What is this noise??? Any help ASAP would be much appreciated.

[gemini86]

Another note worth mentioning.

There is an online UPS on the mains. He bought it years ago to actually try to get rid of the noise, but it does nothing even when running the entire building off battery power. (it has two huge batteries that can run the entire desk plus a rack full of gear plus lights for 30 minutes)

We've disconnected it to see if that's the problem. No dice. So, even when disconnected from the grid, we're getting it, which to me, says NOT coming in from the line.

 

[Gus]

Another studio noise problem
http://sictransitphiladelphia.org/2013/05/04/philaredditor-silverliner-vs-cause-rf-interference-in-audio-equ

When you disconnected the UPS are you sure it is off 100%, did you disconnect the batteries?  What I mean is anything still powered on when disconnected?  1 second could be a set sample the line time.

 

[gemini86]

By disconnected, I mean removed... Unplugged and discarded. We made sure it was powered down and nothing was happening.

But, again, the UPS was brought in to try to solve the actual problem. to try to use it as a "generator" of sorts.

 

[pucho812]

but why would the nose suddenly get louder and more frequent?

to drive you crazy.

On a more serious question have you tried powering down the various electrical circuits  in the breaker box to see if the noise goes away?

 

[gemini86]

Not yet. As I mentioned earlier, I'm planning another session and I'm going to go in there better equipped to sniff for noise without being plugged in.

I'm trying to think of some kind of specialist that would have some heavy equipment that we could hire to investigate. Would the FCC even care about this? It seems to affect the entire block at least. I'm on the same end of town, in fact I'm closer to the airport than him, and I have no problems whatsoever with this. And my house doesn't even have conduit around the wiring.

 

[Brian Roth]

Years ago, I bought one of these from Ebay:

http://www.gryphon-inc.com/Spec%20Sheets/Power%20Monitoring/917010A%20-%20ONEView.pdf

It allows you to safely connect a scope to the AC mains and snoop.

As far as the FCC goes, you mentioned being unable to hear it on a radio.  So, I doubt that the FCC would care.


Bri

 

[zamproject]

call SETI  :-X

Nothing in mind that haven't been say before, but just an observation.
Your scop show a 3k6 wave, it's 60hz cubic...
Is there any electrical or electro-mechanical system providing this?

Zam

 

[bruce0]

We've disconnected it to see if that's the problem. No dice. So, even when disconnected from the grid, we're getting it, which to me, says NOT coming in from the line.

Caution, when disconnecting the UPS from the grid, do it with the breaker.  You don't want to loose the ground (really bad things can happen).

You could throw the main breaker shut the whole house down, and keep the ground run the desk off the UPS... then at least you know it is not in the house.

Electrical fences don't have to be outside the city...  invisible dog fences (look for dogs with boxes on their necks).

 

[pucho812]

wait did you mention earlier that the noise is effecting other places in the neighborhood? If so then call the DWP, department of water and power.

 

[gemini86]

My friend did say that "the neighbors have the same thing at their places too, except for the auto shop." I don't know what he means by that, since it's not audible. I'll have to ask him to elaborate.

Electrical fences don't have to be outside the city...  invisible dog fences (look for dogs with boxes on their necks).

It's my understanding that those systems are not electrified, but send a low power wireless signal around the perimeter that will cause the collar to send a shock when it senses the buried 'fence'. They should be a constant signal, not like the pulsing high voltage horse fences that I've encountered. (those are usually more of a tick tick tick tick, sort of thing.)

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. It's given me plenty to think about, and also helped guide me to the next steps in finding the culprit.

 

[StaticRick]

Any update?

 

[Jidis]

Sure enough, I heard the same racket/pattern on the radio!  I walked around the building and finally spotted a security light (probably a mercury vapor or similar) on the rear of the building

Man, I had the *exact* same thing in my last building and wasted way too much time trying to resolve it. I used to have to stop tracking and wait for it to ramp up and disappear again. IIRC, I think I finally figured mine out when I was near an open window or something and actually saw the light attempting to come on while the noise was audible. This was always at night though.

George

 

[gemini86]

Yes, quick update while I'm at work.

We walked all around the neighborhood with a battery powered guitar amp and an old tele cranked to max gain. The power lines are transmitting the noise in the alleyway behind the building. We followed the lines down the alley a little ways and then the noise changed. We finally started to find the fundamental noise, maybe a couple octaves down. We eventually stopped next to a neighboring building with about 6 separate commercial units, each with it's own power meter outside and the noise seemed to be the loudest there. I'll try to get a decent recording of it, but I'm starting to suspect the noise is coming from one of those commercial units.

 

[kilmister]

What a little miracels ears can do

Can you walk around the units with your amp to see if one of them is louder than any else?

 

[gemini86]

At this point we're just going to hand it over to the power company. They've been out a few times to look at the power coming into the studio and they've said it's clean (and I'm pretty sure it is as well, since the noise is still there if you unplug the building from the grid and run it off the UPS.

 

[bruce0]

Sounds like there is something in the "Commercial units" that is radiating.

It is interesting that the sound changes to a lower frequency when you go to the end of the alley.. Perhaps the HF harmonics have more energy and so make it to the studio, but near the source you get the whole range.

Maybe call the FCC, because it sounds like it may be transmitting.

What do they do in the commercial units?  Maybe a polite professional visit would be a place to start.

 

[gemini86]

I haven't talked to my friend in the last couple days, so I don't know what he's done as of yet. I'm sure he'd be the first guy to go knock on some doors and shake some hands. As far as "transmitting" the noise, I have a theory as to why we can pick it up over the air in our studio, but not on the lines. They're on a separate transformer coming off the power lines, so is it possible that whatever dirt they're injecting into their mains could be traveling up to the transformer and then become "broadcast" over the power lines? The noise is easy to pick up when standing underneath the lines and easier still near any of the transformers in the alley.