Spectrum Analyzer showing sound when not playing

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I’m working on some drums in Ableton. I have multiple virtual drum samplers in the project. The drum samplers have individual hits routed out to their own Ableton channel\track with processing plugins on them. Then some of those hits from multiple drum samplers (kicks, snares) are routed together for further processing, then all channels (cymbals, room, overhead) routed again to a final Ableton channel\track with further processing on it.

When the track is not playing, my spectrum analyzer shows movement. If I turn the volume on the audio interface up real high I can hear this static\white noise sound. The routing processes all end up in one final Ableton channel\track. If I turn that track off, the spectrum analyzer shows no signal\sound and I cannot hear the static anymore.
So I did some investigation I thought would give me the answer.

1) I thought it would be one or some of the 3rd party plugins I was using, so I turned them all off... but the static\white noise was still there.

2) Then I thought it could be the virtual drum samplers, so I turned them all off.... but the static\white noise was still there.

3) Then I thought hey, maybe it's my audio interface or some ghost in the circuit and it's always been there, I just never noticed it before. So I opened up a completed track I had made previously.... but the spectrum analyzer showed nothing at all when the track was not playing.


The static\white noise also is not stagnant; it will kinda jump up\down in decibels here and there.... like every 2-6 seconds, but not on an exact pattern.


I’m using Ableton 8.2.1 atm. Can anyone give me some ideas of what could be going on here? Has anyone experienced this kind of thing before in Ableton (or even another DAW)?

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I had a problem like this in Ableton when I was using a cheap Behringer interface. Everything was fine until I started routing stuff to different channels, then I would start getting loads of white noise. If I just grouped stuff together instead though it would be fine. I think the problem was that the interface had unbalanced outputs? Not sure tho tbh.

What interface are you using?
 
Take your smarphone (or anything that emits/receive any kind of signal) away from the interface, mate. I use an audiobox interface and random noises started popping here and there. then i realised that it was because my smartphone was too close to it.
 
Take your smarphone (or anything that emits/receive any kind of signal) away from the interface, mate. I use an audiobox interface and random noises started popping here and there. then i realised that it was because my smartphone was too close to it.

Playing at a house party a fair few years back on some shitty kam belt drives. Had my phone down next to the left turntable, someone called me and the turntable started playing backwards.
 
Playing at a house party a fair few years back on some shitty kam belt drives. Had my phone down next to the left turntable, someone called me and the turntable started playing backwards.
Really? lol

People must have thought you were trying to give them some subliminal messages.
 
Take your smarphone (or anything that emits/receive any kind of signal) away from the interface, mate. I use an audiobox interface and random noises started popping here and there. then i realised that it was because my smartphone was too close to it.

That's what I mean by my test labeled number 3 in my explanation (ghost in the system)... I thought it had to be some electrical or mechanical interference in the room causing it. So I opened up a full project with like 30 tracks and loads of 3rd party plugins, but the white noise was no longer there, and the spectrum analyzer showed nothing wile the track was playing.
 
Just checking you've turned off EVERY plug in right? Because some plug in's that have analog emulation/circuitry will emit a hum to replica the flow running through the original hardware box, which is obviously part of the original charm. I know a lot of the waves plug in's do this, plus some of the Slate stuff (VCC) etc. There should be options to turn this off somewhere.

Failing that, I'd ask if you're using a legit version of Ableton/other synths etc, as that might be your answer right there.
 
I had a problem like this in Ableton when I was using a cheap Behringer interface. Everything was fine until I started routing stuff to different channels, then I would start getting loads of white noise. If I just grouped stuff together instead though it would be fine. I think the problem was that the interface had unbalanced outputs? Not sure tho tbh.

What interface are you using?

I think you might be right on the money mate. I'm using a Tascam US-144MKII at the moment. I've been less than impressed with it since I got the thing. I'll have to look it up, but I believe it doesn't have balanced outputs. Never though that could cause an issue with multiple track routing, but my issue sounds very similar to yours. I can group tracks all day long and not have any white noise. I usually group tracks when making my drums, but I'm starting to use a whole new method of making my drums that requires lots of track routing.

I guess I need a new audio interface a lot sooner than I though. Is there any decent ones for around $100-$150?
 
I think you might be right on the money mate. I'm using a Tascam US-144MKII at the moment. I've been less than impressed with it since I got the thing. I'll have to look it up, but I believe it doesn't have balanced outputs. Never though that could cause an issue with multiple track routing, but my issue sounds very similar to yours. I can group tracks all day long and not have any white noise. I usually group tracks when making my drums, but I'm starting to use a whole new method of making my drums that requires lots of track routing.

I guess I need a new audio interface a lot sooner than I though. Is there any decent ones for around $100-$150?

I just picked this up to use with my laptop - http://www.thomann.de/gb/esi_maya_22_usb.htm

Really good little interface for the money, and it has 1/4" balanced connections too so no problems with white noise. Only slight downside is that theres no physical volume control on it, but you instead control the volume with a little software window so no big deal.....can't complain for the size of the thing and the cheap price.
 
Just checking you've turned off EVERY plug in right? Because some plug in's that have analog emulation/circuitry will emit a hum to replica the flow running through the original hardware box, which is obviously part of the original charm. I know a lot of the waves plug in's do this, plus some of the Slate stuff (VCC) etc. There should be options to turn this off somewhere.

Failing that, I'd ask if you're using a legit version of Ableton/other synths etc, as that might be your answer right there.

Those pesky analogue knobs can get really messy! Learnt that the hard way ha. OP deffo check this
 
I just picked this up to use with my laptop - http://www.thomann.de/gb/esi_maya_22_usb.htm

Really good little interface for the money, and it has 1/4" balanced connections too so no problems with white noise. Only slight downside is that theres no physical volume control on it, but you instead control the volume with a little software window so no big deal.....can't complain for the size of the thing and the cheap price.

Looks interesting. To bad it doesn't have a volume knob on it.... Or even some XLR outputs as well. But 1/4' is just fine. More worried about the volume knob. The price is right though. I'd be looking for something basically just like this, but with a volume knob.

How's the latency with it?

:: sent from android with tapatalk ::
 
Just checking you've turned off EVERY plug in right? Because some plug in's that have analog emulation/circuitry will emit a hum to replica the flow running through the original hardware box, which is obviously part of the original charm. I know a lot of the waves plug in's do this, plus some of the Slate stuff (VCC) etc. There should be options to turn this off somewhere.

Failing that, I'd ask if you're using a legit version of Ableton/other synths etc, as that might be your answer right there.

All plugins are turned off when testing. I checked, double, and triple checked in that area thinking that was the best idea of what was causing the issue.

Copy of ableton is legit. Wish I had version 9 and all, but I doubt that's got anything to do with the issue.
 
Looks interesting. To bad it doesn't have a volume knob on it.... Or even some XLR outputs as well. But 1/4' is just fine. More worried about the volume knob. The price is right though. I'd be looking for something basically just like this, but with a volume knob.

How's the latency with it?

:: sent from android with tapatalk ::

If you not bothered about portability then this would probably be better for you - http://www.amazon.co.uk/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-Recording-System/dp/B00154KSA2

I almost got one but went with the Maya as I needed something portable to use with my laptop.....can't remember the latency on the Maya but I know its really low.
 
If you not bothered about portability then this would probably be better for you - http://www.amazon.co.uk/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-Recording-System/dp/B00154KSA2

I almost got one but went with the Maya as I needed something portable to use with my laptop.....can't remember the latency on the Maya but I know its really low.

Nice, that looks like a good unit for a good price range for sure. I see that it's USB 1.1, not USB 2.0. How much of an advantage do the USB 2.0 audio interfaces have over the USB 1's? Do the one that utilize USB 2.0 give far less latency that USB 1? Or better sound quality?
 
Figure out the problem first, then think about spending moneyeto solve it.

Your project thats silent, you .ont happen to not monitor the inpute there, but do in the npisey project?
if turning the track off solves the problem, work backwards from that... turn off each input to that track one at a time until you isolate the guilty one..
 
Man, I tore the whole damn thing apart last night.... got down to a point where it was the "room" track of addictive drums that was causing the white noise. It had fabfilter Saturn on it with heavy saturation. When I turned Saturn off, the white noise would go away. So I search around the Web and find other people with the same issue, Saturn giving off white noise/static even when not being played. this was kind of weird since I already turned off all VST's during my initial test. So I go back to the full project again and remove all instances of saturn, but wouldn't you know... the white noise was still there.

I'm starting to think that the "room" track in addictive drums is putting off a super small amount of static noise, or room "air" since it's attempting to replicate the sound of a drum kit in a room with mics set up at different parts of the drum kit. Then, as I'm routing multiple kits with multiple room tracks and adding compression and saturation down the line and routing those into other tracks with more saturation etcetera, that in the end I end up with this sound becoming louder and louder. But, if I turn off all room tracks, the noise is still there. If I also mute the "room" track within addictive drums, the white noise is still there.

So I'm all confused, back tracking and looking for the issue pointed out the room track and saturn, but removing those elements from the main project still does not kill the white noise.
 
I have this same "problem" when I use multiple instances of ohmicide, but normally it comes in the form of "pop" sounds that appear randomly thoughout the playthrough and when it isn't playing as well. A simple automation on the ammount of it solved the problem (If use FL studio, so i don't know it you can automate the ammount of a plugin using automation on other DAWs).
 
I've noticed a similar thing in Logic. a "hissing" sound, However, I managed to figure out that the sound was from Waves H-Delay.
I turned the "analog" down to 0 and the "sound" disappeared from my project completely.
 
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