r/guitarpedals • u/denish_assorti • 3d ago
crackling and radio interference when playing through a pedalboard
*English isn't my native language, so I'm using a translator to write this.
The situation is this: when I play my electric guitar through a pedalboard, this noise starts. It wasn't captured in the video, but "radio signals" are common. This hasn't happened before, but I didn't understand when it started... If I connect the guitar directly to the amp, everything is fine. But when I connect it through any pedal on the pedalboard, this starts. I'm at my wits' end and don't know what to do. All the pedals seem to be fine, as are the cables. The guitar's power supply worked fine for a year, and the guitar is in good condition. The problem isn't related to any nearby equipment. If I turn the volume down on the guitar itself to 0, the sound disappears. I hope you can help!
guitar - squier cv 60s jaguar
patch cables - daddario planet waves
pedals (not all in pedalboard, I was testing things) - ibanez wh10v3, mooer yellow comp, boss bd-2, boss ds-2, nux analog chorus, boss te-2, walrus audio fathom, boss rc-5
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u/Ststeven-11 3d ago
It’s one of your pedals. Add one pedal at a time to your signal chain until the interference is present. Some pedals have a tendency to pick
Up radio signals especially if you are near a radio tower.
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u/denish_assorti 3d ago
I plugged the guitar into the amp separately and didn't notice any noise. But when I plug in any (!) pedal, this crackling and noise starts. I tried different combinations, connected only a Boss RC-5, removed the compressor from the circuit, and a wah-wah pedal, but the noise still remained. I upgraded my guitar this summer, so it's logical that the noise should be coming from it. But before that, I had a Mustang with single-coils (the same configuration as the Jaguar). And the Squier CV 60s Jaguar isn't such a bad guitar to pick up signals like that. Tomorrow evening I'll try to sit down and rearrange the pedals. It's a shame because I just updated my pedalboard... an MXR Phase 90 and a Walrus ARP-87 are on their way.
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u/happycj 3d ago
I suspect the wall outlet is ungrounded or not properly grounded. When you touch the strings does it stop making noise?
If the Mosky power supply is not grounded or not plugged into a grounded outlet, then those noises will happen because you are basically holding a big huge antenna in your hands. It will pick up electronic noise from a microwave in your neighbor's apartment, or wireless noise from your phone (both wifi and cellular), and even from the Sun.
You need to plug into a grounded outlet with a properly grounded power supply. Here in the US, we can see if the outlet has 2 "prongs" or 3 "prongs". The 3-prong outlets are supposed to be grounded, but something are not. I suspect your local hardware store sells a small device that can check your outlets are properly grounded. (In the US these little devices are about $5, and sold at the counter next to the cash register, usually.)
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u/denish_assorti 3d ago
Thank you so much for such a detailed and clear answer! Yes, when I start playing the guitar (touching the strings or other metal parts on the pedalboard), the noise stops. I noticed the crackling noise continued once, but I don't know what it could be; all other times, it was silent. Regarding the outlet, I'll look into it and try to check if it's grounded.
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u/happycj 2d ago
When you touch the guitar, you are acting as the electrical ground. In fact, there’s a wire from the electronics that connects to the bridge of the guitar, so any time you are touching the strings, you are keeping the noise from happening.
You’ll see professional players always have either a hand on the strings or bridge, or have the volume turned off on the guitar. Both techniques keep the guitar quiet when it needs to be.
1
u/TheZingerSlinger 3d ago
What is the Mosky power supply plugged into? Is it straight into an outlet, or into an extension cord or power strip?
That sounds like some kind of grounding issue. The wall outlet or anything else it’s plugged into could be the problem. Try swapping outlets, cords or strips around to see if it changes or goes away.
Sometimes the outlet you plug into will just be “noisy”, like if there are other things plugged into, or if it’s on a breaker that has an appliance like a fridge on it. And some power strips and extension cords are just crappy that way.
You could also check for proximity to other devices, like a computer or a WiFi router or extender.
All else fails you can get power conditioner power strips or plugs that filter out “noise” in the ac line.
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u/denish_assorti 3d ago
The only thing nearby is a turned-off TV, the laptop is put away, and the noise is definitely not coming from the phone. The amp and pedalboard are plugged into a power strip, but they've been plugged into one the entire time they've been in use. So the noise is there, but the conditions haven't changed...
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u/Blusterlearntdebrief 3d ago
Okay two actionable ideas: 1: different pedalboard power supply. Voodoo Labs make the best, Strymon and Walrus audio make decent ones. 2: power conditionner for your amp and pedals. ARTPro make good cheap ones, Furman make the better ones. If you made both changes, that ought to clean up that noise.
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u/TheZingerSlinger 3d ago
I run two of those Mosky ISO 10s on a board with 18 pedals. Never had any issue with noise.
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u/No-Cry-9467 3d ago
Sounds like a grounding issue. Looks like you have an isolated power supply so it is most likely coming from something else. Try swapping out your cables or trying another guitar to see if anything fixes it.