Ok wasnt sure where to put this, amps or FX, but I'm pretty sure its coming from the pedalboard.
My current board is below.
Top row goes to the front of the amp, bottom row is in the FX loop of the Katana head. Amp
is a Katana Artist mkii.
The wah is battery powered and can be in or out the chain, makes no difference.
Tu3 - true bypass looper, Boss oc-5 - tube screamer, muff, fender fuzz, boss ds1 -Amp in.
Fx loop send - Tome city angel wing - Mxr carbon copy - strymon bluesky - Boss rc1 - fx loop return.
The two pedals to the right of the tin are not in any chain.
The two volume pedals are connected to the amps footswitch which is connected to the amp head so not in the fx chain either.
The pedals are all powered via a strymon Zuma which has a Strymon Ojai chained off of it.
Ran this set up for years and never noticed anything.
The problem:
I noticed some noise coming from the amps speakers but ONLY when the master volume is literally set to 0.
I can turn ALL of the amps knobs to 0 including the channel volumes, gain and master yet still hear this 'sound' through the cab.
When the amp is set to standby there is no noise though.
It sounds like interference, I can try recording it if it will help. Like there is a whine and some weird sounds, not a hiss, but a mix of stuff like what you hear when you try finding a radio station and scroll through loads of frequencies.
If I turn the master volume slowly up, the sound initially has a rise in the 'radio frequency' sound then it goes silent. This only requires a very small movement in the master volume. I can keep turning the master volume up and you then get the normal amps noise floor come in.
The overall 'noise' is pretty quiet, and it was just by chance I discovered it. Its not audible on
the amps 0.5w setting.
I only noticed this because the amp was on its 50w setting. It can also be heard easier on the 100w setting though its not exactly loud.
So. Heres what I've tried:
1. Makes no difference if a guitar is plugged or not.
2. The sound does not exist if I plug directly in to the amp.
3. Gone through all my fx one at a time, adding to
the chain until the noise occurred. Got to the muff. A-ha!. But its true bypass and off? So how?
4. Plugged the power cable to the muff into a different pedal, the noise came back. So its not the pedal, or any pedal.
5. Replaced the offending power cable from FX to the ojai. Sound still there. Not a dodgy power cable.
6. Nothing else in room plugged in or turned on. Just my pedalboard and amp which are plugged into the same power strip going into one wall socket.
7. Checked that the power cables arent running parallel with any guitar or patch cables. They arent.
I unplugged this one power cable from the ojai and tried a different output on the Zuma (the Ojai is tethered to
the Zuma). Sound still there, ok so not a power output issue.
Its weird, I tried a few outlets, moved stuff around and the noise disappeared. However has since come back.
The noise is worse immediately after turning the amp
on and selecting power level, ie 0.5, 50 or 100. It does seem to settle down a bit.
Like I say, turning the master vol up you then cant hear it.
But its weird its there.
Its only recently I installed the zuma and Ojai under the board. I wonder if its having the volume pedals
or fx right above them.. or whether it could be a dodgy patch cable in the mix. BUT when pulling some of the power cables to my supplies, the noise goes, adding some back and it comes back.
Yet, its no socket or power cable in particular. So I'm baffled.
I also wondered if having the supplies mounted upside down, the zuma in its brackets therefore its metal casing directly touching the metal of the pedalboard and somehow causing some kind of issue..
I guess it is non issue, really, as its not exactly loud, and it does fade when the master is moved off of 0, but still, its weirded me out.
Any ideas?
is a Katana Artist mkii.
I noticed some noise coming from the amps speakers but ONLY when the master volume is literally set to 0.
the amps 0.5w setting.
1. Makes no difference if a guitar is plugged or not.
the chain until the noise occurred. Got to the muff. A-ha!. But its true bypass and off? So how?
4. Plugged the power cable to the muff into a different pedal, the noise came back. So its not the pedal, or any pedal.
the Zuma). Sound still there, ok so not a power output issue.
on and selecting power level, ie 0.5, 50 or 100. It does seem to settle down a bit.
or fx right above them.. or whether it could be a dodgy patch cable in the mix. BUT when pulling some of the power cables to my supplies, the noise goes, adding some back and it comes back.
I guess it is non issue, really, as its not exactly loud, and it does fade when the master is moved off of 0, but still, its weirded me out.