Buzzing/whining sound coming from top left keyboard area...?

For a couple of months now (I think, I can't pinpoint when exactly this started), there has been an annoying buzzing/whining sound coming from the very top left part of my keyboard (I think). It happens when the computer is on and dies down once I turn it off but kind of does a very quiet "tick-tick" thing for a few minutes after shutdown. At first I thought it was the screen because it sounds like it's coming from the very bottom left corner of the screen (or the very top left corner of the keyboard, I can't tell)... but adjusting the brightness doesn't seem to affect it. It increases when I'm typing or moving the cursor and decreases when I'm not doing anything, but it's always present. I have checked my hard drive and everything's okay, so I'm not sure what it could be. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Performance hasn't been affected (as of yet), so it's just more of an annoyance.
Another thing - for a while now (probably over a year), the screen has been flickering intermittently. It will go darker to lighter to darker to lighter quickly whether the screen has been on only a few minutes or several hours. This seems to have decreased lately, but maybe the two issues are related...?
I got my MacBook soon after they came out with the first black one, whenever that was.
Thanks for your help!

Why not answer my question if you want help? Does your "ordinary keyboard that has midi capabilities" have a transpose function or a split keyboard mode that you may have accidentally activated? Did you try the solution I offered you?

Similar Messages

My macbook pro is probably only 2 months old and there is a buzzing/grinding noise coming from the left side of the laptop every time I open it. It may buzz 5 times in a span of 30 seconds then not make the noise the remaining time that it is open.

My macbook pro is probably only 2 months old and there is a buzzing/grinding noise coming from the left side of the laptop every time I open it. It may buzz 5 times in a span of 30 seconds then not make the noise the remaining time that it is open. I have read that it may have to do with my fan or HD. I am under apple care for a good amount of time but am wondering if this is a mjor issue. I would not be able to get to an apple care center in the near future due to being at school. Should I be worried or will it last by the time I am home in 2 months.

Sounds like the disk in your MBP is accessing data on wake up
If you are still concerned you can take it into the Apple Store where they can hear it to be sure
Allan

MacBook Buzzing/Whine coming from top left

I have a C2D, 2.2GHz, late 2007 model 13" white MacBook (not pro). I am experiencing a whine/buzz from the top left of my keyboard that starts as soon as the grey screen appears during boot. I have tried everything related to the CPU whine people talk about (just google Macbook or macbook pro and whine or buz) but to no avail (except using CHUD to disable one of the cores, so by everything I mean SMC and PRAM reset, QuietMBP and ShhMBP) none of which has helped in the slightest. The buzz is quite prominent, I can hear it currently as it sits on my desk next to me and I type on my desktop (even though I can hear the desktop fans going too, so the room is not utterly quiet). I don't know what else to do, I'm considering re-formating and re-installing the OS to see if some update/software caused the issue (I doubt it, but am at a loss of what else to try). Anybody have any other suggestions?
The reason I have not disabled the 2nd core using CHUD is I don't really want to reduce performance by limiting myself to one core (also, if it matters, I had apple install 2GB of ram rather than the normal 1GB when I ordered).
Any help at all would be nice, the noise is literally starting to drive me bananas!
Also, I checked for run-away processes in Activity Monitor, and even thought it might be fan related rather than processor at one point, and installed and tried fan control software, which made zero difference. The noise does seem worse when the computer is running a more CPU intensive task.

You're right, I doubt that it's a speaker issue but I just wanted to check anyway.
What you are describing sounds just like the problem I have, except that my noise goes away when I use quietMBP. I usually have to use a setting of 90 or so in quietMBP. In fact I can change the pitch of the noise by changing the quietMBP settings.
When power is connected,I believe the power brick works in harmony with the macbook to produce the lovely sound you're hearing. I had Apple replace my power brick, but that didn't solve anything. Once the brick is disconnected from the macbook, the power brick will stop making the noise, but the CPU whine will continue. I heard that logic board replacement sometimes fixes the problem, but I didn't want Apple to rip my computer apart, so I just decided to live with the noise. After a while (~3 months) you get used to it.
So the only solution, as far as I know, is to replace the logic board. Keep replacing it until it stops. It's not present in 100% of macbooks, so if you keep replacing that board, you'll finally end up with a good one.
I trust you read this already:
http://www.red-sweater.com/blog/159/the-quiet-mac
By the way, if the buzzing is louder when you increase CPU usage, more than likely you have a busted resister or capacitor on your board. The solution to that, of course, would be to replace the logic board--since the power transformer assembly sits on the logic board.

Weird "recoiling spring" sound coming from lower left corner of my macbook

My macbook pro 15" (2.16Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 100Gb 7200 RPM drive) has been emitting a weird spring-like sound since it was new. It doesn't do it all the time, and frequency seems to vary from once or twice every 15 minutes up to 2 or 3 times in one minute. It's been getting more frequent lately. It's not the famous "whine" at all. It sounds like a recoiling loose spring, and seems to be mechanical in nature. I have recorded it and put up the file as m4a in my website, here:
http://overcaffeinated.net/images/weirdsound.m4a
(it's about 5 seconds long, and the background noise that can be heard is probably me typing quietly, but the sound is very clear in second 4)
Activity in the machine seems to increase the frequency of the sound, but it also emits it when idle from time to time.
The sound seems to come from the lower left corner of the laptop, under the keyboard. From what I've found out, it seems the hard drive is located there, but I've never heard a drive emit this kind of sound. The performance of the machine seems completely unaffected by it, but it's starting to drive me crazy. Is this caused by software? Does anyone recognize this as a failing hard drive? Any clues are highly appreciated.
Macbook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Well, after re-searching the forums for "marble" instead of "spring" (this does seem like a better description of the sound), I found a few threads that reference this problem:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2226760&#2226760
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2907174&#2907174
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=755564
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2859490&#2859490
General consensus seems to be that the seagate drive is overzealous in parking the drive head, thus producing the "clunk". I'm running declunker, and it seems to keep the sound from happening (still have to test tonight, in a quiet room). I prefer the wear and tear from writing a temp file every 5 seconds to what parking and restarting the drive head so often might do.
Anyway, I'm marking this as "answered". Thanks a lot!
Macbook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Sound coming from headphone jack becomes heavily distorted at the slightest movement of the headphone cable.

I use headphones almost exclusively of my Macbook Pro (Early 2011, way out of warranty) so this has really been annoying me. For about 1-2 weeks now whenever the wire from the headphones I have plugged in to the jack moves, even slightly, the sound coming from the left side disappears almost entirely while the sound from the right side becomes quiet and filled with static. Strangely, it doesn't appear to happen with everything that I'm doing on my computer. For example when playing games the sound seems to work just fine for the most part, but playing music or watching Netflix causes issues whenever the cord moves, which is really annoying.
To get it to stop, I have to move wiggle the plug around in the jack and slowly move the cord into a place where it will not be affected by movement very easily. I read that some people have been able to get around this by buying an external sound card and using the headphone jack on there, but I'd rather not do that if possible as there isn't really anywhere that I can put it without most likely picking up some interference. Plus I only have two USB ports, so I have to use a powered USB hub thats about 2-3 feet away from my computer for most things. Anyone know if this is a viable solution or how much it would cost to fix at the Apple Store?

Also, I have tried restarting my computer, messing with the audio settings, and various other settings that I thought might help.

Mba sound: just bought my first mba and I have been using it in my house no problem...took it to my empty office today and I can hear a small vibration/sound coming from the upper left part of the keyboard...constant and rhythmical...ideas?

mba sound: just bought my first mba and I have been using it in my house no problem...took it to my empty office today and I can hear a small vibration/sound coming from the upper left part of the keyboard...constant and rhythmical...ideas?

Hi
It's likely your fan, It always runs on a MBA. Mine is very quiet, others report some noise - here is one link. There are lots of others.
Hope this helps
Cheers
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4381367?start=0&tstart=0

Every time I scroll, there's a clicking sound coming from the top left corner of my macbook

Similar to the clicking sound of my hard drive, every time I scroll, or whenever there is any sort of animation on my screen, there's a similar clicking sound coming from the top left corner on my , around the area where the microphone is. I know the hard drive is at the bottom right corner, so is this a graphics card issue or am I overlooking the issue?

It is better to take the MBP to the Apple store for evaluation.
They have the diagnostic tools to make sure that there is no problem with the computer.

Scratchy noise coming from top end of keyboard. Not effecting performance but very noisy and worrying! What is it? Is my computer seriously damaged? Is it easily fixed? Thanks for any help

Scratchy noise coming from top end of keyboard. Not effecting performance but very noisy and worrying! What is it? Is my computer seriously damaged? Is it easily fixed? Thanks for any help

It would be helpful if you were to identify the model of MBP you have.
The noise makers on a MBP are the fan(s), the HDD and the optical drive. Can you locate the exact position where the noise is coming from?
Ciao.

Buzzing sound coming from MSI GTX 280

Hi guys,
I purchased a new PC with a MSI GTX 280 OC and I got a buzzing sound coming from the case.
I get the buzzing sound changing frequencies with certain 3D applications (games), windows vista screensavers, windows aero... i also hear when when resize/minimize/maximize the windows.
I thought it was PSU related, as it was the gfx card pulling power, but I've tried a Corsair HX620W and a Antec TruePower 1000W and I still got the buzzing sound with both the PSU's.
It seems originating from the MSI GTX 280.
Is anyone familiar with this problem or what can be done?
Also, for some awkward reason, I can't update my videocard drivers eithers. The installer holds at 50% and just holds without progressing. (I tried the official nvidia drivers and the ones on the MSI website). Same problem when manually installing the drivers.
For what it's worth, the retail box was also quite damaged.
Do I have a faulty card?
or is a bad combination with the rest of my system?
My system:
CPU : Intel E8600 (2x 3.33 GHz)
RAM : 4 GB Corsair
GFX : MSI GTX 280 OC
MOBO : Asus P5Q-E
PSU : Corsair HX620W
OS : Vista x64 Home Premium SP1

Its a known fact that some GTX260/280, all brands, not just MSI, hum or buzz under load.
This is due to certain electrical components on the pcb.
Maybe you can RMA it, if you have a nice shop where you bought it and if your lucky the new one doesnt produce that sound, but no garantuees.
Some hardcore tweakers will open up the plastic case and put a few drops of superglue on the copper windings and that will solve it.
Its no more then reasonating copperwindings under load.

Harsh rattling sound coming from fan.

Normally, when I use an application that requires a lot of CPU power or when I'm watching a YouTube video, the internal fan speeds up to 6000+ RPM but it started sounding weird the past week. Right when I "wake up" my MacBook from sleep, I here a faint rattling sound coming from where the fan should be but it disipates after a few minutes. When I view a video though, the rattling becomes a bit louder combined with the normal sound of the fan. Also, I noticed when I picked up my macbook when its fan was going fast and tilted it to its sides, the rattling sound corresponds with the movement of the computer (louder each time I tilted it left to right).
Could the fan be broken/loose? I sprayed some air into the keyboard to get rid of dust but nothing changed. I recently ran out of my Applecare warranty last September. Thanks in advance!

Hey
Sorry to say but you could be looking at a hardware problem. That being said there are still things you can try.
Try this artile: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 for an SMC reset.
If that does not work make sure all of your software is up to date. If it is, you may have a hardware problem.
Run the Apple hardware test that came on the disc with the computer to see if it comes up with anything... Although sometimes it doesn't even if there is a problem.
Regards,
Britt.

2 Thunderbolt displays MBP = sound coming from both displays?

Hello everyone,
So my question is: "Is it possible to make my both thunderbolt displays to produce sound to? Currently I can choose either one of them or my macbook pro, but maybe somehow it's possible to make it go thru both of the displays?"
They are connected to macbook pro via thunderbolt.

Success!!!
Okay this got a bit complicated, but I found the right mix of software to make this work. So here's again the hardware and software setup:
TD = Thunderbolt Display
CH = Channel
MBP = MacBookPro
L = Left Speaker
R = Right Speaker
TD1 (L/R) | TD2 (L/R) | MBP (L/R)
iTunes => SoundFlower => Jack => Aggregate Device => 6 speakers!
Stereo audio only has 2 channels (left and right). So the trick is to get 2 system channels to map to the 6 speaker channels I have.
Step 1: Setup an Aggregate device to merge the 3 sets of speakers into one aggregate.
1-1: In Lion, go to Apps > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup
1-2: Click the + in the bottom left and select Create aggregate device.
1-3: Select the 3 devices: Built-in Output, Display Audio, Display Audio (there are 2)
1-4: Click Configure Speakers
1-5: Select all 3 streams at the top
1-6: Click Multichannel and then select Hexagonal (this gives you 6 virtual speakers in the graphic)
1-7: I don't think this step is required, but map the channels to the right locations. For me this was a little confusing because TD1 was channels 3 & 4, TD2 was 5 & 6 and, and MBP is 1 & 2. From top left going clockwise, I selected 4, 5, 1, 2, 6, 3.
1-8: You can click the speaker for each one to hear a test tone to make sure you have them right. It's right if the 2 left ones come out of the left screen, the 2 center ones from the center screen, and the 2 right ones from the macbook.
1-9: Right down the numbers so that you know which ones you want for left and which ones you want for right.
Okay, now this is enough to get audio from 2 devices, but stopping here you'd lose your volume control and 4 of your 6 speakers.
Step 2: Install 3 apps (all free):
2-1: Download SoundFlower from http://cycling74.com/soundflower-landing-page/
2-2: Download JackOSX from http://www.jackosx.com/
2-3: Download JackOsX Autostart from http://www.jackosx.com/
Step 3: Setup Jack
3-1: Install Jack
3-2: Start JackPilot and go to Preferences
3-3: Setup input-output device as Aggregate Device that you setup in step 1
3-4: Interface Output Channels should show 6 (6 speakers!). Set Virtual Output channels to 2 (stereo)
3-5: Uncheck auto-connect with physical ports
3-6: Save changes and start the Jack server if it's not running.
Step 4: Setup Soundflower
4-1: Install Soundflower
4-2: Click the flower in the task bar and then choose JackRouter under the 2-channel at the top
4-3: In Lion, go to Apps > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup
4-4: Find Soundflower (2 ch) and click it, then on the right select Output and then configure speakers
4-5: Select Stero and then set the left speaker as 1 and the right as 2. Testing the speakers here will likely do nothing. That's okay.
Step 5: Finish Jack
5-1: Go to Connection Manager
5-2: Note: this part was a pain -- the UI is funky, so be patient. Click only how described.
5-3: Open the various sub-sections until you can see Soundflowerbed under the Send Ports and see out1 and out2 (the stereo ports) and the System under Receive Ports and you should see playback_1 thru playback_6
5-4: Carefully single-click out1 then double-click the first left speaker channel. Single-click out1 again and then double-click 2nd left speaker channel. Single-click out1 again and then double-click 3rd left speaker channel.
5-5: Carefully single-click out2 then double-click the first right speaker channel. Single-click out2 again and then double-click 2nd right speaker channel. Single-click out2 again and then double-click 3rd right speaker channel.
5-6: Close the connections manager
Load up iTunes or something else and play music. If everything is setup correctly, all 6 speakers should be going with 3 left playing the left channel and the 3 right playing the right channel!
And since you're using Soundflower, your volume controls on your keyboard, etc, should work just fine. Note: you can tweak your individual volume controls back in the aggregate device setup if you need to fine-tune something.
Hopefully that all worked for you! Let me know how you made out!

Why is there no sound coming from my mac air book ?

why is there no sound coming from my mac aribook?

There are many possible causes for this issue. Take each of the following steps that you haven't already tried.
1. Start with the steps recommended in this support article. Don't skip any of the steps. It's the starting point for further efforts to solve the problem.
2. If your model has an audio-out (headphone) port, and anything is plugged in, unplug it before putting the system to sleep.
3. If you've installed an application called "Memory Clean" or any other third-party software that is supposed to "clean" or "purge" memory automatically, remove it according to the developer's instructions and restart. You should do that even if the software is not causing the problem, because it's useless.
4. If you've installed a software equalizer called "Boom" or anything similar, update or delete it and restart.
5. If an AirPlay device is selected for sound output from iTunes (or from other applications via third-party software such as "Airfoil"), deselect it.
6. Launch the application "Audio MIDI Setup" by entering the first few letters of its name in a Spotlight search and selecting it in the results (it should be at the top.) Select the Output tab. If the Mute boxes are checked, uncheck them. Move the Volume sliders all the way to the right.
7. If a red light is coming from the audio-out port, the internal switch is stuck in the position for digital output. You may be able to free it by inserting and removing a mini-stereo jack of the proper size. Inserting any kind of tool in the port may cause damage that won't be covered by your warranty.
If there's no red light, the switch may still be stuck in the headphone position. Try to free it the same way.
8. Disconnect all wired peripherals except keyboard and mouse, if applicable. If more than one display is connected, disconnect all extra ones. Restart and test.
9. If you have a MacBook Air, turn off Bluetooth and restart.
10. Start up in safe mode. Don't log in; just restart as usual when the login screen appears. When you do, make sure the words "Safe Boot" do not appear in the login screen. If they do, the system is still in safe mode and sound won't work.
11. Reset the NVRAM.
12. Reset the SMC.
13. Reinstall OS X after backing up all data. For a possible shortcut, see this thread.
14. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store.

Whenever I use the trackpad on my 17" Macbook Pro (2010 model) there is a small, trebly processor sound coming from within the enclosure.

Whenever I use my trackpad, there is a whirring, trebly sound coming from within the computer itself. It happens also when webpages are loaded or programs are compiled, but not when I use the keyboard or when the computer is in disuse. It has become louder over time, and it is obvious that when the computer senses input from the trackpad and must translate it, the sound is produced. Is there any way to reset the firmware or an option on the Settings menu that could perhaps help? I am concerned that it is a symptom of a larger problem. Thanks.

The question mark means the computer cannot find a bootable volumes so can;t do anything, That, combined with annoying sounds, strongly suggests a failed hard drive.
You can ask a "genius" at an Apple Rtail Store to test it but I'm pretty sure the drive is kaput. I'm hoping you had your data backed up.

Noisy sound coming from Linksys X3500 AC adapter

I just purchased Linksys X3500 modem and I noticed that when I connect it to any power outlet in my home that its AC adapter produces noisy sound that only disappear when I switch off the modem and you should know that modem works fine till now so should I be worried about this noisy sound comming from AC apdater and is this a commen issue with X3500 modem or it just happens with my unit only ?
thanks in advance

Hi tarekeldeary. There shouldn't be any sound coming from the modem since there are no moving parts in it. Is it a high-pitched whining sound or a dull throbbing noise. Better return the unit and have it replaced.

Sound coming from both speakers and headphones at the same time in probook 4440s

I have a Probook 4440s with windows 8 pro(64 bit) with IDT high definition codec installed. Yesterday when i was playing some songs i noticed that the sound was coming from both headphones and speakers even when my headphones are plugeed in and my lappy was having no such problems a few hours earliers while i was watching a movie. Please help..

It may be because you have both the internal speakers and headphones enabled at the sametime on your laptop. This might just happen automatically when you plug your headphones in. You need to manage your audio devices on your laptop.
Go to Control Panel> Hardware and Sounds> Manage Audio Devices> Playback Tab (which should already be selected)
In the playback tab there should be a list of all the audio devices you are using on your computer. Right click on the one you don't want to use and click disable. This should stop the sound coming from that audio device.
Remember: You will need to enable that audio device if you want to listen to sound through it again. Your internal speakers won't work once you enable them again. This might also be the case with your headphones. You may also have to do this every time your plug in a device or once you restart your computer.
Another note: Sometimes disabled devices will not show up on the audio device list so once you disable a device it will dissappear. This is an easy fix too. Just right click on an audio device and make sure show disabled devices and show disconnected devices is checked.
I hope this helps.
(I was using a computer with Windows XP to explain the instructions but it should be similar with your Windows Operating System. You may however have to play around a little on your computer because it may be slightly different)

Buzzing/whining sound coming from top left keyboard area...?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for