# A weird noise is driving me mad \[SOLVED\]

**URL:** <https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619>\
**Category:** Using Zynthian\
**Created:** [January 9, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619 "2019-01-09T20:38:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/sadkermit/32/1616_2.png) [@sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/sadkermit)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/1 "2019-01-09T20:38:03Z")

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Hello Zynthianers,  
I would like to submit you a discovery that is driving me mad, all suggestions are welcome!

Ok, after some months of pure fun with my Zynth and just a stage monitor and a weighted master keyboard, these days I’m working to put it in a more complex live rig, finely setting up the whole system, built around a mixer, using headphones. Soon I started to hear something weird: it’s a faint noise, something like a click, and appears at the end of any sound played, it’s volume stays unvaried and is not influenced by the synth level, it can be heard on every engine but it seems worst when I play LinuxSampler (e.g. during a pianissimo part on the Salamander, where I can hear the same click on the note attack as well).  
I can tell you that it is not related to the OS image (I tried 3 different images with 3 different SDs) neither to the closeness of the All-In-One Module cables to the HiFiBerry (nothing changes with the case open and all the encoder guts far away).

Here you can find 3 examples, recorded using ZynAddSubFX, Dexed and LinuxSampler (as you can hear there is a prominent hissing due to the low volume used to highlight the noise):

[https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6096b632ef2fa5699c6b92880b113d0c32c8e93d.mp3](https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6096b632ef2fa5699c6b92880b113d0c32c8e93d.mp3)  
[https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/1/144ddc7208f0963c95b338b78d0e159e242680a3.mp3](https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/1/144ddc7208f0963c95b338b78d0e159e242680a3.mp3)  
[https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f35129a9f8fe53029039bd0f29e01c61fc149011.mp3](https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f35129a9f8fe53029039bd0f29e01c61fc149011.mp3)

Thanks in advance!

Andrea

PS: I’m on a plain vanilla Zynthian Bundle All Alu-case Kit v2 (RPi 3B+ / HifiBerry DAC+ / OzzMaker PiScreen 3.5’ / All-In-One Module Kit with controller / Alu Case v2) and I’m powering it with a good 2A power supply (the red led on the RPi is steady on).

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**Author:** ![jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/jofemodo/32/2_2.png) [@jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/jofemodo)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/2 "2019-01-10T15:33:31Z")

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I can’t reproduce this noise in my zynthian (also with HB DAC+). Perhaps it’s not zynthian related …  
These noise seems like a noise-gate or something that switch-off when audio level is close to 0.

Could you describe your full audio chain?

Regards,

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**Author:** ![sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/sadkermit/32/1616_2.png) [@sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/sadkermit)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/3 "2019-01-10T16:48:06Z")

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Stripped-down for the recording: just Zynthian into a brand new Mackie 1202VLZ4, 😟 should I worry about the mixer?

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**Author:** ![C0d3man](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/c0d3man/32/9_2.png) [@C0d3man](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/C0d3man)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/4 "2019-01-10T17:03:16Z")

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Perhaps your power-supply? Can you try to change or use a power bank?

Do you have a chance for using a ground-lift (perhaps by using a DI box)?

Regards, Holger

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**Author:** ![Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/axeman/32/278_2.png) [@Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Axeman)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/5 "2019-01-10T17:06:19Z")

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It seems also to me a noise gate of some kind. In the third file, the click can be heard even at the beginning of each note. The “click” can be seen opening the wave with something like audacity.

 ![image](https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/3/329c4e351c97a63ea36fe13e3ef050191f6bdd04.png)  
 ![image](https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d0bc7949ed8003b1dbbc3c5484106155d7c46d4a.png)  
Very strange…

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**Author:** ![Baggypants](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/baggypants/32/1911_2.png) [@Baggypants](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Baggypants)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/6 "2019-01-11T21:57:21Z")

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Is that the from the RCA (red and white phono) output?

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**Author:** ![sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/sadkermit/32/1616_2.png) [@sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/sadkermit)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/7 "2019-01-12T16:25:05Z")

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Hey many thanks for your help!  
@C0d3man --\> I tried with a power bank but the noise is still there 😧  
@Baggypants --\> Yes, the recording was made using the RCA but using jacks the result is the same.  
And of course nothing changes using another mixer…

Is it likely to think that the HB DAC+ is gone?

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**Author:** ![Baggypants](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/baggypants/32/1911_2.png) [@Baggypants](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Baggypants)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/8 "2019-01-12T23:41:06Z")

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I’d try powering it from a big mobile phone battery pack to rule out the PSU first.

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**Author:** ![sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/sadkermit/32/1616_2.png) [@sadkermit](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/sadkermit)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/9 "2019-01-13T22:03:01Z")

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@Baggypants --\> did it with two different power banks: the noise remains 😩 (I’ve also tried with another power supply with no joy)

Any procedure to test the HB DAC+ before buying another one? (And is there any warranty on the card?)

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/jofemodo/32/2_2.png) [@jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/jofemodo)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 11:08am UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/10 "2019-01-14T11:08:33Z")

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Have you tried with the “alsamixer” from command line? Perhaps there is some options there …

Regards,

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**Author:** ![Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/axeman/32/278_2.png) [@Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Axeman)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 11:42am UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/11 "2019-01-14T11:42:59Z")

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@jofemodo and @Baggypants could you post part number, version and manufacturing date of your DAC chip (better: a full READABLE picture of the chip)

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**Author:** ![Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/axeman/32/278_2.png) [@Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Axeman)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 12:07pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/12 "2019-01-14T12:07:06Z")

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Sorry, I meant to tag @sadkermit…

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**Author:** ![jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/jofemodo/32/2_2.png) [@jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/jofemodo)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/13 "2019-01-14T13:36:02Z")

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This is from Daniel, the creator of HifiBerry DAC+:

> Hi José,  
> there were no hardware changes in the DAC.  
> Unfortunately I can’t say anything about this specific problem. It could be a problem of the circuit that the DAC+ is connected to.  
> If would check what’s on the output of the DAC.  
> Best regards,  
> Daniel

Regards,

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**Author:** ![Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/axeman/32/278_2.png) [@Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Axeman)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/14 "2019-01-14T13:44:03Z")

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My question about revisions are tied to the TI notes on the PCM512x.

There are two (three, actually) hardware revision of the chip.  
The Jan. 2016 revision removed a feature called “Internal Pop-Free Control For Sample-Rate Changes Or Clock Halts”.

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**Author:** ![jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/jofemodo/32/2_2.png) [@jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/jofemodo)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/15 "2019-01-14T13:46:38Z")

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Interesting … let see what Daniel says 😉

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**Author:** ![jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/jofemodo/32/2_2.png) [@jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/jofemodo)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/16 "2019-01-14T13:48:59Z")

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Hi @Axeman!  
Could you post the link to the TI revision notes?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/axeman/32/278_2.png) [@Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Axeman)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:50pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/17 "2019-01-14T13:50:04Z")

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[http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pcm5122.pdf](http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pcm5122.pdf)

 ![image](https://discourse.zynthian.org/uploads/default/original/2X/c/c9588846256bb3dd066dd0184c706126163bc44d.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/axeman/32/278_2.png) [@Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Axeman)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/18 "2019-01-14T13:51:11Z")

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Re reading the doc, maybe these are revision of DOCUMENTATION and not of the chip itself…  
I never liked TI documentation since the 74XX data books 🙂

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**Author:** ![jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/jofemodo/32/2_2.png) [@jofemodo](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/jofemodo)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/19 "2019-01-14T13:52:50Z")

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Ups! yes … it looks to be Documentation Revision … 😉

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/user_avatar/discourse.zynthian.org/axeman/32/278_2.png) [@Axeman](https://discourse.zynthian.org/u/Axeman)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://discourse.zynthian.org/t/a-weird-noise-is-driving-me-mad-solved/2619/20 "2019-01-14T13:55:50Z")

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Your Honor, I retire my question and throw myself on the mercy of the court! 🤣

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