VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Dan-O]

Honestly, I didn't have this problem before the weekend, so, I am flummoxed as to why now...

A ground loop buzz has developed in my chain. After plugging and un-plugging, I discovered it was my Avalon 737. The unit can be tuned off and the buzz still permeates through the chain. However, the problem is not consistent. It will show up for an hour then disappear for a few hours.

Anyone know how to fix such a problem?

And, yes, my trusty Focusrite Voicemaster Pro comes through to save the day, yet again.

[brianforrester]

I'm not well versed in this area, but given that the 737 uses tubes and you note that the issue arises after about an hour of use, it may be that the tubes are in need of a change out. Just a shot in the dark, but hopefully it helps to you narrow down your search.

Good luck.
_________________
Brian Forrester Voice Overs
www.brianforrester.com
brian@brianforrester.com
778.668.5715

[Dan-O]

Thanks, Brian. Well, that settles it then. The Avalon will be shipped back for repairs. I spoke with Mike, the Avalon engineer, around 9 months ago about my tubes failing. (Replaced four since I bought it last Aug.) He said when it happens again to send it to him to give the thing an overhaul.

Ebay...watcha gonna do?

However, when it gets back I am going to throw in a set of the tubes Joe and Rob bought.

[Lee Gordon]

It shouldn't be difficult to find a ground loop isolating transformer. They're really easy to find for car stereo applications, but you can also find a pretty good variety of them for your audio chain. Here one source:
http://audio-video-supply.markertek.com/search?w=ground+loop+isolator&asug=ground+loo
There are several others.
_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[Dan-O]

Thank you for the link, Lee! Good stuff to know.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Avalon is not at fault, now. Had two sessions in the morning and everything worked well. Then, I just loaded my session file for auditioning and the buzz returned stronger than ever. It's pushing -33 dB. So, it's either my computer or the Digi 002 rack and I can't test one without the other.

Any suggestions?

ADDENDUM: Fixed it. Bought a new Digi 003 Rack. So far, so good. Going to send the 002 in for repair and keep it as a back-up.

[JTVG]

Dan, enlighten me please so I can properly envy your purchase like any gearhead should. Why not save a chunk of change and maybe some headaches and just get a PCI sound card?

Oh, and you should still plan on upgrading those tubes.
_________________
Joe Szymanski
http://www.joethevoiceguy.com

[BenWils]

[Dan-O]

Not being a gearhead and only venturing into this forum when I need a bit of help, clarity or to simply be jealous of the expertise of some of the contributors; I am not sure what I should say.

I love the sound card in the PT system. It handles all of my input needs for ISDN, patch and Source Connect. Plus, I like not having the clutter of a mixer on my desk with a thousand knobs I have no idea what to do with.

And it looks cool in a rack.

You envious, yet?

The 002 line had a power supply problem from the get go. Had to send it in once for repair and another time they simply sent me the part. Very easy. I have a feeling this is what happened, again. They fixed the problem in the 003 series. More or less, I didn't have the time to send the 002 in or wait for a part. I had three ISDN sessions lined up for today and my MBox back-up doesn't have the inputs needed to handle ISDN.

Oh, as for the Avalon, I am going to wait until it fails again before I put new tubes in it.

[JTVG]

There was no wrong answer. Personally, you had me at "it looks cool in a rack".
_________________
Joe Szymanski
http://www.joethevoiceguy.com

[BenWils]