Dealing with monitor-specific buzz, make sure your channel aux sends are set to post-fader so when you mute the channel, you are also muting the monitor aux send. Dealing with a house-speaker buzz, you should be able to find the offending channel if it is a channel-specific problem. Then, either boost the monitor or the house volume depending on where the buzz is emanating. Locating the general source of the buzzĪsk the band be quiet.
A simple test for monitors is asking a musician to listen to the monitors when the band is quiet.Īudio is routed through your system in many different ways and therefore, when you know where the buzz is emanating, you can focus on the signal chain for that particular output. Otherwise it’s in the house or the house as well as the monitors. If you still hear it, it’s coming exclusively from the monitors. Tracking down buzz, in-ears and recordings aside, start by turning down the house volume. Recording: In this case, you hear the buzz when you listen to your recording of the service.In-ear-monitors: You’ll hear the buzz in the house or the stage monitors but you’d hear a musician tell you there is buzz in their in-ears.There are four primary areas where buzz can emanate The first step you should take in tracking down the source of buzz is determining where the sound is emanating. It’s that last one which is covered in this article. Problem buzz: Buzz that’s produced as an indication of failing equipment, failed equipment, or improperly connected equipment.Caused when more than one piece of equipment in the sound system is connected to a common ground through different paths, like different electrical outlets on the same circuit. Ground loop hum: Noise from the building’s AC power lines which are attached to your system.Crossed cables: Any time an unbalanced cable is run in parallel with an electrical cable, then the audio cable will pick up interference.Bad gain structure: If you aren’t providing a high signal-to-noise ratio then that noise could be typical line noise from a mixer channel.Buzzy audio has been the source of many an email I’ve received and today you’ll learn the process for tracking down that audio buzz and stopping it.Īudio system noise comes from a variety of sources. A close second is the first unexplainable rattle emanating from your new car. Buzz in an audio system might be the most annoying sound you’ll ever hear.