darwynism
Aight fellas, I went out and bought the "Ground-Loop Isolator" from Radio Shack and this did sh**. I'm haveing a real hard time with distortion. Not often but when it does it f's up everything.
This is my set up... laptop with external sound card (m-audio, audiophile usb). This is all I use and when I plug into any export item ie: amp, mixer etc... I get this real bad distortion and I yet cant find the reason why. It doesnt happen always but when it does it sucks.
Please help!
PS: spinning live at the club once and the distortion came out and wow, that wasnt very good. I dropped a real good track right after to save me but ya get the jif.
This is my set up... laptop with external sound card (m-audio, audiophile usb). This is all I use and when I plug into any export item ie: amp, mixer etc... I get this real bad distortion and I yet cant find the reason why. It doesnt happen always but when it does it sucks.
Please help!
PS: spinning live at the club once and the distortion came out and wow, that wasnt very good. I dropped a real good track right after to save me but ya get the jif.
Posted Sat 16 Jul 05 @ 6:57 pm
bagpuss
This must be to do with your settings, or your encoding with a dodgey program that's affecting your levels, when I extract from CD's, I keep the levels as they are, which is normally a good level, then it's just a case of setting up VDJ right, with good levels, and adjusting gain at the mixer when needed.
VDJ settings: Gain at -3.5 or less, auto gain on, limiter off, always match, this is the setting for a consitentely good level, 7-8 at the mixers vol faders, mixer gain at 0 or less, and don't max output it, the Amp is good at 50%..
I hope this helps you, if you have already met these basic settings, and are still having problems, please do inform me ;).
Bagpuss
VDJ settings: Gain at -3.5 or less, auto gain on, limiter off, always match, this is the setting for a consitentely good level, 7-8 at the mixers vol faders, mixer gain at 0 or less, and don't max output it, the Amp is good at 50%..
I hope this helps you, if you have already met these basic settings, and are still having problems, please do inform me ;).
Bagpuss
Posted Sat 16 Jul 05 @ 7:48 pm
darwynism
Thanks Bagpuss! I will try this out and get back to you. Thanks again!
Posted Sat 16 Jul 05 @ 8:02 pm
darwynism
Bagpuss,
I did what you said and nada. Still the same problem and I keep getting the distortion. Is this a problem with VDJ?
I did what you said and nada. Still the same problem and I keep getting the distortion. Is this a problem with VDJ?
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 3:19 am
Rune (DJ-In-Norway)
It does seem like the ground loop eliminator did not eliminate the problem..
try connecting your laptop to a outlet WITHOUT ground, or use an extention cord, without ground.
That small "trick" can be enough to get rid of nasty humms from ground loop issues..
try connecting your laptop to a outlet WITHOUT ground, or use an extention cord, without ground.
That small "trick" can be enough to get rid of nasty humms from ground loop issues..
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 3:28 am
darwynism
dj in norway,
what do you mean without ground? I really dont understand what you are trying to say? Should I just plug it into a wall socket and not a surge protector?
what do you mean without ground? I really dont understand what you are trying to say? Should I just plug it into a wall socket and not a surge protector?
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 4:04 am
darwynism
Is this a known issue with VDJ? Can it be the sound card that I have? Does anyone have this sound card (M-Audio, Audiophile USB) with a laptop?
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 4:47 am
Rune (DJ-In-Norway)
its NOT an issue with VDJ, but a problem with laptops and electrical circuts.. very common in fact, at clubs and even at home..
first, to know its really a ground loop problem, disconnect laptop from power, and run on batteries..
if the humming disappear when removing the cord from laptop, it IS a ground loop problem..
try these fixes :
1) try connecting to different power outlets - different ones for different pc equipment you are using
2) try connect straight to a power outlet, that does NOT have ground (if possible in your country)
3) get a power extention cord, that does not have ground
when you say ground loop elimitator (thats usually works good) from RADIO SHACK, my guess is that you are in USA. Not sure if you have non-grounded outlets in the states...
there have been posts about removing one of the prongs, but i'm not sure about the safety etc with this... maybe someone else does, or Google can give you some answers to that
first, to know its really a ground loop problem, disconnect laptop from power, and run on batteries..
if the humming disappear when removing the cord from laptop, it IS a ground loop problem..
try these fixes :
1) try connecting to different power outlets - different ones for different pc equipment you are using
2) try connect straight to a power outlet, that does NOT have ground (if possible in your country)
3) get a power extention cord, that does not have ground
when you say ground loop elimitator (thats usually works good) from RADIO SHACK, my guess is that you are in USA. Not sure if you have non-grounded outlets in the states...
there have been posts about removing one of the prongs, but i'm not sure about the safety etc with this... maybe someone else does, or Google can give you some answers to that
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 5:28 am
Rune (DJ-In-Norway)
you can read more about it here :
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/groundloop/
ยจ http://www.termpro.com/articles/noise.html
if not possible to connect to a non-grounded outlet, you could get an isolator like this :
http://www.bpmdigitaldjgear.com/product_info.php/products_id/109
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/groundloop/
ยจ http://www.termpro.com/articles/noise.html
if not possible to connect to a non-grounded outlet, you could get an isolator like this :
http://www.bpmdigitaldjgear.com/product_info.php/products_id/109
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 5:32 am
clax
Thanks for these links dj in norway. Very usefull.
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 7:16 am
ivar
can you still hear the music when the distortion appears ?
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 9:43 am
bagpuss
No it's not a problem with VDJ, as these settings give a constant level, as your reporting distortion.., it is probably a ground loop problem, I had this for a while too, it was just a case of moving cables and wires apart from each each other, the laptop power cord and hifi powercord.., are they side by side or within a meter?..
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 11:41 am
frd1963
Yeah, beware that the big transformer box of most laptop power adapters is a very noisy piece of equipment, as far as EMI. Keep it far away from audio cables, especially unbalanced cables. I think Dells are particularly noisy; I had one and tried several things with varying degrees of success such as placing inside a metal coffee can, rotating it 90 degrees, and other things that should logically have made a difference, but the best results came from just using a ground lift on it.
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 7:11 pm
darwynism
Thanks everyone for all the info. I will try this out tonight and keep everyone posted. By the way, I have a Compaq laptop.
Posted Tue 19 Jul 05 @ 7:56 pm
digijoc-Mele
Everyone is trying to help, but I think before we can provide darwynism with the proper answer, we have to understand exactly what he means by distortion.
@darwynism, if you have a ground loop problem you will hear a fairly loud "hum" with no audio playing from vDJ. In fact you may even hear it without vDJ loaded. If that is the case, then when I had the problem I never found a radio shack product that worked, but I certainly found : http://www.xitel.com/product_gli.htm which does an absolutely perfect job of eliminating ground loops. But if you use this product, you must remember that you need one for each audio output from your laptop.
If the hum is not the symptom, but "distortion" of the music, as it would sound if your music is way too loud or your speakers are being way over-driven, then your problem is within the audio subsystem or sound levels of your laptop. Things to check are; does the audio sound ok into a headphone from the onboard soundcard ? Do you have a BASS & TREBLE setting for the soundcard that is set to MAX ? In vDJ, as someone else suggests, lower your volumes (I kno U must have done this already)
darwynism, let us know which of these scenarios match your problem and try to be a little more accurate with your description.
@darwynism, if you have a ground loop problem you will hear a fairly loud "hum" with no audio playing from vDJ. In fact you may even hear it without vDJ loaded. If that is the case, then when I had the problem I never found a radio shack product that worked, but I certainly found : http://www.xitel.com/product_gli.htm which does an absolutely perfect job of eliminating ground loops. But if you use this product, you must remember that you need one for each audio output from your laptop.
If the hum is not the symptom, but "distortion" of the music, as it would sound if your music is way too loud or your speakers are being way over-driven, then your problem is within the audio subsystem or sound levels of your laptop. Things to check are; does the audio sound ok into a headphone from the onboard soundcard ? Do you have a BASS & TREBLE setting for the soundcard that is set to MAX ? In vDJ, as someone else suggests, lower your volumes (I kno U must have done this already)
darwynism, let us know which of these scenarios match your problem and try to be a little more accurate with your description.
Posted Thu 21 Jul 05 @ 1:23 am
darwynism
Thank again everyone! Well, to come to conclusion, my audiophile usb is the one that is giving off the distortion. I use it for the sound to output and also tried it to my headphones and same thing. I inverted the sound to come out of my laptop and yes it worked but the distortion came now from my headphones. I also found out that when I inverted the sound cards (through VDJ), I got the record skipping 2 (twice) within an hour. That wasnt good at all at the club last night. Sooo, I've been doing the search with everyones help here (thanks again) and wanted to ask about the "echo digital indigo dj card"? Does this work better then the Maya 44? It seems smaller to carry around then the Maya 44. Help again guys! Thanks so so much.
Posted Sat 06 Aug 05 @ 7:24 pm
antileon
Could the problem be faulty ground?
Posted Sun 07 Aug 05 @ 9:02 am
Raw-Bear
Ahhhh...yes...a faulty ground is a very good place to look. Make sure all your hardware is grounded proper.
Also what about volume controls? At what level are you running your gain, master, pod and amplifier volume controls?
Also what about volume controls? At what level are you running your gain, master, pod and amplifier volume controls?
Posted Sun 07 Aug 05 @ 3:26 pm
mcgiver73
yes... sounds like your output volume into the amplifier may be to loud... turn down your volume on the computer output and use the amplifiers gain instead..
Posted Sun 07 Aug 05 @ 10:15 pm
darwynism
The volume is one forth out. Gounding issues, nah, I dont think thats the case. If so then how does that help me if the sound is being distorted into my head set when I invert the sound on VDJ? Does anyone have the m-aduio audiophile usb? Maybe that can help me as well if you have came across this issue too. But can someone tell me between the mya 44 and the echo indigo dj, would anyone recommend one over the other? All I need is 2 outputs for my rca to mixer or even a 1/8" to rca. Either one will work. Thanks guys! Help again!
Posted Mon 08 Aug 05 @ 2:59 pm
