Loud \"white noise style\" noise in monitors

[AlainBASSParticipant]

Hello all…
I have a QU-16, and I ran across something for the first time during a show.
For some reason, a loud noise, similar to white noise, came out of one or two monitor mixes randomly during the show. The only way to solve this was to lower the fader of the singer’s mic (or for the singer to stop singing). On the recording of all tracks, the noise is absent, telling me that it was not an input issue. I also recorded FoH on tracks 17 and 18, and the noise is not there (other than the bleeding picked up by microphones on stage).

Any clue what caused the noise ?

[dpdanParticipant]

are you using an amplifier for those monitors?
If you are, then it could be the amp, and it could also be the processing if any before the amp.

If you are using powered monitors and the sound appeared in two monitors, then we can not blame it on monitors,
it can only be something wrong with the console or stage box…. AR2412, AR84 or Audiorack.

[AndreasModerator]

Using a dSnake or conventional analog cabling?
Anyway, from the description this sounds like something digital. Maybe temperature issue? Any effects on the singer’s channel?
ST3 routed to that mix for some reason (ST3 is known to produce some intermittend noise if left unconnected)?

[[XAP]BobParticipant]

ST3 – particularly with QuDrive running…

[DarkmuttonParticipant]

I’ve just had a similar issue with mine. I set up the levels, did a sound check so the band were ready to go. we had ten minutes to kill before the start so i pluged my phone into channels 15&16, as soon as i pressed play it just chucked out ear piercing white noise. I muted all the channels and it was still there, so again not an input problem. I thought then, if i recalled a scene it may reset itself but all it did was to reload the settings inc the master volume and blast out the white noise again. then as quickly as it started it stopped and never repeated itself during the gig.

I’ve spoken to A&H and they think its a fault with the DSP board so the desk is currently away getting looked at.

The funny thing is the desk is only 6 weeks old and 3 weeks ago i had a similar problem where it seemed to get itself into an fx loop and that ended up taking out 3 speaker drivers. Now at the time i thought it was something i had done wrong having just converted to a digital desk but now I’m sure it wasn’t, i was only mixing 1 guitar and 1 vocal mic.

Lets see what the outcome is when it returns, if they find the fault then great otherwise I personally don’t think its fit for purpose.

[DarkmuttonParticipant]

Got a little update on my recent problem, I got my desk back today, after being repaired, with a new DSP board and CPU board. Cheers to A&H for a speedy turn around for me.

[VijkanParticipant]

Apologies, for Reviving this old thread. Wanted to check if the Noise you experienced was similar to the one attached. I got this sample from the LR Mix of a QU-Drive MultiTrack recording from a recent show.
I have the mixer for over a year now and done few shows and never had issues. Till recent. I bought 2 Mackie Thump 12 as Monitors recently 2 weeks back.
1st Show with Mackie as Monitors. The Band complained that they heard the burst of sound intermittently.
2nd Show (same Band) different venue. Mackie Monitors and I heard the sound again. I didn’t hear it in the LR mix. But definitely in the monitors.
3rd Show – Same Mackie as Monitors.This time, I heard the sound in the Monitors and few times in FOH. I initially thought it was a bleed from one of the microphones. But if i mute the LR track in the Multitrack, i don’t hear the noise.

Just to add, both monitors are connected to different Mixes. I don’t know if both have noise at the same time. But once it starts its irritating.

Observations.

When the Overall band is doing slow and light songs, everything is good. As they start picking up the tempo and the overall Volume increases, i first hear it in the monitors.

Any suggestions, welcome.

Attachments:

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[GigaParticipant]

My first test would be to swap the Mackies with FOH speakers and see what happens then.

Good luck !

Giga

[VijkanParticipant]

I replaced the Mackie monitors with 2 New EV ZLX-12 and I had same problem. Previously I had used 2 K-10’s on Mix-1 & Mix-2 and there was no issue, while the Mackie’s were on Mix-3 & 4 and had noise. Recent show, I used K-10’s on Mix-1 and EV’s on Mix-2 & Mix-3. I think ( As its difficult to spot it during the show), the Noise was back on Mix-3.

Any pointers?.

Does A&H have a Support center in NJ, where i can drive down and they can test everything for me. Cannot happen this again in another event.

[GigaParticipant]

Was this with the same band as last time it occurred ? Does the problematic mix gets feed by unique sources (sources that aren’t in the mixes that don’t give problems)?

Can you mirror the mix that is going in the problematic mixes to one or two unused mixes ? That way, if you would still create a amix in the problematix mixes but not connect a wedge to it you could make a qu=drive multitrack recording where you record at least the problematix mixes.

Giga

[MarkPAmanParticipant]

That audio file is less than 1/4 of a second and the noise seems to be only a small part of that, so very difficult to tell what’s going on. However, it sounds nothing like white noise to me. Possibly the sound of something being switched or picking up interference in some way on a live channel? If you’ve recorded it on L+R output, it’ll have nothing to do with any monitors you have connected anyway.

It’s much more likely to be something on an input. Pretty sure the problem will be outside the desk, so testing the desk alone will probably not help in any way.

Can you take the multitrack recording you have, and listen to each input individually at the time the noise occurs? You know it’s something routed to at least some of the monitors & FOH.

[VijkanParticipant]

I was contemplating sending the QU-24 for repair and also spoke to A&H Support was told to do a factory reset. Interestingly, I did a recent show and had the dreaded noise even in my FOH & Monitors at different occasions. The good news i have a tinkling feeling on what could be causing it and wanted a few expert opinions.

So this time around the event was Outdoor and got a very short time to setup. So my gain structure was a mess. The Singers kept asking for more gain, as they wanted the Mixer to do the “Work”. So I had my 2 MIC’s gain set to 28+Db and the Singers started Shouting causing the Channel to go RED.

So i guess the “White / Pink Or I should say Dreadful” noise seems to be from a Channel(s) overdriving the bus and causing Clipping. I guess Clipping in the digital World is like a NOISE.

If this is clipping, then in the analog world, clipping may be perceived as a Blip or drop-out, but in the digital domain, if it produces a Harsh noise, then i guess i have to get back to square 1 and re-learn my gain-staging.What is the Gain-Staging method that one recommends for the QU?.

Also.
I am going to test this again at home and hopefully recreate the scenario.

[GigaParticipant]

Wow, if that turns out to be the case you’ll really need to make it a point to also educate the singers on how to do a soundcheck and how to not behave once that is done….

I usually aim for -20 to -10 dB when setting gains. That way you still have enough headroom to handle the occasional bursts.

Good luck !

Giga

[GocsteveParticipant]

I’ve been experiencing the same white noise bursts and have sent my Qu-SB in for evaluation. Mine has exhibited these burst intermittently for the last 4-5 shows and was less frequent, but there, before. I don’t believe mine is clipping as it is random on which output it chooses to display itself….at first, only one persons in ear monitors were where it decided to show itself, and he would yank his inear out and look at me in disgust! nobody else could hear anything, so we had to write it off as wireless interference…. then another person heard it, and lastly I heard it at a show in the FOH mix. Hope they get to the bottom of it, its very random in its choice of output and timing. I’ll post what I hear back from A&H repair when its done.

[Mike CParticipant]

Could be a hardware issue but triple check that you do not have anything
such as FX, mixes, ect routed back into themselves in someway. Maybe when you bring
up a channel or mix level at a certain point it will initiate the feedback loop.

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