Hi,
I'm getting an annoying clicking when plugged into my soundcard (more detail on the setup below), it's possible to adjust volume levels so it's not very pronounced, but it's always there and applying any effects in the computer amplifies it. I know what's producing it, but I'm not sure how to get rid of it, does anyone have any suggestions?
Setup is: amp, monitor power supply and computer all plugged into the same power bar (UK), amp plugged into PCI soundcard. Very little background hum, but there's a clicking at about 3Hz which seems to be coming from the monitor power supply (12V adapter, something like 5A so hard to find an alternative). I get the clicks when everything is connected up, doing any of the following stops it:
1. Disconnecting the amp from the soundcard
2. Unplugging the amp (clicking occurs with amp switched off but plugged in)
3. Turning the monitor off (click dies away).
4. Disconnecting monitor from computer (hard to be sure as this causes the monitor to go to low power)
So I think I'm getting a loop acting as a path for noise from this power supply. I'm not prepared to start floating earths, so are there any other solutions? I suspect a filter of some kind on the 12V to the monitor might work, but it would need to be fairly hefty and I don't seem to be able to find them packaged for this application (going to the trouble of packaging one up only to find it doesn't work would be upsetting).
Thanks,
Ian
To end this story, I realised I was over-thinking things and that while this wasn't a typical ground loop problem (picking up mains hum) it was still due to having that loop. So I got hold of a 'ground loop isolator' (a pair of isolator transformers with connectors on each side, quite cheap and seem to be sold for use in cars mainly) and used it to connect the amp and the soundcard. No more clicking.
Also, now I've got all my hardware problems sorted out, no more messing about with hardware instead of learning to play...
Thanks for the followup, Ian. I'm sorting out some weird clicking from my own system, and your solution might be the answer.
"You can't write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say sometimes, so you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream." - Frank Zappa
