few different instrument cables that all yield the same result when I use them. And lastly I took my bass into a local shop to see if that was the issue (sadly I only own one atm), and was told everything was fine with it..may go to another place for a second opinion though.

This crackling is driving me crazy, and I can't seem to find the source of it. While I play it is inaudible, I would just like silence during pauses in songs. Is it possible that some outside interference is causing this? Like bad wiring, etc.. Would a noise gate/suppressor solve the issue?

Btw, I don't run any effects atm. Thinking of picking up a distortion pedal but can only imagine how this would serve to amplify my current issue..
 
#3
When did this start happening?

Have you tried running a long extension cord to a different outlet in another room (the further away the better so you have a better chance of being on a different breaker)?

Could be a flaky outlet, wire to the outlet coming loose, loose wire on a breaker inside the main panel, flaky breaker, loose panel wiring, flaky ground pipe or connection to it, bad fluorescent ballast about to burn out, crappy $1.99 spiral fluorescent bulb, non-dimmable fluorescent bulb running on a dimmable circuit, and I've even seen heat tape cause what you're seeing. (If you do have heat tape anywhere, unplug it and see if the problem goes away. If you live in Florida, never mind that, LOL.) Also check to see if you have aluminum wiring anywhere in the house. That stuff needs to be socked down annually to maintain connection integrity.

Also do any of the lights flicker in lockstep with the crackling?

You could also check your outlets with a voltmeter. About a month ago I was seeing some really weird stuff on a Windows server at a client site -- lots of weird, unrelated alerts in the Event Viewer for no apparent reason. Finally checked the AC supply. It was 106. Yikes.

Well, hope this helps.
 
#4
+1 to possible shoddy wiring/interference.

If your bass is active, try changing the battery. Keep trying different combinations on different circuits to try to isolate the issue. A little multimeter and a little $6 outlet tester would be enough to track down any house wiring problems.
 
#5
Thanks for all the input!

I changed the battery, but to ill effect.
Soon I will get around to tracking down the multimeter I have stashed away somewhere and checking the outlets in my room for any issues. Strangely, when I went to a buddy's house recently with my rig, the issue was still present. At this point I'm thinking it may very well be my bass, as it is a '92 Ibanez Sr890 with active pickups. The experimentation will continue..
 
#6
What kind of crackling? Does it sound crisp like bacon frying, more dull like popcorn popping?

There is of course any number of things it could be. If you take your rig to a different location and it doesn't happen, that would be a clue. My first thought however is that somewhere in the signal path there is a dirty pot. Sometimes just exercising a pot will be enough but usually that's a temporary fix. Spraying the pot with a contact cleaner and then exercising it usually yields better results.

Other possibilities... the output jack on your guitar or input jack on your amp could have dirty contacts... there could be a cold solder joint in your amp (is the crackling always present or does it only start after a certain period of time?)...

Cheers, Joe
 
#7
It is more than likely the bass. I had an extremely similair situation. Mine was with my current bass, a '92 Ibanez SR900 so I know what that's like. ;)
My problem ended up being the stock AFR P and J set. I switched them out for a Dimarzio set, and I haven't had a problem since.
 
#9
shewhorn said:
What kind of crackling? Does it sound crisp like bacon frying, more dull like popcorn popping?

There is of course any number of things it could be. If you take your rig to a different location and it doesn't happen, that would be a clue. My first thought however is that somewhere in the signal path there is a dirty pot. Sometimes just exercising a pot will be enough but usually that's a temporary fix. Spraying the pot with a contact cleaner and then exercising it usually yields better results.

Other possibilities... the output jack on your guitar or input jack on your amp could have dirty contacts... there could be a cold solder joint in your amp (is the crackling always present or does it only start after a certain period of time?)...

Cheers, Joe
Click to expand...

It's most similar to muffled popcorn. Ive recently noticed that it progressively gets worse(louder) the longer I have the amp powered on. It cuts out if I turn the volume on my bass down also..even more puzzled now. What kind of contact cleaner should I use?
 
#10
ejackson92 said:
It's most similar to muffled popcorn. Ive recently noticed that it progressively gets worse(louder) the longer I have the amp powered on. It cuts out if I turn the volume on my bass down also..even more puzzled now. What kind of contact cleaner should I use?
Click to expand...

It's in the bass. Look for frayed wire ends, even just a single strand frayed off can cause this. Bad pots or internal pre. If all that checks out, it could be the connections on the pickups, or the wire leading to them you can't see.

De-Oxit brand or similair potentiometer cleaner is the stuff. Some stuff simply labeled "contact cleaner" might damage pots.
 
#11
Looking back over your posts, the bass is the only constant. You've had different amps, cords, batteries and hooked it up in a different house. The only other thing it might be is a busy cellphone in your pocket, running apps, getting texts/calls, etc. That can interfere with stuff if it's close to the bass or amp.
 
#12
I have the same problem...doesn't matter which or my five amps, 9 basses or multiple cables..... it is either in the wiring or some other outside issue. Has only started happening in the past few weeks. Polterghoost!
 
#13
This is just one more suggestion to add to the pot...

Hard drives are a huge source of interference. If you're practicing on your couch and the laptop is on the coffee table in front of you, try putting your laptop to sleep. Probably not as big of a deal if your bass has passive pickups but if you have more sensitive active pickups (especially if they're very responsive in the high end) they'll quite easily pick up the EMI (electro-magnetic interference) coming from a hard drive. This could potentially be mistaken for a dirty pot crackling (although to my ears the noise is too non-random).

BTW... while the amount of magnetic flux generated by a pickup is probably not enough to scramble your bits... I'd advise against testing this theory by holding your bass' pickups right next to your laptop's hard drive "just to see". Murphy is a total jerk, ya know!

Cheers, Joe
 

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