How to make a pedal Less noisey

[dirkfunk]

Is there way to get pedals to have less background noise, i seem to be getting some background noise when the pedal is on and off. Any tips. Thanks,dirk.

[R.G.]

Noise comes from batteries. Take the battery out, it will be quiet.

[vanhansen]

Noise comes from batteries. Take the battery out, it will be quiet.

LMFAO   :lol:  :lol:

Thanks, R.G. .  I got a good chuckle there.  Made my day.

[dave h.]

Noise comes from batteries. Take the battery out, it will be quiet.

on the contrary, i had a russky big muff that was noisy. took out the battery, rigged up a power supply, and its now the noisiest pedal ive ever heard, and not in a good way. i think much can be attributed to power filtering, but i don't know much about that.

[MartyMart]

Try a 100uf or bigger from power rail to ground.
That works for me =  zero noise !
Also keep wires as short as possible in the enclosure .

Marty.

[davebungo]

Is there way to get pedals to have less background noise, i seem to be getting some background noise when the pedal is on and off. Any tips. Thanks,dirk.

If the noise is loud hum then I would say that you have a circuit fault such as an incorrectly wired input/output jack or bypass switch etc.  This is especially relevant in your case as it is there when the pedal is on or off.  Triple check your wiring.

[dpresley58]

Try this...

http://www.muzique.com/lab/hum.htm

[jmusser]

I had a real noisy pedal awhile back. I took it apart, and low and behold I had left my little wind up monkey in there, clanging his cymbals together!

[R.G.]

But seriously...
I'm going to assume here that you have hiss, not hum.

Background hiss can be fought in some cases, and sometimes it gets better. However, we'd have to know what pedal, what schematic, how old, homebuilt or commercial, that kind of stuff. Hiss removal is not simple to describe for generic equipment.

[Mark Hammer]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Training in audio design tends to begin with the assumptions of audio reproduction (i.e., playback of recorded music) for listening purposes.  Under those circumstances, the objective is to assure full bandwidth (20hz-20khz) for as much of the signal path as possible since a system capable of playing ANY combination of ANY instruments or sound sources needs to be able have full bandwidth.

In contrast, stompboxes are for one instrument at a time, and only really need the bandwidth suitable to showcasing that instrument.  If there is high end that serves no audible purpose get rid of it.

To that end, one will constantly see things like op-amp stages with small value (e.g., 10pf) caps in the feedback loop intended to keep high frequency oscillation at a minimum.  That's noble and appropriate from a more generic audio design perspective, but do you really NEED 20khz bandwidth for a fuzz, especially if your typical 4 x 12" speaker cab is struggling to reproduce frequency content above 6khz?

The deal with distortions (probably the most common source of noise, just nosing out delay pedals and compressors) is that they require high gain to work, resulting in the amplification of any internal thermal noise from resistors, and acquired noise from the input many times.  You would be pleasantly surprised by what a 100pf or 220pf cap situated here and there can do to your noise levels.  One of the many reasons I'm a big fan of double clippers is that you can set a fairly low rolloff in earlier stages (so that the distortion doesn't produce harmonics of harmonics of harmonics) and then give it "a little more leash) on the high end in later stages.  This often has a pleasingly beneficial effect on cumulative noise without sacrificing sound quality or bite.

A hot output from the guitar itself can also improve the noise situation by requiring less gain in other parts of the signal chain.  Just make sure the guitar signal is not so hot that it overdrives everything.

There ARE lower noise devices one can use, such as using a 2N5089 instead of 2N5088, TL071 instead of TL061, and so on.  As well, some resistors are less noisy than others.  As I understand it, though, most sorts of "noise-helpers", right down to the dumb ones like metal-film resistors, often need certain circumstances to provide audible benefit.  That is, they will do little in one circumstance, and do a lot in another.

[davebungo]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Training in audio design tends to begin with the assumptions of audio reproduction (i.e., playback of recorded music) for listening purposes.  Under those circumstances, the objective is to assure full bandwidth (20hz-20khz) for as much of the signal path as possible since a system capable of playing ANY combination of ANY instruments or sound sources needs to be able have full bandwidth.

In contrast, stompboxes are for one instrument at a time, and only really need the bandwidth suitable to showcasing that instrument.  If there is high end that serves no audible purpose get rid of it.

To that end, one will constantly see things like op-amp stages with small value (e.g., 10pf) caps in the feedback loop intended to keep high frequency oscillation at a minimum.  That's noble and appropriate from a more generic audio design perspective, but do you really NEED 20khz bandwidth for a fuzz, especially if your typical 4 x 12" speaker cab is struggling to reproduce frequency content above 6khz?

The deal with distortions (probably the most common source of noise, just nosing out delay pedals and compressors) is that they require high gain to work, resulting in the amplification of any internal thermal noise from resistors, and acquired noise from the input many times.  You would be pleasantly surprised by what a 100pf or 220pf cap situated here and there can do to your noise levels.  One of the many reasons I'm a big fan of double clippers is that you can set a fairly low rolloff in earlier stages (so that the distortion doesn't produce harmonics of harmonics of harmonics) and then give it "a little more leash) on the high end in later stages.  This often has a pleasingly beneficial effect on cumulative noise without sacrificing sound quality or bite.

A hot output from the guitar itself can also improve the noise situation by requiring less gain in other parts of the signal chain.  Just make sure the guitar signal is not so hot that it overdrives everything.

There ARE lower noise devices one can use, such as using a 2N5089 instead of 2N5088, TL071 instead of TL061, and so on.  As well, some resistors are less noisy than others.  As I understand it, though, most sorts of "noise-helpers", right down to the dumb ones like metal-film resistors, often need certain circumstances to provide audible benefit.  That is, they will do little in one circumstance, and do a lot in another.

There is much smoke and mirrors in the audio world, obscuring the very often basic truth.  An effects pedal maufacturer could claim kudos by stating that their product has ultrasonic as well as gut wrenching sub-sonic bandwidth even though most over 40's can't hear much beyond 12KHz (certainly not the majority of practising guitarists over 40, sadly).  

Anyway back to the original question; I think Dirk needs to give us more info if there is still a problem.  Is it hiss?  Is it hum?  Come on, tell us, we can't wait to find out!