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[sus453]

I just downloaded the free protools and am using the iMac sond inpu for it and have been getting a lot of buzzing (ground?) noise. Will the protools download support any USB devices?

Thanks,
Susan from Texas

If your input is working properly you shouldn't be getting any noise. What do you have plugged in, exactly (the whole chain)?

[sus453]

Plugged into the iMac, I have a pedal steel guitar, a volume pedal, an analog delay pedal, an Avalon preamp, a Lexicon 200 reverb, and an Alesis mixer.

Do you have a headphone out on that mixer to hear what your signal is like at that point? Have you tried running something simple into the iMac (like a cd player) to see if the noise is on that also? What I'm getting at is try to eliminate the iMac as a problem first, then go down the chain and track down the source of your noise.

The pickups on that steel guitar may be sensitive to your iMac monitor. If you decide it's that, try moving away from the monitor and/or changing the position of the steel in relation to your monitor. My electric guitar will definitely buzz more if I have it facing the monitor.

[sus453]

Yes; it also has a buzz when running a DAT machine into it.

Same buzz, I suppose.

Well, if it's not your cables or adapters, which I'm sure you've checked, then it's either the iMac itself or noise in your electrical system. The computer may be on he same ciruit as an appliance that's 'making' the noise. There's no way of knowing what's on what circuit, so you'd have to try moving the iMac to other outlets to see if the noise remains. Also you could shut down everything else in your house and see if the problem persists. If you're in an apartment or condo the noise may be coming from outside your place.

Any way you could tote the iMac to a friend's house with the DAT machine and check it over there?

Sounds like the kind of stuff I've had to do in the past!

[sus453]

Thanks BagHun,

I wil try that.

-- Susan