Jigster Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Sound guy at my last gig said there was a faint ground hum coming from somewhere. The bass I used does have a slightly dodgy jack socket, the fit of the cable isn't great and I've been securing it with gaffa. Might it have been that poor connection that emitted a hum? Or would it most likely be coming from my amp? Can't hear any obvious hum close up when it's on. Cheers for any advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Were you mic'd up or using a DI ? The sound guy would probably hear the hum when monitoring just your badd through his headphones. If there's no hum at all when you're playing just with the bass and your amp then it could be the process of putting your bass through the PA is creating the hum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Hi, thanks the reply, the bass was DI'd I can't hear anything when playing normally in rehearsals etc - but this guy made it sound like it might become a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 [quote name='BOD2' timestamp='1344592690' post='1766748'] Were you mic'd up or using a DI ? The sound guy would probably hear the hum when monitoring just your badd through his headphones. If there's no hum at all when you're playing just with the bass and your amp then it could be the process of putting your bass through the PA is creating the hum. [/quote] so might it be because the jack socket is a bit dodge the bass hums through the PA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) IMO the dodgy socket on your bass is unlikely to be be the main culprit for the hum, but you should get it fixed first. That way you can be sure that the problem is definitely not your gear. Ground hum through the PA with DI is normally due to the DI connection and should be solved by using the ground lift switch on the DI box. However incompetent PA engineers will use any other excuse, so don't give them on like having part of the signal circuit of your set up held together by gaffer tape. Edited August 10, 2012 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Actually Big Red that's just made me remember that the sound guy did ask if my amp had a ground lift switch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Was the DI coming out of your amp? Usually if the sound man DI's he'll put the box before the amp and the DI box will have a ground lift. To be honest so many things can cause hum. Dodgy mains being the main culprit, followed by interference from transformers in amps (not necessarily yours), lighting rigs etc. that are around the stage. They all emit electromagnetic interference, some of which could be picked up by your bass. Generally you only get a ground lift with an XLR output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Yep, the DI was straight out of my amp - TC BH500 - with an XLR on the front panel - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 OK well its common enough to get this sort of thing, especially in venues - thats why DI boxes and most amps have a ground lift! I don't think there's anything wrong with your gear. But you should get that socket fixed before it one day fails completely mid song and makes you look like a total idiot, rather than just a bit of an idiot with a bass held together with gaffa tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Proper punk tho eh? No, you're right, I will get to it - or just use another bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 If you are DI'ing direct from your amp and it doesn't have a ground lift switch (it really ought to), then you should consider getting [url=http://www.studiospares.com/adaptors-xlr/hosa-ground-lift-adaptor/invt/578780/]one of these[/url]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Thanks Red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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