Ableton Forum

SETUP:
Macbook Pro (2012)
Mbox Mini
APC40
Arturia MiniBrute Analog Synth
2x BX5 monitor speakers 

Hello there!

I am having problems when syncing my MiniBrute to Ableton via USB. I am connecting it via USB so that it syncs with the bpm of the project. All that is fine. The problem is I get a loud interference noise. This noise is only present when the USB is connected and, strangely, still persists even when the MiniBrute is switched/powered off and unplugged from the power supply.

Below are a list of things I have tried/troubleshooted so we can scratch them off;
-MiniBrute directly connected to Mbox via instrument cable is fine (as are guitars, basses, mics, etc)
-Noise still there even when MiniBrute is switched off, only disappears when USB is unplugged
-Tried 2 different USB cables (including shielded), same problem
-Noise problem also occurred in Ableton 8 (recently upgraded to 9)
-Tried in a different room with different power outlet, same problem.
-Have APC40 connected via USB, no problems there.
Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated, I bought the MiniBrute specifically for work on a new project with Ableton and this is really holding things up!

Thanks guys!

hello there,

have you tried eliminating the speaker routing? have you tried listening through headphones?
also maybe use another daw (reaper, audacity) to cross check if its an ableton live problem...

let us know how you get on

Hi, thanks for the reply.

The other night I actually took my Mac, the MiniBrute and Interface through to the bedroom to try it (different power outlet, headphones only) and still the same problem. I don't have any other DAW's (I would use Audacity but as far as I know it doesn't have a MIDI clock to sync to) and that is the main problem (recording the Brute as a normal instrument with an instrument cable is fine, but it requires to be connected via USB to remain synced to the tempo, kinda important in electronic music).
One thing I just thought of, I have a MidiMan Midisport 2X2 lying around that I have never used... doe's anyone know if I can use this to sync the Brute to Abletons tempo/clock? Apologies for the ignorance, but I've never used it so not sure exactly how it works!.
Here is a link to a capture of the noise also (in the background with some random synth notes played on top):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5on0okfc5u3mws/Noise.wav
Cheers.

yup just connect the midi out of the sport to the midi in of the brute and setup the same way you would have via USB

OK, so good news is that connecting via MidiSport gets rid of the noise completely and sync seems to work.
I do notice there is a slight lag from the arp when playing along, but I should be able to get to the bottom of that...

Thanks guys!

Does the Minibrute still recieve midi information from Ableton when the Midisport is used in this way? I am having the same problem with the noise.

I'm looking into getting a minibrute also, has this been resolved?

It would be a pain if I would still need a MIDI interface for syncing Minibrute to Live.

The usual cause of that sort of noise is multiple return paths for the digital USB signal.

ie normally the digital signal current to the USB port should return via the USB cable's ground wire, but sometimes part of the signal finds alternative circuits back to your computer. eg via the screen of the audio cable/mains wiring etc. you can minimize it by using decent quality low resistance cables and connectors and also by using balanced line audio if the device supports it. You could also try an isolating transformer in the audio connection.

It's simple to open up the ground wire in a USB cable and that will stop any buzzing you get.

Here's the fix