Topic: Fireface UC - Hum

Hi, I am having some undesired performance with the Fireface UC. I can hear hum when I connect a microphone with an XLR cable... the hum ceases when I touch the metal end part of the XLR cable which is still connected to the microphone. The problem is not the cable, I already tried different cables. Is my RME defective or is there a problem with grounding of the RME? How can the hum be removed?

Re: Fireface UC - Hum

Hi, I am having some kind of problem. Using the Fireface UC standalone and connecting the microphone I can hear hum. The hum ceases when I plug the USB into the laptop. What could it be?

Re: Fireface UC - Hum

I really think that a representative from RME should reply to this issue. I will not be using a Fireface UC and have in fact returned it to the store for a refund as the hum rendered it totally unusable. I tried it at different locations and at different people's houses and the hum came and went at different locations. What I suspect is going on is that there is some interferance of some sort. I think normally such noise would be flushed out of the system through a ground, however, the Fireface UC does not have a ground. I suspect this is a typical problem of such similar units that do not have a ground connection. I will therefore refrain from using such equipment in the future as it is totally unreliable in terms of background interferance. Make sure to use equipment with proper grounding - a 3 pin connection not a transformer pin. Maybe I'm wrong... but then again I think an RME expert should also express his view.

Re: Fireface UC - Hum

There is no known hum problem or typical issue, neither with the FF400 nor the UC. This may have been an individual issue of the UC, but it could also have had other reasons (cable, mic)...

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Fireface UC - Hum

The fact that the device worked at certain location and didnt work at another seems to me some sort of electrical interferance... the mic and cables used during my test were identical so its excluded that the cable or the mic was faulty. When I touched the top of the fireface or the metal part of the xlr cable the hum was reduced... I think I was actually earthing the device and removing the noise... same thing that happens with ungrounded guitar amplifiers... its fairly common... thats why a ground is always a useful feature.

Re: Fireface UC - Hum

To anyone who may have similar hum problems... I think I may have found a solution.

I was using a Fireface UC with my laptops and getting hum as I already explained above. After returning the Fireface UC I got a replacement audio interface (not an RME one) and got a similar problem. This time, however, I managed to solve the issue it seems... so I don't think there was anything wrong with the Fireface in the first place.

I managed to solve the problem by accident... by simply connecting my usb hub to the other free usb port on my laptop. This seemed to have earthed the system and took out the noise/hum completely!! Therefore I suggest that if you are experiencing such a hum issues, you should try connecting an additional usb device... it worked for me.

Please note in my humble opinion I still strongly believe that all professional audio interfaces/equipment should be equipped with a three prong electrical connection which also provides proper grounding of the device (and in fact almost all high end audio equipment and interfaces have a three pronged electrical connection).

Hope this helps

Re: Fireface UC - Hum

Hi,
I have the same issues and tried almost everything. Is there any possibility to connect a proper power supply with grounding?

Re: Fireface UC - Hum

Hi, there is no way you can install a grounded power supply to the FFUC... in other words you can only use the transformer that comes with it or replace it with another transformer (thats just the way the FFUC was designed)... but that won't give you a grounded power supply at all. The only way to solve the problem is to achieve proper grounding in the system/recording chain through other means. .... I assume you are using a FFUC ok but what else? A MacBook or another laptop? Did you try ro connect another usb device to the laptop as I suggested in my previous post? (above)