Noisy - why?

[alex1fly]

Wasn't sure where to post this. I have a 4 channel mixer, cheap little Yamaha or something. Many years old. It always had a bit of background noise, but then last year or so the background hiss/fuzz noise really ramped up to the point where the unit isn't usable anymore. The noise only happens on two of the 4 channels, and it happens in all kinds of situations - different spaces, with and without power conditioner, etc. Is it repairable or do you generally just reinvest in something new/better when this happens? Is there a spec or something that you can look at when shopping for mixers to know it has more or less inherent background noise?

 

[beaubrummels]

Does it have pre amps on the channels? Is there shared phantom power on the two bad channels? Could be filter component or filter component connection has gone bad. Could ask the manufacturer for a recommendation of an authorized refurb, and if it’s worth it, send it in; otherwise you’d either be looking at buying an equivalent replacement or buying a second one for parts and DIY the fix.

When buying, look at the Signal To Noise ratio and/or the Noise Floor, if stated. Generally want the SNR to be down around -90db or less if possible. (That’s the noise floor of a digital CD)

 

[NegativeEase]

Wasn't sure where to post this. I have a 4 channel mixer, cheap little Yamaha or something. Many years old. It always had a bit of background noise, but then last year or so the background hiss/fuzz noise really ramped up to the point where the unit isn't usable anymore. The noise only happens on two of the 4 channels, and it happens in all kinds of situations - different spaces, with and without power conditioner, etc. Is it repairable or do you generally just reinvest in something new/better when this happens? Is there a spec or something that you can look at when shopping for mixers to know it has more or less inherent background noise?

What kind of inputs and ouputs are you using? MIcs? Active Mics (+48v phantom)? Line Level Balanced, Unbalanced? Give me typical scenario for your use.

I'm confident I can solve this for you -It's sort of my passion

 

[devastone]

" cheap little" and "Many years old."

Probably cheap caps going bad but to diagnose for sure over the interwebz.

 

[Mincer]

My passion is throwing old broken crap away and buying shiny new crap that has not broken yet.

With a small mixer like this, unless you want to diagnose it as a project, this seems to be the most sensible solution. Cheap mixers can be had all day online.

 

[NegativeEase]

My passion is throwing old broken crap away and buying shiny new crap that has not broken yet.

I reject the idea this needs to live in a landfill

 

[NegativeEase]

Not landfill. E-waste recycling.

. :lmao:

 

[alex1fly]

Thanks all. I'm leaning towards a new purchase. This mixer is at least 11 years old and was probably $150 new. So not a nice piece. I used to perform with it with no issues... couple of SM58s, a piano via 1/4", and a laptop via 1/4". But I'm down to troubleshoot a bit.

It has phantom power, but it's noisy with and without phantom enabled. The noise comes and goes - I can have all 4 channels loaded with XLR mics and/or 1/4 inch cables (hooked up to devices obv) and have no noise, or it can be devoid of any inputs and be noisy. It seems like the noise gets triggered by the main output slider... as in, I can adjust the individual channels fine but when I start to adjust the main volume slider that's when the noise kicks into gear.

 

[NegativeEase]

Thanks all. I'm leaning towards a new purchase. This mixer is at least 11 years old and was probably $150 new. So not a nice piece. I used to perform with it with no issues... couple of SM58s, a piano via 1/4", and a laptop via 1/4". But I'm down to troubleshoot a bit.

It has phantom power, but it's noisy with and without phantom enabled. The noise comes and goes - I can have all 4 channels loaded with XLR mics and/or 1/4 inch cables (hooked up to devices obv) and have no noise, or it can be devoid of any inputs and be noisy. It seems like the noise gets triggered by the main output slider... as in, I can adjust the individual channels fine but when I start to adjust the main volume slider that's when the noise kicks into gear.

Can you repeat the noise without any active devices plugged in as ins or outs?

Like just plug in passive dynamic mics on the input and headphones on the output (make sure it's fead from the master fader) and listen. Is the noise still there? Then Devastone is probably jumped ahead to the right conclusion -caps or pots etc...

 

[alex1fly]

Can you repeat the noise without any active devices plugged in as ins or outs?

Like just plug in passive dynamic mics on the input and headphones on the output (make sure it's fead from the master fader) and listen. Is the noise still there? Then Devastone is probably jumped ahead to the right conclusion -caps or pots etc...

Tried it, yep, still noisy. Good thing my kiddo loves knobs, she can have a new toy to play with. Thanks all.

 

[beaubrummels]

If it has effects loops or built in effects, try killing all those so only actual channel sound is going through the main.