Do they make such a thing? I'm having grounding issues in my garage studio and end up running through a DI box with a ground lift, but it colors my sound a little. Does anyone know if just a simple ground lift switch is on the market?
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Stand Alone Ground Lift switch?
- Thread starter blipndub
- Start date
I suppose you could wire up a short cable with pin 1 disconnected at one end. Insert that if you need the ground lifted.
The studio I worked at we had what was called an isolation transformer we would plug gear into if it was getting ground noise. It basically was a large (heavy) transformer with a power cord on one side and AC socket on the other.
Right because the ground lift just takes "out" the third plug right? Would I get the same results if I removed the third pin from the AC cord of the amp?
I'm not sure we are talking about the same thing here.
You never want to remove the ground from your electrical lines. Potential safety hazard and it's going to the same place as neutral anyway. If you are getting noise from the electrical system somehow the isolation transformer mentioned above could potentially help.
The ground lift on a DI box, which is what I thought we were talking about, disconnects pin 1 of an XLR connector. This leaves the hot and cold side still connected to whatever the signal is coming from, but the chassis ground only connected at the thing the signal is going to. This can get rid of noise coming from a ground loop.
You never want to remove the ground from your electrical lines. Potential safety hazard and it's going to the same place as neutral anyway. If you are getting noise from the electrical system somehow the isolation transformer mentioned above could potentially help.
The ground lift on a DI box, which is what I thought we were talking about, disconnects pin 1 of an XLR connector. This leaves the hot and cold side still connected to whatever the signal is coming from, but the chassis ground only connected at the thing the signal is going to. This can get rid of noise coming from a ground loop.
I'm getting the hum from a guitar amp and I found I could get rid of it almost entirely by running it through my Behringer BD21 which has a ground lift, but I'm running out through a 1/4 inch, not xlr.
so where do you buy isolation transformers cheaply. I would bet that the ones marketed towards musicians are more expensive.
Unless you're trying to kill yourself, don't do this.
Ground lift on a balanced output is completely different from cutting the ground wire off your amp.
In one case you avoid hum by changing the ground reference, from source's to amp's.
In the other case, you're getting rid of a vital protection that prevents you from frying if excessive tension occurs inside your amp. It is illegal in all states for a professional to make such a mod, or to sell a product designed this way. Draw your own conclusions.
Ground lift on a balanced output is completely different from cutting the ground wire off your amp.
In one case you avoid hum by changing the ground reference, from source's to amp's.
In the other case, you're getting rid of a vital protection that prevents you from frying if excessive tension occurs inside your amp. It is illegal in all states for a professional to make such a mod, or to sell a product designed this way. Draw your own conclusions.
You can't lift the ground of an unbalanced connection. Whatever it is about the setup that is solving your problem it's not the ground lift in that thing.
Any thoughts why it would reduce the hum?
I'm running everything off the same circuit. The amp, a powerstrip that has a One spot for my tuner and a separate 9v for a rat pedal
I've tried everything else, turning off all other equipment, lights, computer even not having the effects in the chain. And it's not the guitar. It's just weird.
I'm running everything off the same circuit. The amp, a powerstrip that has a One spot for my tuner and a separate 9v for a rat pedal
I've tried everything else, turning off all other equipment, lights, computer even not having the effects in the chain. And it's not the guitar. It's just weird.
Getting your bass worked on. Better shielding, hum canceling pickups, getting the wiring checked. Many older instruments have funky wiring schemes especially when it comes to ground. Don't forget your cables solder joints going bad, breaks starting happen in the cable, etc. Are there dimmers on the lights in the room, inexpensive dimmers are electrically noisy.
Is noise there when just bass, cable, and amp no tuner, power-strip, rat pedal??? If so then start bring each of the other pieces back into the chain to find the culprit. Have you take this gear somewhere else and used it and noise still there?
I wonder if this is what I'm looking for:I wish I could find one for less money though!
Eliminate The Hum - Not Your Sound!
The Ebtech Hum X adapter filters out the unwanted voltage and current in the ground line that cause ground loop hum, while simultaneously maintaining a solid, safe ground. With the Hum X, you no longer have to run your audio signal through any type of filtering or ground lift, which can result in loss of volume, tone or both. Some devices simply remove the ground, which is never safe! Simply place the Hum X on the end of the power cord of the equipment that has a ground loop and plug the Hum X into the wall outlet. Ground loop is gone and audio signal remains intact! The Hum X is easy to use, easy to install and completely effective! The Hum X is the safest way to get rid of ground loop hum.
Eliminate The Hum - Not Your Sound!
The Ebtech Hum X adapter filters out the unwanted voltage and current in the ground line that cause ground loop hum, while simultaneously maintaining a solid, safe ground. With the Hum X, you no longer have to run your audio signal through any type of filtering or ground lift, which can result in loss of volume, tone or both. Some devices simply remove the ground, which is never safe! Simply place the Hum X on the end of the power cord of the equipment that has a ground loop and plug the Hum X into the wall outlet. Ground loop is gone and audio signal remains intact! The Hum X is easy to use, easy to install and completely effective! The Hum X is the safest way to get rid of ground loop hum.
