Noise when combining PedalPCB Pedals

[jeffhess74]

Hi, everyone. I love building these PedalPCB pedals but am starting to get discouraged.

Here's why…noise!!

I've built the following pedals and on their own they work fine, sound great and are quiet. But, when I chain them together on my board I'm getting a lot of noise (sounds like a multi-layered, higher pitched whooshing sound. I've tried various combinations but get the same noise—just a little more or less depending on the amount of pedals in the chain. I have a MXR Power Brick which I believe is isolated.

• Muroidea Distortion
• Little Green Scream
• Muffin Factory
• ElectroVibe
• Double Entendre Fuzz
• Waddle Box
• Spatialist Reverb
• Hydra Delay

Pictures attached in case any one likes seeing end results.

Looking for answers to the noise problem or I just won't be able to use these other than one at a time.

 

[Laundryroom David]

Hi, everyone. I love building these PedalPCB pedals but am starting to get discouraged.

Here's why…noise!!

I've built the following pedals and on their own they work fine, sound great and are quiet. But, when I chain them together on my board I'm getting a lot of noise (sounds like a multi-layered, higher pitched whooshing sound. I've tried various combinations but get the same noise—just a little more or less depending on the amount of pedals in the chain. I have a MXR Power Brick which I believe is isolated.

• Muroidea Distortion
• Little Green Scream
• Muffin Factory
• ElectroVibe
• Double Entendre Fuzz
• Waddle Box
• Spatialist Reverb
• Hydra Delay

Pictures attached in case any one likes seeing end results.

Looking for answers to the noise problem or I just won't be able to use these other than one at a time.

That’s odd. Fwiw, I have not encountered this problem with PPCB pedals and I have 5 or 6 of them connected at any given time.

I have however had that experience when I used an MXR Iso-Brick. I bought one several years ago, used it for one extremely frustrating day and then sent it back. I had hight pitched whine/whoosh when using it with digital effects (reverb, delay, rotary, flanger, chorus all had extra noise).

 

[Coda]

My rig makes extra noise when the hall light outside the room is on…

 

[KR Sound]

Depends on which brick you have- I don’t think they’re all isolated, but I could be wrong.

 

[jeffhess74]

You are correct. I just checked and I have the DC brick which from what I can tell is not. Should have gotten the MXR IsoBrick.

 

[jwin615]

You are correct. I just checked and I have the DC brick which from what I can tell is not. Should have gotten the MXR IsoBrick.

If it's just a splitter box, try daisy chaining instead of individual outputs(or grab a 1.spot and daisy chain that).
May help avoid ground loops that way.
I'd start with the analog pedals first, then add any digital one at a time.

 

[HamishR]

The noise you describe is classic non-isolated power supply noise. My favourite power supply at the moment is a One Spot CS-6 or 7 or similar. I can't remember the model number but it's quiet and fits my pedal board. I have a Strymon Flint, a UA Starlight delay and a homebrew dual OD on the board. And no noise!

 

[Big Monk]

How often is the Electrovibe in these combinations?

The Hydra and Spacialist are likely the culprits if your power supply is not isolated but the Electrovibe seems to always give an LFO woosh regardless.