Static on DI bass?

[denalihighway]

Hey dudes / dudettes,

I was recording a bass DI track and discovered (thanks Paul Bergren ) that there was some static on the audio recording. In separate audio events on the same track, done on the same day, there was no static.

I've noticed sometimes there being little audio glitches n clicks etc when someone is using the toilet here in the house downstairs, the extractor fan seems to trigger it - and also if the shower goes on especially. But I tried replicating this today on a dummy recording and there was none.

I still have my suspicions though. So I've banned everyone from the shower and told them to pee in the garden.

But seriously - is there anything sticking out for you that I should watch out for? All jokes aside I will try to make sure people aren't showering while I'm tracking, which is a very small % of the time. There is a toilet upstairs as well, so I'll be putting my "recording" sign on the door and asking them nicely to use that instead. This is MUSIC, health, bodily functions and personal hygiene are a distant second place

I'm DI-ing a Squire P-Bass, through a tuner pedal, into a Motu Audio Express and into Cubase 6.5 (x64). Windows 7, 64 bit.

Thanks for any comments.
Gar

[JAMRecording]

I would start from the beginning. Start with the cables and the tuner. Remove the tuner and anything else in the signal chain. If it's still there, change cables. If the shower is causing it, it makes me think it could be electrical. It could be making a hot water tank or tankless system kick in and you're getting a power surge. Are you using a surge protector or power conditioner? If not, you should be.

[Kolstad]

I would start from the beginning. Start with the cables and the tuner. Remove the tuner and anything else in the signal chain. If it's still there, change cables. If the shower is causing it, it makes me think it could be electrical. It could be making a hot water tank or tankless system kick in and you're getting a power surge. Are you using a surge protector or power conditioner? If not, you should be.

+1 first thought was that they may have turned the light on and off while you were recording, and if it's an older house with some odd electrical wirings, and you don't have a power surge or conditioner for your studio setup, those electrical peaks may go directly into your recording equipment.

[denalihighway]

Thanks guys - yeah I have surge protectors etc.

I tried to replicate the interference yesterday by getting people to turn on and off various combinations of the extractor fan, electric shower and appliances and surprisingly there was no static or buzz, I was disappointed ...if u know what I mean.

Either way, I'll be avoiding recording while that's happening again.

Nothing in the chain seem to be a problem. A mystery for now. Hopefully just an unusual blip.

Thanks
Gar

[Kolstad]

Hmm, WIFI or Bluetooth?
Shielding and pots in the Squier?

[denalihighway]

Hmm...well I guess to be honest, they are all potential problems that I should be more careful with - the phone would be on, but on flight mode...bluetooth always off. There's a WIFI receiver on the PC, so perhaps I should just unplug that to be safe too..

Thanks very much Kolstad - I now have a good pre-recording checklist

Great input thanks a mill