Room is humming

[ronh]

So I decided to turn one spare bedroom into a "music room". A room to play guitar in, record etc. But the room has a hum that the single coil
pickups pickup. You know the kind where if you turn around on the spot the hum disappears. I check the AC line, wired correct. The hum is always there so it cant be caused by an appliance or could it? Dont know what else is on the circuit but it should be the other bedrooms. I tried a line filter for the AC power of pedals and amps. Hum still there. If I plugin in another room, different part of the house, no hum. Anyone have any idea how to hunt down the source and kill it? Thanks in advance.

[Tom Phillips]

The magnetic fields that cause the hum you describe are radiated from any wiring that has current passing through it. That current could be on its way to another part of the house through wiring near the room that is giving you the trouble. You could do an experiment to see if the hum is reduced if you turn off all the circuit breakers in your house except the one that feeds the plug you are using for your amp. You could also run a long extention cord from one remaining powered socket in another room. This is just to figure out what's causing the hum. The experiment doesn't cure the problem but at least, if it stops or drastically reduces the hum, it gives you a chance to track down the source. You could then turn on circuits one at a time to determine which one causes the most problem. The other thing you need to rule out is any other powered equipment in, or close to, the music room. That includes your amp itself. Maybe the guitar is closer to the amp in the music room. If so it will pick up the field radiated from the amp's power transformer.

[eschertron]

the kind where if you turn around on the spot the hum disappears.

The biggest source of hum in my music room is the halogen lamp that I have. I turn off the lights to record, usually. I may not sound better, but I look a lot better that way!

If the hum is indeed directional, then you should be able to triangulate the source pretty easily. As Bruce mentions, it could be beyond a wall (or floor). Directionality and proximity are both important clues when searching for the source.

[Tom Phillips]

The biggest source of hum in my music room is the halogen lamp that I have...

Good point. There are many more sources of radiated noise nowadays. Some of the lamps use switching supply wall warts which radiate lots of hum & buzz causing noise.

[eschertron]

Nice catch, Tom. My lamp has a cheap dimmer module. I've just been too lazy (and fond of the 500W of illumination when desired!) to look for a quieter solution.

[Jazz P Bass]

Light dimmers are usually triac driven.

Noisy!

Also, it is a single coil pickup.

As you rotate your body, when you reach a right angle to the source, it will null the noise.

You may find it is the amplifier itself.

I find it strange that there was no noise at all in another room, seeing that it's a single coil Pup.

[ronh]

Thanks for the ideas. there is no light dimmer or halogen lights in the room. I will try and turn off every circuit and turn back on one at a time to see what happens. Thanks again.

[g1]

Fluorescent lights can also be problematic.
Edit: By this time you have probably tried turning off whatever lights are in the room to see if it makes a difference.

[soundguruman]

So I decided to turn one spare bedroom into a "music room". A room to play guitar in, record etc. But the room has a hum that the single coil
pickups pickup. You know the kind where if you turn around on the spot the hum disappears. I check the AC line, wired correct. The hum is always there so it cant be caused by an appliance or could it? Dont know what else is on the circuit but it should be the other bedrooms. I tried a line filter for the AC power of pedals and amps. Hum still there. If I plugin in another room, different part of the house, no hum. Anyone have any idea how to hunt down the source and kill it? Thanks in advance.

THIS is really funny, so here we go again:
The source IS your pickup.
NO, there is no way to solve it UNTIL you accept the fact that single coil pickups are VERY noisy.
AND, I repeat from another post:


The PU may be overloading the input, causing oscillation, muddiness. And you may be interpreting that as: a bad amp design, and blaming the amp for what the overkill pickup is really causing.

Single coil pickup:
There is a big tendency for customer to blame amp for what single coil is causing. (AND blame ROOM, or wiring in ROOM, or blame lights, etc...)
Noise hum, buzzing oscillation, and it's all because of the pickup.
Customer refuses to accept the fact that single coil PU has all kinds of noise issues- constantly points finger at amp (OR other reason). This is ignorance.

Effects unit: There is also big problem with blaming amp for noise and overload caused by effects pedals.

So, you need to be careful setting up your "test." Be cautious that the problems you are having are not caused by pickups, effects units, etc...
and avoid blaming amp for these external problems.

It generally takes many many years to accept - and learn these facts. Meanwhile, judgement will be clouded by assumptions, not reality.

NO: putting a bunch of FOIL "shielding" inside your guitar WILL NOT solve the problem. The problem IS the pickup.
IT'S time for you to BUY a humbucking pickup. These PUs will fit right into the guitar, without modifications or cutting.

It might take "years" for you to learn, and accept the FACT. But eventually, despite the beliefs constructed on assumptions, you will learn the truth.

[big_teee]

I make pickups, and Single Coil pickups pick up hum, and noise.
90% of the hum usually comes from the transformers in the amp.
You are probably playing sitting in front of or near the amp.
Try putting your guitar near the amp, it should be worse, then try moving away and to the side of the amp.
It should get better.
I made low wound Humbucker blade pickups for my strat strictly because my guitar room is so noisy.
The low wound blades retain most of the strat sound and pick up practically no noise.
T

[g1]

THIS is really funny, so here we go again:
The source IS your pickup.
NO, there is no way to solve it UNTIL you accept the fact that single coil pickups are VERY noisy.

In case you missed it, he has the hum ONLY in ONE particular room of the house. He is trying to pinpoint the source of the hum for that room ONLY.
He is not blaming the amp.
He is not blaming the pickup.
Yes, single coils are noisier than humbuckers, but the issue here is why is one particular room noisy.

If I plugin in another room, different part of the house, no hum. Anyone have any idea how to hunt down the source and kill it?

Very simple question. If you don't get it, no need to try and explain that the problem is not the room, that is ridiculous.

[big_teee]

You would have to sit or stand in the exact same distance from the amp in each room you try to rule it out.
My room is terrible.
It has a ceiling fan with 4 twisty flourescent bulbs.
I sit next to a Metal desk that has a wireless phone, a dsl router, and wifi router all next to my amp.
I gave up trying to defeat the air borne noise, and just use humbuckers.
Make sure you rule out amp and amp location before moving on.
Sometimes you can locate noise with a AM radio or shortwave radio if you have one.
Move around the room with it, leaving the amp on.
T

[km6xz]

What type of noise? I mean what sounds does it include. If a raspy buzz with no strong 60hz component it is problem electrical but if it has 60 and 120 hz it is likely magnetic fields. Fields are everywhere but they diminish quickly with distance. Power lines that run in the walls or overhead in the ceiling can generate strong fields if they are run as two separate wires, separated by a distance like when a wall switch returns to the overhead fixture, the wire to the switch is not balanced with an opposite field like it does in intact romex or metalic conduit containing balanced hot and neutral wires. If run in close parallel or twisted configuration, most of the magnetic field is cancelled out by the two wires having opposite field.
Do you have any electric fixtures in the ceiling or electric floor heaters?

If the noise is primarily harsh buzz look for generators of noise such as dimmers, doorbell transformers if the home is older, florescent bulbs, fish tank heaters, CRT displays, switch mode power supplies, fence chargers, if you live in a rural area and many more causes of strong local magnetic fields.

[eschertron]

You know the kind where if you turn around on the spot the hum disappears.

Ron, it should be fairly straightforward to triangulate the source of the hum using your guitar. We are all doing the "it just might be..." dance, when a few minutes with the antenna array in hand (your guitar) you will locate the source by tuning in to the directionality and strength of the noise. Let me know what you find

[soundguruman]

Which came FIRST? the chicken or the egg?

Transformers are in every amp, so we can't avoid that...all we can do is stand 10 feet away. (the 10 foot rule)
Wiring is inside every wall, AC 60 cps, so we can't avoid that. all we can do is "turn" a certain direction to cancel the fields...
Fluorescent lights are everywhere, incandescent bulbs are being banned, so there's very little we can do about that.
All the above are an UN-avoidable factor of life, and the construction of "any" standard building.

So what's left? that we actually have control over?
It's the pickup.
Instead of pulling your hair out, change to a humbucking pickup.
Stop fighting what you can't control. Accept the reality.

I have seen people for years and years "try" to make a single coil pickup quiet.
And they refuse to accept this reality (above).
And they do all sorts of things and spend all sorts of time and money...
and buy all sorts of filters and power conditioners...
and put all kinds of foil and metal on the inside of the guitar, and put all sorts of shielding around the pickup...
$450 and forty two hours of labor later.............................AND the BUZZ is still there.

$50-90.00 on a humbucking pickup, 30 minutes to install it...and the problem is pretty much solved.
Why do they always choose the way of pain? Humans are sure stubborn creatures.

After 38 years of working on amps and playing guitar, I would not even "consider" a single coil pickup.
Because I know what will happen, already.
I won't waste time or money fighting it.

I hate to say it, but u guys are just piezoing...into the wind...

So, there is a big wad of AC/Romex in the walls...
And what are you gonna do?
Hire electrician to rip the house apart and move all the wires?
Cover the walls with Mu metal?
Construct your own Faraday cage?