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I recently got a brand new computer. Everything was fine until I plugged my electric guitar into my amp. When I switch on my guitar amp (guitar speaker) I can hear a weird noise. It sounds like the noise that that goes through your speakers when you put your mobile phone next to it.

There is nothing wrong with my guitar or guitar amp and I didn't have any similar problems with my old computer. Can anyone help me?

sblair
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Mury
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2 Answers2

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Its probably EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). This happens with cell phones and anything else that puts out a signal. In your case, its your guitar amp which is probably leaking electricity or other signals, which get picked up on your speakers.

TheLQ
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TheLQ is correct, but to be more specific in your case the amp is "receiving" a rouge signal from somewhere. If your amp is not connected to your computer in any fashion then I would first make sure the outlets you are using are properly grounded (three holes instead of two). Do not use one of those little gray adapters for your computer or your amp. If the outlet(s) you are using are properly grounded then the most likely source of the sound is from a wireless device somewhere. It could be a cell phone, a cordless phone, a bluetooth adapter, a wireless router, etc. Start unplugging wireless devices one by one until you locate the source, then remedy as you see fit.

ubiquibacon
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  • Or it could have been a neighbor's device. – AndrejaKo Dec 27 '10 at 03:44
  • @AndrejaKo that is possible, but unlikely I think. It is more likely that the device in question is within close proximity. – ubiquibacon Dec 27 '10 at 04:29
  • i dont have any wireless device at home and that weird sound starts when i start my computer ...actually when i turn on my computer it shows the motherboard's brand (NO weird noise coming from my amp at that point) and when it starts booting from hard disk, it starts to making that noise... and i put my old hard disk then try again (which was working perfectly) but nothing changed... – Mury Dec 30 '10 at 15:33
  • @Mury you don't have ANY wireless devices? Cordless phone? Wireless mouse or keyboard? Bluetooth or WIFI enabled motherboard? Also, is your amp connected to your PC in any way, shape, or form (with USB cable, 1/4" stereo cable, 1/8" stereo cable, etc.)? – ubiquibacon Dec 30 '10 at 23:04
  • y amp not connected my computer .. and today i realized that, when i go away from my computer with my guitar, that noise is goes away too ....if i go out of my room with my guitar there is no weird sound(just my guitar sound coming from my amp).. but when i sit in front of my computer with my guitar that weird sound stars again.. i think my guitar works like an antenna ... Btw on electric guitars there are magnets (pickups) maybe the pickups picking up the sound? – Mury Dec 31 '10 at 05:09
  • That sounds like your guitar is picking up EMI from your computer, perhaps from your graphics adapter? In any case, yes guitars can be sensitive to "noisy" electronics. You might notice fluorescent lights and dimmed lights doing the same thing. Talk to a guitar tech about adding better grounding and copper shielding to the electronics inside your guitar. – Shannon Nelson Dec 31 '10 at 06:21
  • @Mury your guitar probably has single coil pickups, which are notorious for picking up everything. I would guess if you had humbucker pickups then the problem would go away. If one of your friends has a guitar with humbuckers it might be a good test to plug his in to your gear and see what happens. – ubiquibacon Dec 31 '10 at 11:32
  • i got 1 guitar with humbucker and 1 guitar with single coil and there is no diffrence same sound... – Mury Jan 03 '11 at 03:32
  • @Shannon Nelson i ll talk to some guitar techs about this.. but i used my old computer to see if its making the same noise, and there was no noise... if i get a better power supply like 800w (current i am using 500w power supply) would the noise go away ? ..my old computer had dual core and the new one has 6 core .. maybe my cpu is taking to much power and creating this noise? ....and thanks for the help guys – Mury Jan 03 '11 at 03:41
  • @Mury if the noise is there with your new computer but is not with your old computer then your new computer is producing some type of interference. The PSU (as you have hinted at) is a possible cause. Maybe try hooking your new PSU to your old computer and see what happens. Play with your internal case grounds too. Logic would denote that we would want all internal case grounds hooked up, but in my experience they can sometimes carry rouge signals. I have an Antec 1200 that has an internal case ground (just a single wire) which will make noise if hooked up, but is quite if unhooked. – ubiquibacon Jan 03 '11 at 18:31
  • @Typoknig thanks ,i ll try to change my psu and see what happens.. – Mury Jan 15 '11 at 13:55