• Menno
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  • Registered: 2011-04-19
  • Posts: 6

Topic: Digital Noise with Babyface

Hello,

I just bought a RME babyface. I'm having a lot of digital noise coming from the 3/4 phones output, which I use as an extra Line Output.
Before the RME, I had a Digi002 rack and never had such noise...

Can anyone help?
Thanks!

  • Registered: 2011-04-20
  • Posts: 3

Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

I had a ton of noise when i used the extension cable.  i unplugged it and everything was fine.  Hope this helps.

  • justw
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  • Registered: 2011-04-18
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Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

I also have some digital noise, but mine appears in my monitors - running a pair of yamahas. Haven't found a solution yet. Did you sort out the noise in your headphones?

  • Menno
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  • Registered: 2011-04-19
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Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

justw wrote:

I also have some digital noise, but mine appears in my monitors - running a pair of yamahas. Haven't found a solution yet. Did you sort out the noise in your headphones?

When I connect headphones to output 3/4, the digital (computer) noise is gone...

5 Reply by etienne (edited by etienne 2011-08-26 13:50:13)

  • Registered: 2011-08-26
  • Posts: 3

Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

Yeah, I'm having the same problem... 3/4 are noise-free, but the main out gives me noise when the sound is activated (eg. playback, engage the totalmix output effects, all the time Ableton Live is open). No difference with/without the extension cable.

The noise is very high-pitched and tires my ears very quickly.

For now, I'll plug my monitors through the headphone jack, but this can't be a permanent solution.

oh, and just playing around with the extension, I've realized that you actually get the sound when the metal surrounding of the BO cable touches the metal of the interface connector (even if no pins are inserted and just on the outside of the connector... even just the screw hole). And this doesn't happen when it touches other metal, just the interface connection (I touched several coins to it to try).

Here's my setup, I'd really appreciate a response from RME as to whether this is "normal" and they have a solution, or I should return it for another.


M2N-MX SE
Athalon 64x2 5600+
Network: onboard NVIDIA nForce 10/100
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 210

Windows XP Home SP3
Totalmix .942
FirefaceUSB .984 rev184

Passive monitors: energy pro22
amp: luxman lv-105u

Thanks for your time.
Étienne.

6 Reply by DavidDaly (edited by DavidDaly 2011-08-26 15:01:36)

  • Registered: 2011-08-19
  • Posts: 10

Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

Hi Etienne,

I have a similar problem which I posted about here

I will try your test to see if it is related to when the metal surrounding of the BO cable touches the metal of the interface connector and post back later.

I too am starting to feel like the BO cable is a far from ideal solution.

7 Reply by etienne (edited by etienne 2011-08-26 17:56:44)

  • Registered: 2011-08-26
  • Posts: 3

Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

Yeah, this whole thing is strange. It actually happens to my amp through the phones jack on the BO and the "on board" jack. So, it's not the XLR-RCA adapters I was using to my amp... but why is only my amp be sensitive to this noise which is clearly related to the audio interface?

very strange.

  • Registered: 2011-08-19
  • Posts: 10

Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

OK - I've carried out a few more tests. I have setup the replacement Babyface and breakout cable. Touching the metal surrounding of the BO cable to the metal of the interface connector does not give me any noise. Screwing the BO cable in to the Babyface reasonably tightly it seems that everything is fine. If I unscrew the BO cable and wiggle it I can get the noise to come back. However I think this was just because some pins were not always making contact as I moved (and, having checked the pin-outs and position of the cable when it happened this still makes sense.

So I now think that whilst the first Babyface/BO cable was almost certainly faulty (as that noise got worse when you tightened up the screws) I think this one is probably fine.

  • Registered: 2011-08-26
  • Posts: 3

Re: Digital Noise with Babyface

I finally solved mine, though it's still funny. I was getting the sound even if I plugged my amp through the Phones jacks. An electrical engineer friend of mine suggested it was a ground loop (my impression was that GL hum was heard at 50/60Hz). At any rate I unplugged another device from my amp and it's completely gone. (I don't know if that means the issue was ground looping though)

To note though, I never saw my noise in total mix...

If anyone knows of an easily understood text/video/site about the infamous ground loop issue, I'd love to see it. It seems very complicated.

Cheers all!