PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

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turboadam
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PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by turboadam » Thu Jul 14, 2011 6:29 pm

Please for the love of everything that is good in this world, can someone help me.

I work as a music instructor and often i like to record my students tunes. I'm familiar with the possibilities of high end gear, but due to our budget i had to get what i thought was the best bang for our buck.

i purchased the peavey PV14usb mixer for basic, usually direct recording into my Macbook running Pro tools 9. I have other gear, but for work this is the fastest and best option.

I have no problems with the compatibility or signal flow, it all works great, straight out of the box. But as ive been working more and more, there is a constant high pitched hum/whine when using a DAW and teh mixer. i have it run Macbook->Mixer->KRK Rokit 6". when playing itunes through the board and monitors it is crisp and awesome. works great, but when recording saw, a rough guitar track with amplitube on, when not playing tehre is a high pitched whine/hum coming through and it records on the track. i have tried different USB cables, different electrical outlets, different cables, and ive looked online as much as possible and found really nothing that helps. hopefully a user or someone from Peavey can help me. Im not looking for much, but after listening back, the hum makes the takes useless.

Thanks to any help given!

Josjor
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by Josjor » Thu Jul 14, 2011 7:54 pm

Try NO electrical outlets: Battery power.

It's extremely common for the power supply on most laptops to cause a noise in the system. Try running on battery power to see if it goes away.
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jim h
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by jim h » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:28 am

That's always my first recommendation.

turboadam
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by turboadam » Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:34 am

Thanks for both those suggestions. Unfortunately that is not a solution.

I have emailed support for this problem as its an issue, and got basically nothing back. Stating "we don't use mac's nor the DAW you are using". Like Mac and Pro tools are some strange combination Peavey didn't even bother trying out.

Whats strange is the whine only happens when i have opened a recording program, including the Reaper software that was in the box.

If i run iTunes with the audio output set to the USB Audio Codec so it runs through the mixer out to my monitors, it sounds amazing. Clean and loud. But when i turn that off and then open Pro tools or Logic Pro you immediately hear this high pitched annoying hum/whine that happens RIGHT as the DAW becomes active after loading.

is it possible for it to be something to do with the USB being both Audio In and Audio Out having some kind of loop? I've used my M-Audio Fast track and its fine, no problems at all. and there is no other gear hooked up in this situation.

Help?

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SemperFiSound
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by SemperFiSound » Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:56 am

turboadam wrote:is it possible for it to be something to do with the USB being both Audio In and Audio Out having some kind of loop?
You might be on to something here....I know that the USB port should only go ONE way at a time with a Peavey Mixer.

On the Mac OSX, "apple"/System Prefs/Sound make the output to something besides Line Out and see if that resolves the issue.

Best of luck,
Steve
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Marty McCann
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by Marty McCann » Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:58 am

Why is running on battery NOT a solution? Have you tried it? If so, and the noise goes away, then that is the solution.

If, it does not go away on battery power then it seems as if the problem is either with your computer or software, or a combination.

Bassguitarist1985
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by Bassguitarist1985 » Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:04 am

Im gonna go out on the limb and suggest maybe its the computer itself. A possible configuration issue. If you do a search it seems this is a common isue with the Macbooks. What RPM hard drive you have? 5400 or 7200? 5400 tend to add more noise if its 5400 I read. Try turning up the brightness all the way up or all the way down on your screen. Heres another post that may help from the Mac forums.

"I had the processor noise, not the screen noise. I called Apple support here in Japan. They told me to shut down machine, remove the power sources (battery and power cord), then hold control, shift, option, + power button for 5 seconds. Then insert battery, power cord, and reboot. I heard the noise again for a moment, then --- its gone and has not come back. Thank goodness! Now, everthing is working great."

Hope this helps, i just had to deal with this issue with my HP laptop, its a simple bad PSU design. Let us know your results.

EDIT: check this link below, the more research yields everyone is pointing the finger at a hardware issue

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/16 ... 1&tstart=0
Pro Audio 16FX2, PV6USB, 2xQF131, QF215, 2x SP2, 2xSP118, 2xPV1600, PV3800, 4xKPC15MP
Bass - Grind 6 NTB 410TVX, 115BVX, MAX700, 210TVX, MiniMega, VB-2, VB-3, VB-MA

DaPreacher3
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by DaPreacher3 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:23 am

We are having the same issue here with the constant hum. It only happens when we are trying to record. we are using a Windows based PC and are connected to the PV14 USB by the USB. Again the audio sounds great when it's played from the computer, but is just rubbish when it's played into the computer. so anything ya'll can do to help fix this would be appreciated.

Bassguitarist1985
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by Bassguitarist1985 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:29 pm

I'm no expert in electronics, but in my experience with switchmode power supplies is they do induce voltage ripple and noise. The PV14USB has a ground pin, and say your laptop PS does too, when you connect the USB cable between the two you get a ground hum/noise/chirping/staticy sounds. Thats the switching supply noise which is normally sent to ground but now since it has two paths you will hear some of it.

Solution 1: Run the laptop on battery.

Solution 2: Obtain an optical USB hub, this type of hub is ussually pretty expensive, but has been known to stop ground issues with USB equipment.

Solution 3. these are more inexpensive usb isolator options, and from what i've read have had good results. Most of these employ a flyback DC-DC converter, it will still have some ripple but it may or not be better than what your computer PS is putting out.

http://www.circuitsathome.com/measurements/usb-isolator

Or http://www.keterex.com/kxusb150.php?gcl ... 5QodCFxfOw

Or http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Oli ... 1HI6bIq7Ze

---
This third one even addresses concerns about USB DAC quality improving using this. see its support site...

Q: Can I use USB-ISO for removing the ground loops between my computer and my Audio HIFI equipment?
A: Yes, USB-ISO isolates the grounds and according to Audiophile customers of ours there is significant improvement in their USB DAC sound after using USB-ISO as isolation for the ground loops between their computers and audio equipment.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/496735
Pro Audio 16FX2, PV6USB, 2xQF131, QF215, 2x SP2, 2xSP118, 2xPV1600, PV3800, 4xKPC15MP
Bass - Grind 6 NTB 410TVX, 115BVX, MAX700, 210TVX, MiniMega, VB-2, VB-3, VB-MA

RareBird0
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by RareBird0 » Sat Jan 25, 2014 5:54 pm

turboadam wrote:Thanks for both those suggestions. Unfortunately that is not a solution.

I have emailed support for this problem as its an issue, and got basically nothing back. Stating "we don't use mac's nor the DAW you are using". Like Mac and Pro tools are some strange combination Peavey didn't even bother trying out.

Whats strange is the whine only happens when i have opened a recording program, including the Reaper software that was in the box.

If i run iTunes with the audio output set to the USB Audio Codec so it runs through the mixer out to my monitors, it sounds amazing. Clean and loud. But when i turn that off and then open Pro tools or Logic Pro you immediately hear this high pitched annoying hum/whine that happens RIGHT as the DAW becomes active after loading.

is it possible for it to be something to do with the USB being both Audio In and Audio Out having some kind of loop? I've used my M-Audio Fast track and its fine, no problems at all. and there is no other gear hooked up in this situation.

Help?
I'm using an HP Laptop and Windows 7 and get the high pitched whine constantly. When I call Peavey I got a dud that told me he doesn't play guitar so he wouldn't know. I asked him who would and his answer again was just as dumb. I managed to get e-mails with later versions that the one that come with the amp but the registration numbers don't work. This is a worst saga than the rather complicated but free "Fuse" software that I didn't like from Fender which was why I ditched my Mustang and bought the Peavey. While the Peavey seems to have a great nitch with an amp that handles guitar, acoustic and bass in one, it has left the biggest value issue--good instruction and good customer attentiveness unaddressed. I'm not even sure what these software programs will do and if I'll use them but dang, is anyone home there at Peavey?

davidcsmalley
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by davidcsmalley » Tue Mar 08, 2016 12:47 am

Not sure who's still following this from 5 years ago, but despite the technological advancements we've had, this is still an issue. And it's not just a Peavy issue. My Mackie PROFX16 & PROFX12 both do the same thing. It's not a power supply issue. Running on battery isn't a solution. It's not a hard drive RPM issue because my new machine is a Mac Book Pro with an SSD. It's not an Apple issue because my HP ENVY does the same thing. There's some current issue that starts up when the sound device is started up, either by selecting it in a drop down menu or starting a recording program. As much as I know about the issue, I still have no solution. The funny thing is, it doesn't seem to pick up on playback, so I'm thinking it's just audible to us while we're listening to it being recorded. I've yet to hear the whining noise in the playback of something recorded. Still at a loss.

Bassguitarist1985
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by Bassguitarist1985 » Wed Mar 09, 2016 8:57 pm

I still follow this thread. I have dealt with this issue before. Its normally due to outboard gear having their signal ground bonded to earth ground on the AC power side.

Have you tried 1:1 iso transformer with XLR connectors on the main/monitor speaker output?
Last edited by Bassguitarist1985 on Thu Mar 10, 2016 8:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Pro Audio 16FX2, PV6USB, 2xQF131, QF215, 2x SP2, 2xSP118, 2xPV1600, PV3800, 4xKPC15MP
Bass - Grind 6 NTB 410TVX, 115BVX, MAX700, 210TVX, MiniMega, VB-2, VB-3, VB-MA

jim h
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by jim h » Thu Mar 10, 2016 8:17 am

I sent you a private message David, but since you're a new member, I'm not sure if you can get it or not.

BKAudio
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Re: PV14 USB High Pitched Whine

Post by BKAudio » Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:40 am

Hi all, just wandering if anyone has found a solution to the listed problem?

I am having the same issue where the whine bleeds into the system when I activate the 'Tape/USB' returns on my mixer during the use of any DAW. As soon as I click out of the DAW, the noise disappears.

I have tried previous suggestions such as running of battery power, USB isolator key, different mains supply, re-routing Mac OS Audio, potential grounding issues between mixer and outboard equipment. But to no prevail.

I have however found a work around for Mac users using headphones (Or at least this work around has worked for my Mac)... You can create an 'Aggregate Device' within the Audio Midi Setup, assign 'USB AUDIO CODEC' as your input source, and then assign 'Built In Output' as your output. This does mean you will have to plug in your headphones into your Mac, but it should clear up your system and you can still record using your mixer.

Could this problem potentially be something to do with the drivers for console creating a loop on the system?

Many thanks

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