wifi interference! help.

[speyer]

Howdy, I've got a problem! I've got a basic recording studio in my office at home that consists of an iMac + Zoom UAC-2 interface. I typically record guitar or bass with a Mic blended with a DI. Recently, I noticed that my tube amp was making a strange noise... like a cyclical pulsating hum with a repetitive crackle.

I did some trouble shooting this morning and discovered that it's interference from my wifi router in my office!

Does anyone know if there is a way to eliminate or reduce this interference? It can be heard interfering with my interface and/or tube guitar amp but not by my bass amp/rig. strange but true.

Any help is appreciated. cheers!

 

[silky smoove]

Are you sure it’s the amp and not one of the cables in the chain acting like an antenna which is then amplified by the amp? I’d try swapping cables out systematically, one at a time and see if that doesn’t resolve the issue.

 

[MonetBass]

My interface is a Presonus Audiobox USB and I use it on the same desk where the WIFI router (TP-LINK 1900x) is located, and have not had any interference. I'd take @silky smoove's advice.

 

[Tosh]

All of my gear, with the exception of one distortion pedal, is 100% solid state. I've had cell phones interfere with my signal, but not WiFi - so I may not be able to help here.

A few things to consider:

Cables. As stated, they're much more likely to become RF antennas than circuitry contained within a cabinet. Use balanced lines where ever you can. Use quality cables and connectors.

Re-position your WiFi router. 6' above the floor would be good. 8' is better.

Use only 5Ghz (if possible). If your vacuum tubes really are responding to the 2.4Ghz signal, they *might* be less likely to do so @ 5Ghz.

Don't use any WiFi devices in the studio when you have the guitar amp working. It takes a receiving device to trigger the WiFi router's full power output (at least in a modern router). Also, you can disable broadcasting your SSID. This will effectively shut down the "beacon" of the router, helping it to stay quiet.

If your router has directional antennas (more common these days than in the past) you can fiddle with those and see if it helps at all.

FWIW when I set up my new studio, there will be no WiFi within 50', and cellphones will not be allowed when the red "recording" light is on. I don't want to loose a good take because of some radio interference that I can control.

 

[speyer]

Are you sure it’s the amp and not one of the cables in the chain acting like an antenna which is then amplified by the amp? I’d try swapping cables out systematically, one at a time and see if that doesn’t resolve the issue.

Sorry I should've been more clear. Ok so here's the thing. I first noticed it coming out of my tube amp, powered on, nothing plugged in. I thought it was something quirky with the tubes or whatever (the amp is had wired and has had issues in the past etc.) BUT this morning I heard the exact same noise through my headphones... but when I looked over at my tube amp... it was powered off. Hmmm. OK... not the tube amp. Back to the interface... I unplug everything, (a DI that is off and a mic that is off) and listen again through the phones. The noise is there through monitoring on my headphones.

So, I can hear the noise from both my tube amp and my interface with nothing plugged in. The interface can record the noise (similar) to regular noise floor but the chirps are totally audible in recordings. SO, I just unplugged my router and the noise is 100% gone. Plug it back in any the noise returns. I figure the interference is 100% coming from my router.

Are there any common practices to avoid this? Gotta be a regular problem out there!? The only way I can move my router is to run a couple of new CAT6 cables back to the other router in (bridge mode). Its a big job.

 

[speyer]

All of my gear, with the exception of one distortion pedal, is 100% solid state. I've had cell phones interfere with my signal, but not WiFi - so I may not be able to help here.


Use only 5Ghz (if possible). If your vacuum tubes really are responding to the 2.4Ghz signal, they *might* be less likely to do so @ 5Ghz.

Well there we have it folks... an answer and a solution! I turned 2.4GHZ off on my router, restarted it while listening to the interference on my tube amp cranked!! The noise disappeared the second the router rebooted and is now GONE.

THANKS TOSH!! I owe ya one.

 

[silky smoove]

EDIT: You posted as I was posting, so feel free to disregard this.

You could try building a Faraday cage

That’s a tough one. I opted to use an Ethernet power line adapter to get internet out to my studio which is in a detached structure away from my house. It worked brilliantly and is noise free. I would look at that as an option to avoid having to do a large CAT run.

 

[Tosh]

@speyer - you are welcome. I'm glad my SWAG actually helped! (Some Wild Ass-ymetrical Guess).

I was a LAN administrator and WiFi specialist in a previous life. I love Ethernet and I hate WiFi.

BTW it's getting close to the point where fiber optic + GBIC is cheaper than burial-grade CAT 6....

 

[speyer]

@Tosh - Yeah I've actually got LAN to my iMac in the studio but I use another router out here to extend the WAN network on my property. Funny, I can get both fiber and CAT 6 cable for free from my brother who is an AV tech who I use to work for many moons ago. I managed to retain all my practical knowledge in the field but the rest has been deleted.

 

[2playbass]

if the 2.4 GHz is causing the noise, also be careful with bluetooth devices and running your microwave oven while recording. They also operate around 2.4 GHz.

You can also try putting ferrite beads on your router power cord and your amp power cord. This type of interference is often conducted not just through the air, but over the electrical wires on your house. A good power filter can also help. Electronic products like router, computers, etc, are supposed to pass tests for radiated and conducted electromagnetic interference, but they only test a sample, not every device.
Ferrite bead - Wikipedia
Electromagnetic interference - Wikipedia

 

[Bass Jones]

All of my gear, with the exception of one distortion pedal, is 100% solid state. I've had cell phones interfere with my signal, but not WiFi - so I may not be able to help here.

A few things to consider:

Cables. As stated, they're much more likely to become RF antennas than circuitry contained within a cabinet. Use balanced lines where ever you can. Use quality cables and connectors.

Re-position your WiFi router. 6' above the floor would be good. 8' is better.

Use only 5Ghz (if possible). If your vacuum tubes really are responding to the 2.4Ghz signal, they *might* be less likely to do so @ 5Ghz.

Don't use any WiFi devices in the studio when you have the guitar amp working. It takes a receiving device to trigger the WiFi router's full power output (at least in a modern router). Also, you can disable broadcasting your SSID. This will effectively shut down the "beacon" of the router, helping it to stay quiet.

If your router has directional antennas (more common these days than in the past) you can fiddle with those and see if it helps at all.

FWIW when I set up my new studio, there will be no WiFi within 50', and cellphones will not be allowed when the red "recording" light is on. I don't want to loose a good take because of some radio interference that I can control.

Interesting, I had an cheap Kustom combo that was picking up interference from my wifi router. I never thought to turn off the 2.4GHz.

In my case, shielding the back panel of the amp section worked. The back panel was just pressboard so I lined it with tinfoil and grounded it and that eliminated the interference.

 

[1958Bassman]

If I had a room that was used for recording, I would make sure that no wireless RF devices or PMPS (Pulse Mode Power Supplies) were in that room. No wireless alarm parts, no iPhones that aren't in Airplane Mode, no light dimmers, nothing.

Then, I would make sure the computers weren't causing interference- I thought my Tele was noisy, so I removed the pick guard and pickups so I could check it out and make any changes that seemed necessary. One of the things I have never thought was proper- the pickup wires have been laid in the routing without being twisted. It has been known for almost 100 years that twisting wires reduces noise pickup, so I twisted the pickup wires. Then, I grounded the plate under the neck pickup and made sure it had one ground wire, from the neck pickup to the jack, with connections at every control, the switch, pickups, bridge, etc.

I put it together and tried it- it was definitely better, but it wasn't totally quiet. (In Morgan Freeman's voice ) "And that's when he realized... that the headstock was next to the display of his laptop computer, which was sitting on the sofa.".

 

[Valvehead]

The WiFi signal itself is very unlikely to be the problem. Most of the time the cause is a cpu or other chip throwing an electric stray field into the room. Sometimes hooking up devices to a different phase already solves some problems.

 

[Patrice B]

Sorry to be late to the party… but indeed shutting off 2.4 MHz wifi got rid of some nasty noises in my tube amps (home studio router).

Now plagued with the same bug with the main router on the top shelf where resides my living room hifi vintage amp.

I’ll probably put an aluminium shield under the top shelf to prevent RFI to get in my music! Just putting my hand over the amp cuts the annoying interference!

It’s some kind of pulsing tick, audible even when volume is at zero and mainly picked by the two phono preamp tubes.