828 MkII Humming!

[Tortoise]

Hello,

Have bought an 828 MkII recently. The thing is, it is humming. Do the 828 MkII have a reputation for humming?
It isn't doing it loudly, but it is a hum nevertheless.

[NinjaShredder]

Mine audibly 50Hz hums/buzzes too. And I think I read a review on Harmony Central which mentioned it too.

An interesting question would be whether the US users have an equally loud 60Hz hum. Or whether just the Euro transformer was hastily designed...

[davedempsey]

I have an 828Mk11 running on 50Hz, 240vsupply in Oz - all my studio gear runs on a symmetrically balanced power supply, built by Peach Audio in Coogee, Sydney OZ- in any MainEarthNeutral based power situation neutral is tied to earth. This leaves audio equipment susceptable to interference on the shared earth - the Peach power supply separates earth from neutral in the power supply in a way similar to the differance between a balanced and unbalanced signal cable - the result is a clean canvas and more audilble lows - up to 1octave lower - it also tends to prevent interferance/noise on earth, which all audio equipment is susceptable to.
Investisgate the wiring configuration in your studio set-up and reference to standard industry wiring protocals to ensure correct configuration particularly in regards unbalanced and balanced mixed wiring.

[Tortoise]

The thing is, the unit does this when it is not attached to anything. I mean it is just the unit, naked, out of the box.
My concern is if the unit will burn itself out.
Do ther MOTU's do this. My Ultralite does not when I plug it into the same plug.
I knew I should have bought an M-audio ( only joking!)

[davedempsey]

The thing is, the unit does this when it is not attached to anything. I mean it is just the unit, naked, out of the box.
My concern is if the unit will burn itself out.
Do ther MOTU's do this. My Ultralite does not when I plug it into the same plug.
I knew I should have bought an M-audio ( only joking!)

Sounds like a power transformer problem. Have you contacted your supplier or Motu? The unit should not be doing this - if you can hear it at all then something is wrong.

[Tortoise]

I have not contacted MOTU yet. I will though. I will be sending them an e-mail.
Thank you.

[monkey man]

Hey, Tortoise; Monkey here!

Both my 2408 MkI and the MkII I replaced it with, hummed.
Actually, it was more like a loud buzz in both cases.
A "MOTU Tech" guy from Sydney told me to slide a piece of cardboard between the transformer and the chassis, in both cases in new units!

Being desperate, I did it and it worked both times.
Check running-temp first for good measure.
May void warranty.

PS: D'ya think we could pass as brothers, or just distant relatives?

[wildrecording]

My 828mkII sits approximately 18 inches from my face. Until reading this thread, I never noticed a hum or a buzz. After reading this thread I stood up and put my ear against the top of the case.

There is a slight buzz.

I work in the electronics field (mostly assembly, so I'm certainly not to be confused with an expert). That said, my two cents is that this buzz, though it may suggest less than ideal design criteria, does not particularly alarm me. a loud, distracting hum or buzz would be another matter entirely.

I suspect that if I were to listen that closely to some of the other rack-mounted goodies strewn about the room I would likely discover similar noises.

Until I see smoke or something stops working, I'm not going to lose significant sleep over this.

Warmly,
JT

PS See my upcoming post on my recent experience with MOTU tech support.

[Tortoise]

Hello Monkeyman!

I would say that we could pass as relatives due to our Avatars; but as names........well, we would have to climb the Darwinian tree a bit!

[monkey man]

Hello Monkeyman!

Hey Tortoise, did you know there's at least one turtle here?
At least they look like they're related to you.

I would say that we could pass as relatives... but ... well, we would have to climb the Darwinian tree a bit!

Hmmm... could be tricky.
Ever tried to climb a tree you couldn't find, no matter how thoroughly you searched?

I know you said you're eMailing MOTU, but should you not get instant gratification, I remember being assured the cardboard trick is "safe".
Non-flammable foam rubber would work better, I suppose, but cardboard was all I had at the time I did it.

Good luck.

[yapweiliang]

On the subject of power supply transformer noise or buzz or humming, does anyone have a Motu unit, or specifically an 828 Mk II, that has absolutely no buzzing noise at all? If you do, what is your mains power frequency? 60Hz or 50Hz?


Or do all of them have a soft buzzing noise, and a few have em annoyingly loud?

[monkey man]

It does seem to vary across the range, and within each product line.

I can now add that in addition to the old 2408 and 2408 MkII I had, the 24I/Os I replaced my desk with do it too.
I rang the Australian wholesaler in Sydney, and they're convinced all the units they receive do this to varying degrees.
I then emailed them this or another thread, along with a query as to what could be done, and this is what I received:

Hi Nicky,

I think this so called 'noise' is normal and I've never seen any variation between different units. The fact that you have 2 units and they are the same could probably be seen as proof of that. I believe if you swapped your units the results would be similar.

I guess what is considered to be 'noisy' is down to individual opinion. Personally I believe that while there is some noise (which any transformer will make) it isn't really apparent unless you put your ear very close to the unit.

Your welcome to email MOTU direct for further clarification of this if you like.

Regards,

Anthony
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Major Music Wholesale

I figured I'd live with it, considering the apparent "subjectivity" of the matter and the logistics of somehow selecting quiet units down under.
FWIW, I hear the humming from the doorway of the room metres away.
This is loud considering the fact that there's a G5 whirring away in here, and that I've the worst tinnitis you can imagine.
Also, one unit is now louder than the other.

[yapweiliang]

My current Roland & Edirol equipment don't make a single sound from their power transformer - no buzzing / humming. They power on, light up and do their job. The only way to get any sound out of them is to plug in the headphones or connect to some other mixer/monitors/etc or use them as percussion instruments.

I'm a bit worried now that you tell me one of your units is buzzing louder than before. Mine is tolerably soft at the moment. Anyway thanks for the information you have provided. I shall have to consider whether or not the advantages of this unit outweigh the buzzing noise.

[monkey man]

My current Roland & Edirol equipment don't make a single sound from their power transformer - no buzzing / humming. They power on, light up and do their job. The only way to get any sound out of them is to plug in the headphones or connect to some other mixer/monitors/etc or use them as percussion instruments.
I'm a bit worried now that you tell me one of your units is buzzing louder than before. Mine is tolerably soft at the moment. Anyway thanks for the information you have provided. I shall have to consider whether or not the advantages of this unit outweigh the buzzing noise.

I wouldn't worry about it; it's no doubt just a cheaper transformer being used to keep costs down.
I've had four MOTU units, and all of them have buzzed.
Interestingly, it's only the audio interfaces, not MIDI, that seem to do this.
I doubt any have blown up as a result of the use of these transformers.

Only my original DP/4 (Ensoniq) FX unit buzzed; all other gear super-quiet here too, so it is disappointing.

[BIGDADLES]

I am new to this game, I need to locate a PDF for the 828mk11
can someone please help me!!!!