HELP: Chorus Pedal Hum?

[JimPage]

Hey!

Since my left arm is out of commission, I designed and built my pedal board and got it all together in a case. I tried it out and it sounds really great, with the exception of a hum from the Biyang chorus pedal.

Here is what is in this contraption, starting from the guitar side to the amp side:
• Boss TU-2 Tuner
• Boss GEB-7 Bass EQ
• Boss AC-2 Acoustic Simulator
• Biyang CH-8 Chorus (which is a copy of the Boss CE-2 Chorus)
• MXR Carbon Copy delay

They are daisy-chained from a Zoom AD-0006D 9v 300mA power adaptor. Luckily, all these pedals have the same power input (9volt, 2.1mm center-negative plug). I also have 9-volt batteries in each pedal.

The acoustic-simulator pedal sounds amazing when run either by itself or with the delay, and the bass EQ sounds amazing when I cut out the midrange frequencies using a V-shaped configuration on the seven bands. The bass EQ is the same as the Boss guitar EQ except it has more control of the bass frequencies than the guitar version does.

Now, this pedal board seems stage-ready, but I wonder if your keen electronics minds could come up with a way to get rid of that hum from the chorus pedal. Everything else is as quiet as can be.

This may have some bearing on the solution. When I disconnect the power cable to that Biyang chorus, and just run it from its 9v battery, it is absolutely silent. I run all the other pedals from the power supply and the chorus off the battery and everything is good.

???

--Jim

[Mr. Bill]

There might be a problem with the chorus power input section or you may have a ground loop problem.

If the chorus pedal hums when it's all by itself, then my guess is a problem with the pedal, if it only does it when used with the other pedals, then ground loop.

[Sarah93003]

There might be a problem with the chorus power input section or you may have a ground loop problem.

If the chorus pedal hums when it's all by itself, then my guess is a problem with the pedal, if it only does it when used with the other pedals, then ground loop.

I've been known to hum all by myself and I've been told it's a loopy problem.

[JimPage]

Hey!

Thanks for the info. I think it might be a problem with the power supply, because when I run the pedal from just the 9v battery, no hum.

I ordered a new One-Spot power supply and also an adaptor that will allow me to plug the supply through the 9v plug if I need to.

So, we'll see!

Take care and please wish me luck!

--Jim

[Sarah93003]

Good luck with that Jim. I have the One Spot and love it!

[olrocknroller]

Hmmmm. Let me see now...

I have had odd interferences set up between electronic units before, just because they don't like being with their neighbors. Try a different order of connection, or a larger capacity power supply...the extra unit might be slightly overloading it? I have one place where I gig that has horribly noisy power, so as a matter of practice I use a line filter/surge protector to quieten things. Ain't 'lectricity fun? But just think what we'd be playing without it!

[Veenture]

My knowledge of electricity is too basic to offer any advice but I can tell you about this humm problem I had a little while back with my Boss GE-10 Graphic Equalizer while trying it out for the first time during a band practice last year (it operates on 220 volts).
I hadn't noticed it at home and reckoned the reason lay in the use of high volume on the amp. "When we play, we won't hear it" I suggested but my bandmates disagreed..."it's way too loud and unacceptable". A guitar tech there eventually remedied the situation after having tested all the connections of my setup first.

It turned out that by disconnecting the equalizer's ground connection (wire) it operated as quiet as a mouse! "There you go,” he said. I was happy now but at the same time also worried: "ok, but what about safety...there's that risk of a shock hazard, right?" I retorted. He told me that as long as the amp's ground is working, there's no risk in the cables leading to and from the amp "The grounding of the mains in most parts of Holland suck" he said.
Anyway, I hope you get your humm packing too, Jim!

olrocknroller, I have often said to my bandmates: "In the next life, we're going completely acoustic!"

Good luck with that Jim. I have the One Spot and love it!

Guard it well Sarah

[JimPage]

Hey, olrocknroller!

GREAT PHOTO!!!

Did Semie sign that instrument, or could that possibly be a partsrite from Canada? I love the candy-apple red finish and I see a zero fret right above the Scotch tape.

Can you imagine what old Hankaroo would do if he got his hands on THAT baby?!??!?

--Jim

[Sarah93003]

Hey, olrocknroller!

GREAT PHOTO!!!

Did Semie sign that instrument, or could that possibly be a partsrite from Canada? I love the candy-apple red finish and I see a zero fret right above the Scotch tape.

Can you imagine what old Hankaroo would do if he got his hands on THAT baby?!??!?

--Jim

Now that's funny!!

[JimPage]

Hey--

To answer my own question regarding how to eliminate hum, at least in the situation with which I was faced, is this:
http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/pr ... wer_supply

The Visual Sound 1 Spot power supply is what I ordered new in the box from an eBay vendor for $22, including shipping, in hopes it would silence the severe hum my Biyang Chorus Pedal was introducing into my pedal board, as described in my original post.

There were pedalboard power supplies costing over $200 that I was considering, but, being a cheap fellow, I decided to try the 1 Spot first. I am so happy that I did, because it totally eliminated any unwanted noise, at least in the band practice situation where I tested it last night. The pedalboard hum was absolutely gone and all five pedals worked and sounded great.

This, of course, doesn't mean that it will work this well in all situations, but I was astonished at how well it worked in this one.

--Jim