Todd H. wrote:
> Remo Shiva <remo-shiva@blueyonder.co.uk> writes:
>
>> Hey,
>>
>> I have a fairly old and quite cheap USB audio/midi interface (Edirol
>> UA-20), I was wondering how I could, if it's even possible, get rid of
>> the high pitch pc noises I can hear through my monitors (pair of KRK
>> Rokit6 connected through RCAs). I have updated to the latest ASIO
>> drivers for this particular card and have tried to keep all the wires
>> apart to stop them picking up unwanted electrical noises, but I'm left
>> with this rather annoying and quite loud PC sound when I play
>> audio. When Cubase and Reason aren't open, and windows media player
>> isn't playing anything, they are silent. Am I to assume this is a
>> driver/card problem then?
>
> I'd be curious to know how the noise changes with changing the
> windows volume control. Given what you've described, I'd expect it
> got vary in proportion to the windows volume control. I'd point the
> finger at the sound card hardware itself.
>
> Another test to try is putting a battery power ipod or similar device
> and playing the speakers through the ipod while the speaker's input
> lead is in the same position it is when plugged into the PC. This a/b
> test could eliminate the speakers' power supply or noise induced onto
> the line level input leads as causes.
>
I actually tried messing with the volume control in windows and it made
no difference to the high pitch noise. When I have a tune on pause in
the media player, or when I have cubase or reason open you can hear it.
But as soon as they are closed, or I actually hit stop on the tune in
WMP, the sound stops and my monitors are silent, ruling out the mains
cables for the monitors. I can't try running anything through the
speakers because I have nothing with RCA outputs apart from this card,
an ipod doesn't have these.
>> And if so, will buying a new card sort this issue out? Which would you
>> guys suggest are good ones to go for? My budget is around £150 (not
>> much I know, music is a hobby not a job for me). Any external card
>> would have to be USB though.
>
> Give the Griffin iMic a whirl. Quite inexpensive little USB audio
> interface. * w w w .griffintechnology . com /products/imic Nice
> little clean audio capture device too.
That iMic thing is quite useless for what I need, I need outputs for
studio monitors, either unbalanced RCAs or balanced XLRs
>
>> Cheers for any help/advice, if I could get rid of the noises with this
>> card and save myself some cash I'll be a very happy man :)
>
> Curious do you have a wireless access point active anywhere near your
> PC? What happens when you turn it off? How bout when you unplug
> your network cable? Is it possible that the wall wart power
> supply of the speakers might be involved somehow?
>
No wireless here, I'm on a wired network, and if wireless devices were a
problem then it would happen all the time wouldn't it?
Anyway, thanks a lot for taking the time to reply :)