Problems with a new Phatty II, usb & noise.

tasters · Post by **tasters** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 6:27 am

I guys
some days ago i've received a new LP stage 2.
Really nice sounding machine but i got some issues and i hope someone can help me.

When i connect the USB cable from the LP to any port of my Apple MacBook Pro, or in a hub also connected to the mac, i get crazy electrical noise/his in my studio speaker (krk)

i've tried to connect the power plug of the phatty in a different wallmount power but the problem persist.

The only solution is to detach the usb from the phatty and use the regular midi ports...

any advice?

thanks!

Johnny_Cradle · Post by **Johnny_Cradle** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:07 am

intrestingly enough, I tried connecting a midi cable from the LP, thru a midi controller that can be used as a midi interface into my laptop, and got the same noise...

tasters · Post by **tasters** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:02 am

thanks Johnny
a question
maybe you have an apogee duet soundcard?

anoteoftruth · Post by **anoteoftruth** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 4:26 pm

I get the exact same thing, but I just lower the gain on my pre-amp and turn the volume up on my LP... it seems to drown it out perfectly, I can't hear it anymore at that point, and the LP sounds clearer.

Maybe check your levels? I've used mine on a white macbook, with KRK's, using a m-audio fasttrack pro.

T7 · Post by T7 » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:22 pm

This a common ground loop problem with USB equipped audio gear. It's normal. My workaround is to not use USB.

jgirv · Post by **jgirv** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 1:49 am

+1 on the grounding thing... I had the same issue with going into an HP laptop... Except that I got ground-induced noise when the LP was NOT connected via USB.... must have picked it up somehow via the audio out into my audio interface... got a better interface (Firewire) and now the system is really quiet. Can you borrow another laptop to see if that is the prob?

Johnny_Cradle · Post by **Johnny_Cradle** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 4:40 am

tasters wrote:thanks Johnny
a question
maybe you have an apogee duet soundcard?

Mine is not through an Apogee,but a Toneport.
and for me it can't be a USB noise thing, cause I'm not using USB, and the noise isn't just interference... its an extremely loud noise... I got scared of even touching the synth after it made that noise.

Could be my in experience in midi connection, though. (hopefully)
Still hoping for a solution, cause all I'm trying to do is connect the LP through an EMU X board controller to Logic... I have Input as Channel 1 and output on Logic as Channel 1... but can't get to work...

badsound · Post by **badsound** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:59 pm

unplug the power cable and run your laptop on batteries.
works for me

tasters · Post by **tasters** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 4:43 pm

hi guys and thanks for all the replies
i've made many test and for now no way to use the usb, i need to buy a new midi interface to connect my gear, i got only one IN/OUT and usb don't go...

about the NOISE there's a know issues as Moog support writed to me
here the mail text:

--
This is a known problem that we have experienced. There are some strange grounding issues between USB and laptops. The ground on the laptop does not correspond with the ground on the LP, and this causes there to be some ground noise in the audio path. This is why the normal DIN MIDI does not experience the noise. This problem also does not happen on desktop computers because their grounding scheme is different. I suggest you use the DIN MIDI for whatever MIDI applications you desire that involve audio. Using USB should be fine when just using the LP as a controller. I am sorry you are experiencing this issue, but it a known problem that we are trying to improve.
--

thanks again!

tele-pet · Post by **tele-pet** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:55 pm

Hi all. I was wondering if there is any word on a possible fix for this. I guess I could figure out how to connect a MIDI DIN from the Phatty to the MOTU Ultralite, and then have Logic Studio use it as an External Instrument but... more time & money. I'd love to hear if it's realistic to anticipate a fix. That said, it seems like a grounding issue would be a hard thing to fix with just a Phatty OS update.

*Note: Phatty is attached via the an external USB hub (powered by AC adapter) at the moment. I hear the buzzing even when it's connected directly to the computer (iMac 2.9GHz, 24-inch) though. Phatty OS is running 2.1.

tele-pet · Post by **tele-pet** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:11 am

Went ahead and got a MIDI cable and am not able to hear any of the previous buzzing noise, no matter how high I turn up the Phatty or the gain on the MOTU. Now... I just have to learn how to get to get a good work flow with Logic Studio's External Instrument. Anyways, seems like the MIDI cable is a decent solution to those getting the USB buzz.

derobe · Post by **derobe** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:47 pm

Hey forum,

I just registered and have the same problem as well.

I hope Moog might find a solution to it soon!
Will go over MIDI in the meantime.

All the best,
Derobe

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Problems with a new Phatty II, usb & noise.

Problems with a new Phatty II, usb & noise.

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