Lp To Cd Hum

[copshop272]

I get rather loud hum while recording which dimishes the enjoyment of the transfered recording. After investigation I believe my sound card is the culprit(turtle beach). I record via line in, is their a way around this problem. Is it possible to record via Mic or other input....I even switched mini preamps but the problem persists..........would appreciate your expertise...thanks..........rob

[Mike V]

Have you muted all the other inputs to your soundcard? That might help. Also, proximity of your amp/turntable to your CPU and monitor could cause some serious hum. I've notice my cartridge picks up a lot of hum with the monitor on, so I turn it off while recording. It lowers the noise floor a little.

Also, do a little experiment and see if the hum is coming from your card or not by listening to the signal through your preamp with headphones. If you're experiencing hum, your problem is higher up the chain than your soundcard.

[Grant]

Steve says that most hum is a result of ground-loops. Some hum may be the result of florecent lighting, refriorators, clocks, you name it!

The first thing you want to do is make sure that your equipment is properly grounded. I use a Monster power strip that reduces RF frequencies.

Some carts are more sensitive to RF than others. Grados are especialy sensitive. I found out the hard way.

Make sure your cart lead wires are firmly in place with no breaks.

If you have lots of wires and cables in the back of your system and they are unavoidable, make sure that the cables cross each other at 90 degree angles.

Make sure that your RCA patch cables or digital cables are in good condition and are plugged in snugly. I personally use audiophile interconnects. I find them to be much less, or insensitive to RF. They also sound very good and help you to make some damn nice LP-to-CD-R transfers. I am partial to MIT, but when I get some cash to burn I am going to try Transparent Audio.

Make sure that all inputs except the line in are muted in the soundcard(s).

The bad thing is, many computers generate noise, especially modems. With my old Ensoniq card I could hear the mouse! I have had no problem with either of the two Turtle Beach cards I have used in my old Gateway.

RF hum can come from anywhere, but it's all too easy for people to blame the card. The Santa Cruz is a relatively quiet card, especially for it's price range!

[metalbob]

Make sure there is no television on in the room you are doing it and, as stupid as this sounds, if your cables are running near Cable TV cable, disconnect it from wherever it is going. I live in a small apartment and everything is pretty close. I kept getting hum and after trying 50 things, tried disconnecting the cable and it worked, believe it or not.

BOB

[sgraham]

The line input is the correct one to use.

Try plugging the stereo and computer into the same AC outlets (use extension cords if necessary. Try using a different pair of audio cables. Keep the audio cables away from power lines, and cross them at right angles if necessary. Finally, if the hum goes away when you unplug either end of the audio cable, look for a pair of transformers to "balance" your audio lines and break the ground loop. Radio Shack may have them.