NOISE ON MY AUDIO OUTPUT

I have a 50 foot shielded audio output from my imac and I cannot even listen to the output because there is so much electronic noise. I thought it might be the long run but if I hook my IPOD up it works perfect. has anyone else had grounding issues with the imacs sound card or imac in general because even when I run video out there is video noise also in my second display. I can't decide whether or not I need to take this computer in to be serviced.

Do you have the same noise problem with a set of headphones pluged into the iMac? Some here have noticed audio noise issues related to there optical mouse, is yours wired or wireless? A wired mouse should be pluged into the back of the keyboard! Also it seems that some have had to return the mouse for a replacement because of this issue. To test setup the audio as you had earlier and unplug your mouse! And lastly it couldn't hurt to reset your SMC follow the instructions in this link: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446
Dennis
17" iMac Intel Core Duo 1.5GB Ram Mac OS X (10.4.9) maxtor 300GB FireWire Creative Inspire 2.1 2G Nano

Similar Messages

Firewire drive noise appearing in audio output

Hi:
When I have a firewire drive plugged in, a lot of digital noise appears at the audio output jack. If I turn the drive off, I hear a whining-down noise in the audio output. I've tried two different drives, 3 different cables, same thing. Anyone have any ideas? It's a huge bummer; I bought my MacBook Pro to do music on...

Hey george,
i know this is not going to be any help, (i need some too!!!) but i have exactly the same problem. I first noticed it when using my ICY BOX external harddrive and thought it was just the noise from the external drive but the same thing happens when i attach my Motu traveler firewire soundcard to it. Its so annoying. the sound dissapears when i take out the mini jack from the output.
I am also having a problem of sound distortion over the output and recording input when i attach my Motu firewire unit
(this is seperate from the minijack problem i think as this happens when the minijack is plugged into the output AND when it is not).
This didnt happen to my powerbook 1.6 and never happens to my friends one either????
I am going to make a seperate thread about this problem now but if you could tell me if you have the same problem with your soundcard i would be grateful.
All the best and if you find out what the problem is please post your solutio up, vice versa.
Will.
MBP 1.8 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Lot of noise from laptop audio output

I'm getting a lot of noise from the audio output of my Macbook Pro (early 2008) OS 10.8.5 when I connect an external firewire 800 drive that uses a power cord. I get more of the same noise when I connect an external video monitor. The noise is a digital hashy and whiney sound that modulates sometimes as what on the screen changes. If I use my Focusrite Scarlett interface the noise is amplified to the point that I can't work. The noise starts when the drive's power cord is plugged in. If I work off a pocket USB drive there is no noise. This is my work around for now. I'm using a power strip that has noise filtering. I have 2 different studios and I get the same noise in both. I've done a lot of trouble shooting and have narrowed the problem down to connecting a drive with a power cord to the computer. I have tried different drives too with the same result. Is there any hope of fixing this?

Can't say I've ever had any noise when starting the unit up over optical - if your DAC is designed for stereo only then it may be causing noise by attempting to play the 5.1 startup video's audio bitstream which is dolby digital encoded not stereo.

W500 audio noise while using audio output

Hello,
Few months ago I've bought Lenovo W500. After some time realized that when I'm using an audio output in sometimes I can hear annoying noise. I've checked it with different headphones (also professional ones) and other audi equipment. Always the same.
In the beginning I've thought there are some problems with my Alsa configuration (I'm using mainly Linux) but havent time to check.
Now I've spent more time for that. I've couldn't find solution, decided to check on Windows also - there is the same problem (with exactly the same audio files/youtube videos etc.)
Checked with different quality audio files - mp3, flac, audio cd etc. Always the same.
I can hear it very good in this moovie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaUL_7H7r40
first time noise appears at 00:02 - 00:03 and then I can hear it in almost whole time.
If I turn off all audio players etc. I can still hear annoing, quiet noise from headphones (on both OSes - Linux/Windows).
Has anyone simmilar problem?
Any solution? My W500 is ofcourse under warranty but I need it at the moment very hard, so I hope there is some solution different than sending it to service :/
Thanks a lot,
Regards.

If you discard any software related problem, your problem is over hardware.
The only solution is sending to service and the will repair it for free. Maybe the will change the entire motherboard.
Best regards.
IPnaSh
First Spanish Community Guru - Colaborador ad honorem

Noise floor of audio output

I noticed that the noise floor of the audio output in my 15" MacBook Pro is quite noticable when using external speakers. Is it just the way the sounds cards in these machines are or is there a problem with my specific unit?

connecting an external display or anything on the firewire bus raises the noise floor of the audio interface significantly. if that is your case, you're in the same camp as all macbook users ever since the intel transition. hope this helps.

I recently downloaded the latest OS update and now I have a constant "humming" noise from my MBP and my audio output is no longer working. Any suggestions?

I recently downloaded the lastest OS update (Lion X 10.7.4) on my MBP that I purchased in November of 2011, and since downloading it my MBP has been making a constant "humming" noise from the right speaker/disc drive area. I also don't have any audio output for FaceTime or Skype. I attempted to use Photo Booth to record a video and it doesn't record any audio. I attempted to reset SMC and reinstall Lion with no resolution of the problems.

Click the Finder icon on the Dock.
Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup
Built-in-Output
Output tab
Move the Master volume slider to the right a bit.
Best.

Noise on audio output when using the power adapter

I'm a musician and use my mid-2007 MBP 15" in my live rig. When I use the power adapter, I hear a buzz, sometimes accompanied by a slightly louder buzz that cycles on & off about 1x/second. There are a few weird things going on here:
1. The buzz does not happen all the time. That leads me to think it may be noise in the AC line that the adapter is plugged into.
2. The noise is heard when I use both the built-in audio output AND an external USB audio interface.
In any case, when I disconnect the power adapter and run my MBP on battery, the noise goes away completely. I can probably do this on most gigs, but I'm a little nervous since I run a FW drive, an external USB audio interface, and my midi keyboard (powered by USB) so I am putting a little heavier than usual load on the MBP's battery.
As I said, this may be a noisy AC line. Another guess is that it's the PMU inducing noise into the audio circuitry. I'm hoping a simple AC line filter can help me but I thought I would ask here first in case anyone else has dealt with this. TIA for any help!

I had a similar problem and fixed it with a $5 universal travel adapter. Yours might be different but here's my situation. Try it for little cost and see if it works.
I'm also a muso with an iMac running external KRK speakers via USB Mbox2. Previously I had a Macbook Pro and the same audio problem. I've been putting up with a very low volume, high pitch noise until now. I simply plugged the Mac power cord into a universal travel adapter which then goes into the wall. For Aussie users there is an adapter on ebay that will allow a 3 pin Aussie plug to go into female side and has a two pin Aussie male on the other. For US users you can probably get the same although there is a 59c product that will do the trick called a ground lift adapter. Applecare actually agreed this was the best fix and confirmed there would be no problems with power supply or Mac performance. What a gem ! God knows I've looked into all kinds of alternatives that could have cost hundreds instead of $5.

Processor noise with audio output?

I attached my Mac book pro to my 40" LCD TV along with an audio output from the headphones out to the input on the TV.
What I noticed is that the "processor whine" that we all complain about that seems to cease when we are running things like photo booth, and intensify when we disconnect the AC adapter, is projected through the audio of my TV!!!!! When I mute the TV, away goes the whine. Strange huh?
I don't know if this is a new revelation, or a known reproduction of the problem.
So my question is, do you think there is a relationship between the poor output on the speakers (very little sound on bars 1 through 7) and this processor whine we complain about?
I was generally happy with my MBP and would ignore the whine until my TV set amplified it.
Do any of you also think that Apple would replace my MBP for this and the many other complaints? (Screen inverter defect, generally hot, and this noise output via cable)
Thanks for your input on my future with this computer, like I said, I've always been happy with it until this output problem.

My guess as to what causes the whine is this:
There are many small copper traces on the motherboard carrying signals. There are two traces in question. One carries the power for the processor in low power mode. One carries the power to the sound card (or from the card to the speakers). Those two traces are too close together. So when power flows through the proc trace it induces electric current in the other trace, which causes the sound we hear from the speaker.
It is a problem of the design of the MLB. So the fix would be to isolate the two traces.
Just my idea.

Audio output from ATV carries noise/humm when also sending video

I have my Apple TV connected to my LCD TV via HDMI, and I am also sending audio out via the RCA jacks to my distributed audio system (Netstreams Quartet).
The audio signal going to the Netstreams system has a noticable humm to it. The humm goes away if I unplug the HDMI signal to the TV. I have tried using Component video out but that also introduces the humm to the audio.
It seems that having an active video connection add noise to the audio out. Has anyone solved this problem before ?

jeff Stringer wrote:
would a ground loop isolator solve a problem like this ?
Not sure to be honest. May depend on where exactly the problem lies.
I am pretty sure it's not the av system itself, since other inputs sound fine. It is just the combination of video and audio coming out of the ATV that introduces the humm.
Is the AppleTv new, I'd be tempted to replace it if it is, or get it checked over if under warranty, as you really shouldn't be faving noise/hum over analogue audio just from using video.
AC

Audio output ... fried?

When my left speaker stopped working entirely, I immediately assumed it was because my speaker set was cheap and worthless. (It was.) I replaced my speakers.
Much to my dismay, even with a fancy new set of speakers, the left one still does not work -- jiggling the jack in the back of mac mini sometimes produces a faint crackling noise in the left, but otherwise nothing. The right and bass speakers still perform admirably.
My Mac Mini is almost 2 years old, a PowerPC purchased in August 05. I did not purchase extended service, and this sounds like some kind of hardware deal that will be an expensive fix. How complicated is the problem, and what would cause the audio output to suddenly become unreliable?
Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!
Mac Mini PowerMac10.1 Mac OS X (10.4.9)

You're welcome - I hope it's as simple as the balance setting. If not, double-check the speakers with something else (personal stereo, iPod etc) to make sure they do work correctly and that it isn't a problem with something like a damaged cable, and then with them reconnected, try running Garageband, playing one of the examples given with it. This isn't as crazy as it seems - running Garageband often resolves sound-related problems.
Then, as a last resort before trying more difficult solutions (reinstalling MacOS for example) and since yours is a PPC mini, try a PMU reset:
To reset the PMU
- Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord.
- Wait 10 seconds.
- Plug in the power cord while simultaneously pressing and holding the power button on the back of the computer.
- Let go of the power button.
- Press the power button once more to start up your Mac mini.
If none of the above helps, post back with any further details and we'll get stuck into the more complicated ideas!
Good luck!

Adjusting audio output based on an audio input!

Kay so I live in an older apartment where my AC bombards my eardrums every ten minutes. My stereo master slider on my mixer is my best friend for overcoming this inaudible catastrophe! Men, I need you to help me link my microphone to my audio output gain so one of my arms doesn't get very strong compared to the other. I've been working out my other arm on a daily basis, but it's coming to the degree where I can't walk in a straight line. To prevent the repetitive volume increases and decreases and keep me from walking in circles, is there some software I can use to auto-adjust the gain from my machine?

Ok,
Looked simple, but fun, so I did it. Where you go
#!/bin/bash
MAX=20.0
MULT=1.0
TIME=5
function volume(){
arecord -f S16_LE -r44100 -d $TIME 2>/dev/null|sox -t wav - -t raw /dev/null \
stats 2>&1 |awk '/RMS lev dB/ {print $NF}'
level=$(volume)
while true; do
new_level=$(volume)
diff=$(echo $new_level - $level|bc -l)
level=$new_level
adjust=$(echo "
v=$diff*$MULT;
if (v < $MAX && v > $MAX*-1){
if (v > 0) {
print v,\"%+\"
} else {
print -v,\"%-\"
} else {
print \"0%+\"
}"|bc -l)
echo $diff,$adjust
amixer set Master -i $adjust >/dev/null
done
Its use arecord and sox to calculate the noise and bc to do some math (because bash is dumb =[). Some parameters MAX is the maximum absolute adjustment that can be made, MULT is a multiplicative factor applicated to the difference of dB measured, and TIME is how much seconds to record in each pass.
TIME can be used to adjuste the reaction time, a small value (like 1) react nearly instantaneous but a bigger value like 6 give some margin for rapid pops in the noise and only adjust if the noise difference existed in much part of TIME window.
When I use pulseaudio MULT=1 works ok, but with alsa I need MULT=5.
About pulseaudio, I started using it this week, and I really think that using pulse audio you have a lot more clear/cool/functional solution, but I need to explore it...
I dont know much about sound theory, so I dont know if I choose the best 'volume' description, but you can look at sox man pages and look for something more adequate (look for stats and stat).
PS. I hate bash... zsh is so much better (but, python is better than all) I only used bash because, uhhh I dont know the reason... masochism?
Last edited by kazuo (2010-05-31 10:31:07)

Problem with multiple applications using one audio output

Hey there, I'm having issues setting up my 5.1 headset seen here (http://www.sharkoon.com/?q=en/content/x-tatic-digital) to work with multiple applications.
Right now I have audio streaming from a flash video, when I try run "$ speaker-test -c 6" I get the following error:
speaker-test 1.0.25
Playback device is default
Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 6 channels
Using 16 octaves of pink noise
ALSA lib pcm_dmix.c:1018:(snd_pcm_dmix_open) unable to open slave
Playback open error: -16,Device or resource busy
If I try open another application which uses this device, the first application has its sound cut off.
2 more things to note:
- My preference for setup would be audio output through S/PDIF and input through USB, with the USB output disabled (To not waste system resources).
- I unmuted all channels in ALSA, however when I ran the test only 2 channels seemed to be working (Front L&R), it may have been defaulting to the USB connection, in which case, that explains only 2 channels being in use, is there a method of setting the S/PDIF as default system wide?
Thanks in advance for any help given!

brebs wrote:It's put the comments on multiple lines - fix that.
Woops, I guess my paste messed up, new .asoundrc: http://pastie.org/3706033
I can run both at the same time, however I cannot hear any audio. Do I somehow have to change the default device, if so how can I do that?
Edit:
Restarted system now I get:
speaker-test 1.0.25
Playback device is default
Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 2 channels
Using 16 octaves of pink noise
Rate set to 48000Hz (requested 48000Hz)
Buffer size range from 2048 to 8192
Period size range from 1024 to 1024
Using max buffer size 8192
Periods = 4
was set period_size = 1024
was set buffer_size = 8192
0 - Front Left
Segmentation fault
(That's with both commands)
EDIT 2:
Interesting, apparently 2 audio streams are working, however the console thing still doesn't work..?
EDIT 3:
Didn't last long, now flash crashes and html 5 doesn't work -.-
EDIT 4:
Flash only works when other audio is active, however it has constant popping sound. I went through the system logs to get the errors of when flash crashes, it's audio crashing it, here's the error:
Apr 1 02:04:15 localhost kernel: [ 7057.499787] AudioThread[6227]: segfault at 7f2e2f7a8008 ip 00007f2e413a2786 sp 00007f2e33614ae8 error 7 in libasound.so.2.0.0[7f2e4131e000+eb000]
Last edited by B3NW (2012-04-01 01:11:04)

Noisy audio + audio output turns off / on - annoying

The audio out on a MBP (10.5.4) turns off after about 30 seconds, then turns back on when it makes any sound such as an alert sound, playing a song in iTunes / Quicktime, etc...
Case and point: Listen with headphones (or with your ear close to the laptop speaker) and do something that requires audio - e.g. just duplicate a file using Apple+D, you'll hear your alert sound. Then listen for 30 seconds - you will hear a faint hiss (with good headphones), then a click/pop as the audio turns off. WHY?
And this is really annoying: there is also a click/pop sound when you start to play something if the audio has turned off, i.e. the audio output has to turn itself ON again. Plus, in iTunes there is digital distortion and some very faint high-frequency hums.
I have my old PowerBook G4 sitting next to this MBP and it does NOT do this. So it begs the question: Why does Apple have to change things like this? Why change the audio output to turn off after 30 seconds? How is it that iTunes on a MBP creates digital distortion?
There is NO digital distortion within iTunes on the Powerbook G4. (I compared the same exact track from iTunes on the MBP to iTunes on the Powerbook G4.) There is NO digital distortion when playing audio through Quicktime on either laptop.
I don't get it. Apple/Mac should be improving their products. They bought Logic 8 from Emagic! That must mean they are interested in audio, yes? Then WHY cheapen the audio outs?
This is essentially a post to see if there has been any fixes for this problem, or to see if Apple/Mac really care or noticed. I hope it is the former.......

I have a brand new Macbook Pro Unibody 15'', which presents the same issues, but with some peculiarities. I have M-Audio reference speakers, connected with an analog cable minijack to RCA cable (note: they work perfectly when connected to the ext. firewire audio interface..) .
The weird thing is related to whether I have the power cord plugged in or not:
- with the magsafe power cord plugged in I only hear the intermittent "high pitched noises" described here: http://tech.kateva.org/2007/06/macintouch-review-audio-noise-in-new.html. They are apparently random .
- when I unplug the power cord I can hear all kind of sounds and noises: I can hear the harddrive spinning and seeking, a "fixed" background hum noise, more noises even when I type or move the mouse or use the trackpad.
UPDATE: When the external audio interface is not plugged in (it's a M-Audio firewire solo) I hear no more noises from the internal audio output ! Must be all related to some grounding issues of the audio interface.

Headphone Jack Background Noise When No Audio Present

I'm really getting frustrated. I have my headphones plugged directly into my iMac, and I'm hearing a low white noise sort of sound coming only from the right channel. The left is silent...like it should be. The level of the white noise is not impacted by adjusting the computer volume. Why is this happening? And how can I make it go away? Most likely, unfortunately, I may have to venture to the Apple Store.
I did try another set of headphones.
Thank you.

Dear sirs,
this is my first post! First of all, I am sorry form my terrible english (english is not my first language).
I purchased my iMac very recently. This is the first experience with Apple for me. It is nice, in general, but I am experiencing a problem with the audio out (mini-jack used as analogical out). When I connect the audio output minijack of the iMac with a cable (very good cable) to my Behringer mixer audio input, I hear a noise (like a white noise). Not continuously, only when I scroll something in a window on the screen. In general every time there is something that change on the screen, I hear this noise (on both channels).
As for BMBell1919 user the level of the noise "is not impacted by adjusting the computer volume".
I am a little bit surprised! A lot of people in the professional audio broadcasting say that Apple manufactures nice products…but if the quality of the internal sound peripheral is this one…i think Apple probably changed the quality standard of design and production.
Is there any one that have the same problem that I am experiencing? Any suggestion to solve it? Is it an hardware problem? It need service?
Thank you for your attention.
Bye.

Audio Output to HDTV

I have connected my MBP to a Sharp Aquos HDTV. For the audio I am using a cable from Radio Shack with an 1/8" plug (at the MBP) and 2 RCA plugs connected to the TV. There is a hissing/scratching noise coming from the TV speakers. This noise is not present from the MBP speakers at other times. Does anyone know how to fix this?
Mac Book Pro Mac OS X (10.4)

Switch the audio output to the maximum output volume, or go out and get a mini toslink optical cable. It will cost more, but it is a digital output, and it has a mini optical 1/8 inch output to plug into the MBP, and then a regular optical connector on the other end. It is digital so it will sound better and then will have surround sound.

NOISE ON MY AUDIO OUTPUT

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for