733 G4 computer noise from soundmanager output

[b mcgibney]

Over the last two years I have tried to bring the noise floor down in my studio. Better wire, playiing around with position , making sure everything runs off one circuit etc. One of the best things I did was to get out drill and stick the computer in another room. Of course the biggest limitation was the 6 foot length of the cable between the 001 box and the computer.

As I have got things quieter one thing that is increasingly annoying is all the computer noise that seems to emanate from the sound card out from the G4.

I believe that it is not so much audio as some type of RF transmission and here is why:

In my audio setup I use an external mixer (newly replaced) The main outs from the digi 001 are sent to the mixer before going out to the amp/speakers. If I plug in the soundcard outputs, into another strip of the mixer, I get all of a sudden a lot of whiiring /whining/humming sounds. The interesting thing was that even if the channels from the soundcard are totally turned off ie strip turned off but once I touch the cable to the mixer I still get all the hash. Once I Physically disconnect the soundcard outs things get MUCH quieter

Solutions?

Is this a groundng issue. Is there some sort of choke I can employ to filter this . Is it just something we all have to endure---I thought Mac's were supposed to be good for audio.

Answers

I'm sure I'm not the only one deal with computer noise, as usual any thoughts on how to fix this are appreciateed.

PS I suppose if I were doing loud type of music this would be less of an issue but most of the stuff I have been recording of late is quiet .

Also, I want to differentiate between monitor noise and conputer noise. Both are a problem but CRT noise can be helped alot by positioning In this case it seems like the souncdards out are acting like a broadcast circuit for all kinds of computer noise. Hope this post is clear.



In a perfect world I would wish for the inky blackness of silence..

I was once in an anechoic chamber for about 15 minutes-unreal how loud silence can be

TIA Brian

[DJ Insomaniac]

Ok, here's a few suggestions.

Make sure the cable is in working order. Try other strips on the mixer.

Sometimes, there will be sound when you work on the computer. This is why most DJs using computers use external soundcards, as they aren't in direct contact with the processing. These noises can be much more noticable during certain processes (MP3 decoding comes to mind). I notice when i have my headphones plugged into my mixer and the audio is running from the Line Out of my G4, i hear noises when i open menus, show the dock, ect.

All i can suggest is to find an external card for the computer. there are a few out there for Mac, like the Sonica Revolution 7.1 from M-Audio (may be overkill, though).

Hope you can figure this out soon.

Also, try posting your question at the Apple Support Discussions. They may be able to help you more.