How to clean up Guitar hum

[3dot...]

things to check out :
1. "ground lift" switch on the DI
2. if you have fx pedals...
disconnect their power adapters one by one to figure out if one is faulty/ungrounded
3. check you input jack on the guitar.. and check for loose soldering in the guitar electronics..
4. cables
5. last but not least.. in the case there's no proper grounding in the walls... that's dangerous..have it fixed by a proper electrician

[Mark Lane]

The hum is not so big, but would be nice to have a professionally clean recording.

hum is part of the ambient sound of the guitar, let it go.

a gate should be enough, anything beyond that is part of the instrument.

yay humbuckers.

This is a good point, I find when I leave the hum etc the track gels more. I heard that the Slate Digital Analog simulation stuff introduces 'simulated' low level noise for this very purpose.

[3dot...]

there are hums.. and there are hums...
most of them are shit..irritating .... and shouldn't be recorded really
can't remember a time I ever heard a "hum" which I actually wanted to be in there..
you can filter them out later.. but that could create phasing issues and take some of the life out of the sound...
not recommended either...
better to treat this stuff before it reaches recording ...

[filter_7]

3dot thanks, very helpful info

@Mark: yes, as 3dot said there are different hums. Mine are very bad 'cause i have it in cleanest guitar situations, and surely even Tom Waits would hate it!

[anybody human]

Agree on what's been said above but sometimes as a bandaid I'll notch out or dip at 6000 Hz and/or 3000 Hz

[bkwsk]

Using a gate is not an option?

[chaibuka]

Check if hum is from dimmer switch or flourescent lights. Kill all the lights and see if hum goes away.

[filter_7]

@chaibuka: yes good point. Now i will check all the 'electricity' issues in my room.

@bkwsk: the gate works only on overdiven sounds, not on quiet ones.

[simmerdown]

that too, unground all plugs going to outlets, the amp or preamp, your computer, monitors, etc...keep guitar cables from crossing power

[H20nly]

^ yep... +1 for electrical oddities as a potential cause. i plugged all of my equipment into a UPS that filters out brown noise from the electrical wiring in my apartment. it didn't solve it entirely, but it did help A LOT.

i agree with Tone Deft's point about the humbuckers though.. that's what those do. i don't know if you have clean contacts, good cables, and high grade pickups... but i do know that all of these things can [not] work together to make a perfect storm.

some things to try:

- different electrical outlet
- different guitar/bass
- many of the tricks/ideas other posters suggested

see if you can isolate the source (the main cause) of the sound... because that will really give you the best idea of how to treat it.

[aldentinnin]

Are your pickups single coils?

[miyarakira]

Hi filter_7,

Just today I solved a background hum issue between my audio
interface and amplifier, so here's my two cents: DI Box. The one
that did it for me was ART DTI.

However, as you're on a guitar, you might need an *active* DI Box
with Hi-Z input, depending on where in the signal chain you put it.

It feels so nice to get rid of the hum and have a clean signal!

---

Oops, you already have a DI Box... Sorry for not reading the thread
carefully.

Anything with a tube/valve usually has a background hum, it's the
"juice" you hear.

[filter_7]

just to remember, here's my setup with direct recording:
Guitar(Gibson Nighthawk) > Tubeman 2 (tube di box)> audio card > Ableton Live > Waves GTR 3

@miyarakira: now i'm testing the noise from the Tubeman. Would be great to test another di box but i don't have it.

@H20nly: useful advices about change guitar and things in the gear chain, i will try it!

[simmerdown]

putting up a sample of one of your recordings with the hum could be helpful for diagnosis...

[crumhorn]

one of the worst and most common causes of hum pickup on guitars is lighting dimmers. If you have any dimmer switches in your studio (or even in adjacent rooms) make sure they are turned either off or full on.