Noise problem with my modular system

Hi guys,

As I'm new to the world of modulars, I've just bought a beautiful case from Eowave (https://www.modularsquare.com/fr/shop/eowave/6u-studio-case-104hp-power-supply-2/).

After all my modular dreams had finally come true, a few problems brought me back to the harsh reality of all the technical adjustments to be made before actually making music.

The source of all my misery is a noise that is present all the time and is loud enough to be heard on the recording. I've tried various things to remedy this problem:

1) I changed my speaker cables so that they were balanced.

2) I then thought it was a ground loop problem. So I bought a box (https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0CQC7P7WD?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) that reduced the noise. But it's still there.

3) Then I thought the noise was coming from my old mixer so I bought a new one. It didn't change the problem.

4) Finally, I'd been told that the Eowave power supply that came with my case (https://modulargrid.net/e/eowave-source-d-energie) wasn't great quality and could be causing noise. So I bought the Behringer CP1-A power supply module (https://modulargrid.net/e/behringer-cp1-a). But the noise is still there.

I'm running out of solutions to this problem and I'm beginning to despair.

I know the problem is with my modular system because the other machines I plug in and record are not producing any noise. I've also made sure that I respect the limitations of my power supply.

If you have any idea what it could be, I'd love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Hoggres

Here is my case :)

!

Sorry you're having this trouble. Nothing mutes the joy of music making quite like a tech issue. I don't have any solutions, but bumping this in case more people will comment with ideas; it would suck for you to get this close to enjoying modular only to be stymied by annoying noise.

Though I don't have solutions, I do have a few thoughts.
* Is your audio coming through clean, but also has this noise, or is the audio itself distorted?
* Can you describe your external interface situation / what is the outboard mixer?
* What are you runnning your pre-amp module into / at what point are you introducing the balanced cables?
* Do you have a recording of the sound? Maybe one of the more keen-eared electrically minded folks here can identify it.
* Output module - I'm not familiar with your output module, and I certainly don't mean to bad-mouth a company I'm not familiar with, but perhaps it's introducing some noise? Also, it's description on the manufacturing page says that it's main use is to go from line level (significantly lower signal) to eurorack level (significantly higher signal). If you're already putting a eurorack level signal in there and adding gain, I'd imagine some noise or distortion would be introduced.

• Though I hate to suggest buying another thing, it might be worth trying a different output module, one that can attenuate the eurorack level signal, rather than add gain. What type depends on your workflow and what you're looking for. I'm familiar with the Expert Sleepers' ES-9 and Happy Nerding's Isolator, both of which I can recommend as being clean, but are very different. I've also heard excellent things about the cleanliness of the sound of Joranalogue's Transmit 2 and Frap Tools' CGM/mixer series. All of those directly interface with guitar / balanced cables and may make your system a little more streamlined.

Hope some of this is useful. Best of luck getting to the music making soon!

If you have any idea what it could be, I'd love to hear from you.
-- Hoggres

I don’t have a definitive solution, but I do have a few suggestions to consider:

Approach 1:

Unplug all modules from the power bus. Reconnect the modules one by one. This might help identify if a specific module is causing the noise. If you find the source, consider using a "Noise Killer Plug" on the problematic module: https://www.midi-hardware.com/?section=prod_info&product=NKP

Approach 2:

Take a loose wire and connect one end to the rail of your Eurorack and the other end to the casing of your other equipment (e.g., audio interface, amplifier) or any component involved in your audio signal chain.

Approach 3:

Start by simplifying your audio path to isolate the issue.

Begin with the simplest setup: Eurorack -> amplifier.
Gradually add components: Eurorack -> audio interface -> amplifier. Adapt this sequence based on your actual setup.

Approach 4:

Try using a different sound system. Take your rack to a friend’s place and test it there. If the noise is absent, there might be a device in your home setup (e.g., a refrigerator) causing interference. Rotating power plugs by 180 degrees might help (if your country uses reversible power plugs).

Personal Experience:

I have a "WMD Performance Mixer Mk1" that produced significant noise through my speakers. After connecting this module to a different power supply in my rack (I have eight Meanwell RT-65B units), the noise disappeared. Replacing the Meanwell RT-65B made no difference. This suggests that certain module combinations within the same power supply can create noise issues.

Good luck!

Is the noise persistent even if u pull back all the gain on your modules?
I mean ... i see a stereo preamp, a timewarp distortion and a mix buss distortion before a mod2line convertor.
That to me sounds like a potential gainstaging problem.

Unplug all modules from the power bus. Reconnect the modules one by one. This might help identify if a specific module is causing the noise. If you find the source, consider using a "Noise Killer Plug" on the problematic module: https://www.midi-hardware.com/?section=prod_info&product=NKP

-- modular01

Oh my goodness. I've never heard of these but oh wow they seem useful. Thanks for teaching me something new today!

Oh my goodness. I've never heard of these but oh wow they seem useful. Thanks for teaching me something new today!

-- HGsynth

Essentially, these NKPs are just a collection of capacitors. Many bus boards already have similar components built in. I can’t say for sure if this is an effective solution for eliminating noise, but I assume it could help in certain configurations.

Hey everyone!

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to answer my questions and try to find a solution. It means a lot to me.

I don't have time to look at all this now but I'll get back to you tomorrow to give you a proper answer.

Thanks again for your help

Though I don't have solutions, I do have a few thoughts.
* Is your audio coming through clean, but also has this noise, or is the audio itself distorted?
* Can you describe your external interface situation / what is the outboard mixer?
* What are you runnning your pre-amp module into / at what point are you introducing the balanced cables?
* Do you have a recording of the sound? Maybe one of the more keen-eared electrically minded folks here can identify it.
* Output module - I'm not familiar with your output module, and I certainly don't mean to bad-mouth a company I'm not familiar with, but perhaps it's introducing some noise? Also, it's description on the manufacturing page says that it's main use is to go from line level (significantly lower signal) to eurorack level (significantly higher signal). If you're already putting a eurorack level signal in there and adding gain, I'd imagine some noise or distortion would be introduced.

-- HGsynth

Hey, thank you very much for your answer.

About your questions :
- My audio is clean, I don't think it's a distortion of the sound. It's just that the more I increase the gain, the more noise I get.
- I recently bought this mixer (https://www.thomann.de/fr/the_t.mix_xmix_1202_fx_usb.htm) but i don't think this is the source of the problem because i don't have this issue with others synths that i use. My soundcard is a Komplete audio 2 by Native instruments
- I don't use a preamplifier module as an output but simply to send the audio from my Analog rytm MK2 into the modular system. It's a Sovage engineering Duo stereo. Do you think I should use it as an output?
- I'll try to record a sound soon and send it to you. (Sorry for taking so long to reply, I'm very very busy at the moment)
- I don't think this module is the cause of the noise because I already had this problem before I bought it. I thought that this converter module would allow me to convert the level of the modular to the correct level for my mixer and then allow me to record on Ableton.

In any case, thank you for all your advice. I'm taking note of the modules you've recommended, and I may buy one of them later if I don't find a solution to my problem.

If you have any idea what it could be, I'd love to hear from you.
-- Hoggres

I don’t have a definitive solution, but I do have a few suggestions to consider:

-- modular01

Hi, thank you very much for your suggestions.

I tried already the technics that you mentionned in Approch 3.

Also, since I don't get any noise when I plug in other synths, including when recording, I don't think there's any of the interference described in Approach 4. But I'll keep that in mind in case I run out of solutions.

Approaches 1 and 2 are very interesting and I'm going to try them out as soon as possible. I'm just not sure I understand exactly what Approach 2 is all about. Can you give me a little more detail?

Thank you very much for your help

Is the noise persistent even if u pull back all the gain on your modules?
I mean ... i see a stereo preamp, a timewarp distortion and a mix buss distortion before a mod2line convertor.
That to me sounds like a potential gainstaging problem.

-- Chrissozz

Hey,

I think that's a very interesting idea and I have to admit that I've neglected it a bit or at least didn't understand it properly. In terms of the modules I have, what should I have done correctly to have good gain management?

Thank you very much!