Elimintating Excess Noise from pedal board

[HeavyXIII]

So I've noticed in the past few weeks that my pedals (and patch cables I guess) have been interfering with my amp. Occasionally, the amp will squeal like it's got a microphonic tube, or it will pick up a bit of hum. I don't have these issues plugged straight into the amp's input. Would it be worth upgrading my patch cables to something quality? What kinds of problems are common with power supplies? If I figure out that it's one of my pedals, how would I attempt to check it for bugs (and know what to look for)?

[AxAxSxS]

hum could def be power supply, a power conditioner would fix it, or some devices are out there to eliminate hum. A conditioner fixed it or me. as for squeel, is it feedback? if it is, reduce volume on the pedal that causes it, if not, try getting it to do it and then remove stuff from the chain till its gone, then you have the culprit.

[HeavyXIII]

The squeal and hum are different from regular feedback, which I am used to. I have been hearing that the OneSpot power supplies can get a little squiffy. Would one of those "Hum X" or whatever they're called be a wise investment? I don't know if I have space to put a power conditioner with my gear. However, I'm afraid that the squeal might be related to a dying patch cable or a squiffy jack on one of my pedals.

I did a little digging as far as patch cables go, and I see a lot of people talking about the merits of soldering your own cables. Supposedly you can get the cable that Mogami uses for around $0.84/foot. Would this be a wise investment in terms of noise, or would it have more effect on the reliability and life span of my cables?

[Mike]

I would think that you should first track down exactly what is causing the problem before you just start replacing random stuff. Why not wait for the noise, and swap out patch cables one at a time until it goes away? If that doesn't narrow it down, then move on to whatever you suspect next... jacks. Wait for the noise, and remove pedals one at a time until it goes away.

Of course, if you are just looking for a reason to upgrade your cables, then this seems like a good excuse. But if the problem is not cables, you are right back where you started. Would you then start randomly replacing jacks and power supplies, or would you do the required troubleshooting at that point?

Mike

[HeavyXIII]

I would think that you should first track down exactly what is causing the problem before you just start replacing random stuff. Why not wait for the noise, and swap out patch cables one at a time until it goes away? If that doesn't narrow it down, then move on to whatever you suspect next... jacks. Wait for the noise, and remove pedals one at a time until it goes away.

I guess I should refine my question, because otherwise I haven't asked much other than how to troubleshoot pedals... If the issue is with my power supply, how would I troubleshoot that? If one of my digital pedals is the culprit, how would I determine if it's the jack or something else (like a processor)?

Of course, if you are just looking for a reason to upgrade your cables, then this seems like a good excuse. But if the problem is not cables, you are right back where you started. Would you then start randomly replacing jacks and power supplies, or would you do the required troubleshooting at that point?

The primary reason I was considering replacing ALL of my cables was that the 2 longest cables (which are the regular $20 Planet Waves) are always acting sketchy, and I'm just tired of bringing them in to the store every time one goes out. I also don't have the kind of money to drop on the higher end cables that I would replace everything with (your signal chain is only as strong as the weakest link, right?).

While replacing all the cables may not fix the issue I initially asked about, would it still be a good long term investment in terms of cable reliability?

[AxAxSxS]

I doubt that the cables or jacks could cause a squeal. the only faults they can have are due to the signal being interrupted. If you hear a crackling or the signal cuts out, that can be jacks or cable. I don't buy cables any more. I make em. Cut up old cords and solder new plugs on em. I just got a bunch off these- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UIC78W/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Nice to be able to make it whatever length you want. Paying extra for "Higher quality" cables is dumb. It either passes signal or doesn't. there's a lot of voodoo with the claims made on the packaging.

The humx thing might work for you. I still think you be best served by reproducing the squeal, and then systematically removing one item at a time from your signal chain until you identify the culprit.

[FuzzHugger]

Getting hum sounds like a normal / common issue (with tons of causes)
Getting random squeals, not as common, not from cables.

While I agree that it's best to know exactly what's causing the issue...but there's nothing wrong trying the everything approach. Cause there's nothing wrong with improving other areas on your way to solving the problem.

Might contribute to the problem, might be unrelated but worth doing anyway:
- Make sure your guitar is shielded/grounded properly.
- Try a snap-on ferrite RF choke at the start of your chain or inside your guitar before the output jack.
- Got dimmer switches, florescents, or cathode ray tube computer monitors in the room? Got a cell phone in your pocket? I've had all of those create noise and/or weird sounds.

[HeavyXIII]

Well I figured out the issue. It's a new pedal I got recently; from this forum interestingly enough. I'll have to send Taylor from Iron Ether an email to figure out exactly what's up.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[Dogbrainz]

I recently managed to get rid of a lot of hum and signal loss by removing a few pedals from my pre-amp chain. I still have alot of pedals thru my amps fx loop but don't have hum probs anymore. I think maybe hum gets amplified more when it comes from before your amp rather than in the fx loop. It worked for me but I'm no gear guru.

[lapsteel]

If it isn't the power supply or some fluorescent lighting, computers or whatever, then the next culprit to look out for is the guitar itself.
Most stock guitars come poorly shielded or not shielded at all. Sometimes they even have ground loops in the harness. Either way I would take a econo jack cable and a properly shielded guitar over a primo jack cable and a poorly shielded guitar. Assuming there are no gomer issues like a loose connection, damaged cable or worn out jack, patch cables are the last place I would spend money on to reduce signal noise levels.

[rustywire]

How are you powering the pedals, isolated outs supply? daisy chain? numerous wall warts? batteries?

In any event, a voltage regulator/line conditioner is a wise investment for anyone with tube gear, especially if you live in a major metropolitan area.

Garbage in = garbage out.