I'm still getting a nasty HUM in my studio!!!

[Teolin]

Originally Posted by DigiTechSupt

Where did he sink the ground rods? And why 2 of them? You should only have one - having 2 is likely to be a contributor to the problem, as the gear will then have two possible points to ground to and if the one with lower resistance happens to be the path through other audio gear connected to it, that's where it's going to go.

I don't know why the former owner did it.

Two separate outlets at opposite ends of the living room have naked ground wires running from the outlet boxes' green screw, through the wall to gound rods about a foot off the foundation in the yard. These are the only 2 outlets in the house that accept 3-prong plugs.

If what you mention could be the cause of the buzz, then if I disconnect one (or the other) of the ground rods, then it could solve the problem. That would be easier than unplugging the satellite and DSL, and then later having to wait on them to slowly reconnect and upload-d-load....

Easy to test since I dug up the top of the rods and changed the connector collars during the war on bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Buzz produces angst. Flies buzz. Wasps that sting. Gnats, mosquitoes. Our brains might be wired by evolution to be apprehensive when the buzz sounds.

I'll try it and report back. Thanks.

Yes, I should hire an electrician, but I need a new fridge and a dishwasher.

[DigiTechSupt]

Yes, I should hire an electrician, but I need a new fridge and a dishwasher.

No, you should ABSOLUTELY hire an electrician in this case. Unless you're one yourself, there are numerous issues you may encounter and you risk damaging your gear or even electrocuting someone.

I strongly urge you to reconsider and get someone in that can do the job right.

[Top Jimmy]

I agree with DigiTechSupt. Your electrical distribution system is seriously compromised. Your electrical system was installed back in the day when the majority of the load was from incandescent light bulbs. Not a problem for then, big problem for now. Your distribution panel needs to be properly grounded and the neutral needs to be ground referenced at the panel with grounds in your house coming from there. If you don't want to update the electrical then don't try to do production at home.

[Teolin]

Thanks for the input Digi and Jimmy; I appreciate and understand your concerns.

I'll check with an electrician about the odd grounding situation in this old place.

Jimmy, not sure what you mean by "production at home," but if you mean conduct business from my home, I don't. It's a personal home studio--my hobby.

Everything in the studio powered up and it pulls about 2.5 amps. I'm wondering if that's excessive on this old wiring... and will ask an electrician.

[Top Jimmy]

Originally Posted by Teolin

Jimmy, not sure what you mean by "production at home," but if you mean conduct business from my home, I don't. It's a personal home studio--my hobby.

Production at home can be for self-gratification, boasting rights, beer money or to make a living. The point is that with the antiquated electrical distribution system in your house, any treatment to solve the hum problem before bringing the system up to code is not going to reduce the current risk to you and your gear and could make it worse.

There is one more thing that could be the source of this issue, though it won't improve your electrical situation. You say the DSL is on the entertainment center circuit. I assume that there's a network cable from there to your production machine. Disconnect it. Make sure there is absolutely no interconnection whatsoever between the gear plugged in on the different outlets.

[AE]

Originally Posted by DigiTechSupt

Where did he sink the ground rods? And why 2 of them? You should only have one - having 2 is likely to be a contributor to the problem, as the gear will then have two possible points to ground to and if the one with lower resistance happens to be the path through other audio gear connected to it, that's where it's going to go.

well, actually...

dual ground rods are recommended for a balanced power installation. see equi=tech's technical support info:

http://www.equitech.com/support/techgrnd.html

i was surprised, too.

-ae

[Top Jimmy]

Originally Posted by AE

dual ground rods are recommended...

That's not per Equitech, that's actually code where I live. Two ground rods in parallel reduces the impedance of the ground conductor to earth connection.

Teolin's situation is different. He has an ungrounded electrical system where the previous owner drilled through the outside wall at two different outlets and attached the ground on each of these outlets to their own ground rod.

[Punch Drunk]

power conditions, backups, cleaners, etc do NOTHING for dirty power if your socket is not grounded.

i've been dealing with this situation in my studio for over 7 years now, buying different products, power strips, sheilded extension cords, power centers, trying to remedy it, even crazy expensive monster stage 5 centers... bottom line, they will not fix the problem.

if you have buzz in your speakers and you are using good quality shielded wiring and cables, and you have everything wire managed properly, you have a grounding issue. have an electrition come out and check ALL of your sockets.

only one socket in my studio was not grounded, but becuase of that, anything that interacted with that socket caught dirty power, and spread noise across the studio, from the monitors, to the mics, to the soundcard. i havnt fixed the socket yet, but i ran high grade extension cords from a grounded/tested outlet to my equiptment on the other side of the room, and the buzz is gone. not only that, EVERYTHING sounds cleaner.

i'm kicking myself now thinking of the years of mixes and songs that went by, listening to things slightly tampered and dirty.

[TOM@METRO]

We had to have a copper rod pounded 10' into the earth and ground the studio separately from the rest of the building. Now even cheap dimmers don't cause issues.