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Snap, Crackle, Pop in my PA

themacinator

themacinator

Always looking for the perfect gig
Oct 8, 2009
1,511
138
8,385 feet in the Colorado Rockies
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Babicz FCH Hardware
#1
I need help, I'll do my best to explain in brief. I have a snap, crackle, pop that sounds like a fire burning in my PA. Weird thing is it seems to be following our lead guitarist regardless of what channel I put him in.

Now we have removed his guitar and pedal board, still happening. The sound is not coming from his amp. He mic's his amp. Changed to one of my mic's, still there.

Changed XLR's twice...still there.

Bypassed the snake and patchbay and it's still there.

What have I left out? It's baffling me! Could it be dust static somewhere? My board?

I use a Behringer DDX3216. If you can help me solve this I would appreciate it. We play too many shows to have this happening.
 
#4
He runs a Keeley compressor on his pedal board but we took that out of his signal chain. Still there.

Yes two new XLR's cables...no change. And we moved him from channel 7 to channel 6...no change.

Static dust maybe? But why isolated to where we plug him in the board?
 
#7
some off hand suggestions:

make sure you are not using ultra cheap budget cables.
Physically move the guitar rig next to the mixing board.
plug all electrical cables to all components into the same power outlet. mic the rig withe the best, shortest mic cable you have.
Do not lift any grounds.
try a different mixing board or full PA system
try a different guitar rig
try a different physical location (meaning a different building, rehearsal room, nightclub, etc)
 
#11
audioglenn said:
You need to do more troubleshooting. You have eliminated the guitar player as a problem. Are you running your system in stereo and, if so, does the noise come out of only one side? Then, it could be the power amp or a bad mixer output.
Click to expand...

I run in mono, and the noise is in the monitors and the mains. The part that has me baffled is that it followed him from one channel to another.

If it was my monitor amp I wouldn't see it on the meters on the mixer right?
 
#12
themacinator said:
I had thought about gating that channel. Did you mean turn it on?

LOTS if other great suggestions too, especially the headphones and totally stripped down mixer. I will try all those tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Darn tootin'! Once you've removed the mixer from contention:

*Start by adding a known mic and cable. Run it in each of the mic channels for verification.

*Re-install insert and aux fed processors one-by-one. Again, verify performance of each.

*Add external power amp and mains enclosures. Test via the single mic. Any extraneous noise?

What you'll end up with is a very basic but solid PA foundation. Now, start adding "upstream" components (mics w/ cables, DI feeds, etc) one-by-one until the gremlin re-appears. This at least narrows the scope of likely suspects.

Riis
 
#13
Could the wireless recevier of our lead vocalist mic send some sort of electrical interference (intermittently) to the SM57 that our guitarist uses to mic his cab? I know that at the show this past weekend the receiver was plugged into the same AC outlet as his amp and was located very close to his cab and the microphone.

The snap, crackle, pop never came out of his amp but always came from his channel on the board. Even when we moved it. Which is why I am not looking at some sort of electrical interference or wireless bleedover into the 57. I just don't know if that's possible.

I do know the building itself had horrible AC power. The Furman for my PA was almost always in the yellow, I was allegedly plugged into one of their "better" circuits.
 
#15
themacinator said:
Could the wireless recevier of our lead vocalist mic send some sort of electrical interference (intermittently) to the SM57 that our guitarist uses to mic his cab? I know that at the show this past weekend the receiver was plugged into the same AC outlet as his amp and was located very close to his cab and the microphone.

The snap, crackle, pop never came out of his amp but always came from his channel on the board. Even when we moved it. Which is why I am not looking at some sort of electrical interference or wireless bleedover into the 57. I just don't know if that's possible.

I do know the building itself had horrible AC power. The Furman for my PA was almost always in the yellow, I was allegedly plugged into one of their "better" circuits.
Click to expand...
I'd be willing to bet that it's his amp, and if you put your ear as close to it as you place his mic, you'll hear it.
 
#18
The problem happened at our two most recent shows...both times they seemed to be associated with the lead guitarist channel in the PA although at this last weekend show it was much more pronounced.

The lousy AC power is a possiblity and just to make sure I have installed a brand new heavy-duty grounded plug to the Furman that runs everything in the PA rack.

I have been leaning towards the source being his amp or mic as well since it follows him in our PA.

UPDATE: I've had the PA rack out of the trailer now for two days since the issue. I used compressed air to blow out any and all inputs, amps, channel sliders, knobs, etc. Changed the plug as stated above.

I have a mic in to his designated channel, the one with the issue. Hooked up a monitor into his Aux send...

...not one snap, crackle, or pop yet. I have turned the PA on and let it just sit with an open mic and MP3 sound going through the system. Nothing...

I am getting more and more convinced it is within his amp or signal chain somewhere. I like the remove amp suggestion.
 

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