Wow... I've been trying to figure this out for quite a while. I read many of the posts here and decided to try a ground lift adapter on the mac. Sure enough the "whine" went away but there was still some residual noise so I got a ground loop isolator (as recommended) from Radio Shack (argh) and put it on the output of my mixer. My audio is now quiet as a mouse thanks to you smart guys!

EL

I seemed to have this problem before, but with further investigation, it turned out that the hiss was present just in my powered monitors, without the TRS cables even connected! That means it wasn't coming from the Mbox. I need to further inspect the power outlet now, since the noise was present even when no other devices were live on the power point.

I read through a lot of these posts and in one fashion or another they all seem like grounding issues, the grounding loop iso is a great fix I am glad you got the advice from radio shack! Wow I didnt know they still hired some pro's in some areas!

before buying anything try this:



I put one in my mixer's (mackie 1604) power chord, and the noise disappeared just like magic...

thx rekstar!

i just managed to solve my whine problem with mbox 2 mini

i dont know much about these things so maybe its just that i was stupid from the start and doing things wrong

i was reading though some other topic on this issue, on digidesign forums and someone listed troubleshooting advice and one of those was to try just taking audio cables direct from the mbox to the speakers, without mixer

and i tried that and there was no noise so i realized it must be something else, so after that i connected mbox to the mixer and then speakers (all balanced cables although i dont know if that makes a difference) and it was fine so i realized that something else is causing that

it turns out that i was only hearing that whine when my computer line out was connected to the mixer at the same time pro tools was running

so i tried with my computer line out still connected to the mixer, but the volume on those 2 channels all the way down, and it worked, no whine!

so i can use pro tools now with no whine, but i still think that sometimes i hear that whine very quietly when i put my imac to sleep, and turn off the power to the speakers (!)

this completely baffles me but maybe i should just be grateful that there is no whine while im using it

This is a universal problem people are having with the Macbook Pro and external monitors. Some other laptops also have it.

You have 2 choices:
1. Put the external Monitor on a completely different power circuit from the laptop.
2. Lift the ground on the power cord to the external monitor.

I did #2 and it worked perfectly. I used an adaptor similar to the pic below.

http://www.220converters.com/store/i...images/mf7.jpg

cheers,
Robin.

I know its not the nicest solution but what worked for me was to unplug my laptop PSU(power supply unit) and run off battery that solved it for me. Maby a higher quality PSU or one of those noise supressor things that U can clamp around the PSU cable will help with this problem

hey there

this thread is really really helpful, but
i still don't get it.

if i plug my mbox mini on my macbook pro, there is no white noise
coming out of my monitors.
but if i use my macpro instead of the book, there is a constant white noise
although i am not running pro tools.

i tried different power circuit, no success

cheers
gaby

the radioshack ground loop isolator is a god send - fixed my issue up 100% (too bad i bought the monster cable first).

does this mean the grounding issue is inside the mbox? not nessecarily what someones specific setup is?

Hm...my issue is slightly different, suggesting it really only has to do with the MBox 2 Pro I bought and nothing at all with the Computer or such.

I already have an Mbox Original which works fine with my MacBook Pro and ProTools Le 8.0.1 but since I'm upgrading my computer to snow leopard, I needed a new Mbox, so bought the MBox 2 Pro.

Plugged that in yesterday and get lots of white noise, through the monitors as well as headphones. (Tested it on the MacBook Pro with Leopard and LE 8.0.1 btw.)

Not sure what to do or what the issue is?

Any ideas?
Cheers!

Don't feel like typing it all again but, I can't help but feel this is all due to poor solder points and cheap components.

Mbox mini macpro high pitched whine

ok... I'm using the m-audio studiophile BX8 powered monitors with protools 8 using mbox2. I'm running this on a Gateway 64bit windows 7 computer. For years I've tried everything.... Today I decided to unplug my speakers and remove the ground prongs and re-plug them in.... PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!! no noise, nothing at all. By the way I'm not using a mixer. My monitors are plugged to the mbox2. Guys a power cord is 5 to $6. Well worth the attempt!!!!

I am having this same problem. I have a custom built PC with Core i7 Quad processor and ASUS motherboard. My speakers are powered Yamahas, sound card is M-Audio Fast Track Pro USB (but problem also occurs with M-Audio Delta Audiophile PCI card and Komplete Audio 6 USB card).

I have tried plugging the speakers into different wall sockets and lifting the ground on one speaker (this actually makes the buzzing/static worse).

Also I've replaced every component in my PC over the last few weeks but to no avail (sound card, motherboard, RAM, video card, etc..). Also I have tried booting the PC with all devices and fans disconnected except the sound card and the problen persists. If I connect my speakers to my ipod they sound perfect.

I am losing my mind with this... Any ideas? When you say you removed the ground prongs from your speakers - you just ripped them out with pliers or you lifted the ground with a ground lift adapter?

Should I try using the ground adapter on my PC instead of my speakers? I live in an apartment so is there something I need to ask my landlord about the outlets?

Same prob here. Was using Mbox2 fine with separate amp and speakers, switched to Yamaha HS80M powered monitors and whine appeared. Stuck some thin sellotape over the ground prong on each speaker power plug and problem solved. It's not ideal as the speakers are now not earthed but it's a cheap reversible fix and will also let you know quickly if that's where your problem lies.

i had the same problems you all seem to be experiencing and i found that what solved the problem for me was connecting my m-box 2 to a powered usb hub then connecting that to my macbook. got rid of the feedback/hum straight away.

This thread is over 5 years old now and people are continuing to have the problem across many different platforms, both Mac and PC. There also seems to be a wide selection of software that this noise appears with too. Obviously most of us are noticing it initially with Pro Tools, although many people have also heard the noise when any other piece of software plays a sound. So in this case we can rule out it being a OS error and a Pro Tools error. I'm also sceptical that the problem is specific to the MBox as I had the problem with a FastTrack USB interface before I got my MBox, and people are having the same problem with various different versions of the MBox (1, 2, 3, Mini, Pro, etc...). It's also not a problem that is specific to North America and the 60Hz power supply. I'm based in the UK as are some of the other contributors to this thread, so we can rule that one out.

So far, there are a number of solutions that have worked for some people and not one definitive answer. So I think the best thing to do is try them all until you find the one that works for you.

1. Use a well insulated USB cable (Possibly the Monster Ultimate)
2. Use a ground loop
3. Pull out the ground prong (for North America only)
4. Buy a different Audio Interface now that Pro Tools isn't linked to MBox as proprietary hardware.

I'm about to work my way through this list, so will let you know which one worked for me.

My Spec:-
Windows XP SP2
MBox 1
Fostex PM-1 Powered Monitors
Pro Tools LE 8.0

I'm running pro tools 8.0.5 on windows 7(64 bit). I run a Triton and a Venom into a mixer, and the mixer goes out to my mbox 2. I was experiencing a humming noise when my volume was at a decent level. I bought the ground loop isolator and 2 gold plated female RCA to male 1/4" adapters(all from radioshack - $30). I hooked up 1 end of the isolator to my RCA outs on my mixer and connected the RCA adapters to the other end of the isolator and plugged that into my mbox 2 ins. Works perfectly. No humming no matter how loud I turn the volume, inputs, gain, etc. I hope this helps.

Yep, get one of those little ground loop isolators from Radio Shack. It works!

I hate to dig up a post over a month ago but, I'm being a good new(ish) user and using the search function instead of creating a new thread! :]

This has been very useful to me in as much as finding out that I'm not the only person with the problem. In my case I'm using a FireWire interface (M-Audio FW410). When connected to my BX5A's there is no sound, or chatter. It's when I connect to the 'outside world' that problems occur. If I route my analogue inputs to my monitors with my outboard gear connected, I hear the whine. And if I apply distortion effects to any signal going through that outboard gear, the chirping/hissing is louder than the dry signal! So recording dry guitars is literally impossible for me.

I wasted a whole day today turning my UK kettle leads into IEC cables for use with a power conditioner, and even experimented with PCI FireWire expansion cards, to no avail. Utterly weakening.

The only thing I haven't tried is removing my PCI-E graphics card, or disconnecting the monitors while working.

I'd love to know how UK users are using ground loop isolators, and where in the signal they are placing them? Attached is a picture of my setup.

I'm still battling this ( ground lift, Monster cables ....on and on) but what I have noticed is if you watch as the bar is loading, the noise starts as soon as the Midi Engines start to load( about half way into it). It's one of those damn frustrations we fight. 25 years ago it was something else but still took a month of Sunday's to find. Since I am an Analog studio using Pro Tools & Waves for the mastering I have walls of outboard tube driven Rack gear.. This could take awhile but you guys have given me some great places to start Thanks.. and here I thought I was the only one out here with this issue

Follow up.. The filters worked great. Had to get the adapters since they only come in RCA but a pretty cheap fix for under $30 bucks. No more Whine!!

After a couple of weeks, i finally found the F%$#? solution !!! I have a 27 inch iMac i5 with a Mbox 2 pro and i had that white noise in my speaker, hearing the processor or the disk drive or i don't know, that giving me headache. The problem is the aluminum case of the iMac (static). I simply plug my Mac without the ground with an adapter. NO MORE NOISE !!!!!!

Hi...i have same problem with mbox 2 on logic 9 ...my computer is intel imac 27 corei5 ,4gig,,snow leopard 10.6.4 ver.....i have whine noise on my recording ...i also have this problem with windows sp3 and cubase 5 ....

If your using good quality cables on an mbox2, in the US, put a ground lift (.50 cents) on the computer power cable...whine is gone.

So I was reading through this post gathering some info into this mysterious Whine. Just started hearing this 2 days ago after setting in to mix an EP where I spent a good 7 hours straight mixing etc. This whine occured through-out our session and i would stop the pro tools session hear it, wonder what was going on and close out our session and close pro tools. whine would go away. I would re-open pro tools re-open our session and whine wouldn't be there right away but after continued mixing would re-occur again same deal. Eventually I turned down my volume after hearing this whine to make sure it was back again. I stopped the session briefly to see if the whine was still there. Oddly enough it stopped after stopping pro tools from playing the session. and after I lowered my monitor knob to about 8-9 o-clock it would go away after re-starting playback. wallah. Don't know if this helps any of you as the whine still remains and i will be looking into these radioshack ground loop iso and the plugs i saw to attend this issue. weirdest part for me though is i've had this mbox for damn near 7 years and never heard this shit once. been through 2 laptops with this baby now onto a n imac 27" and this is the 2nd actual time i've encountered this since i've been running pro tools 9 on this system. Don't know but I thank everyone for there input to fix this annoying issue.

So again quick fix try and post if this works for you guys out there. lower the monitor volume to between 6&9 o-clock and stop your session from playing. restart the playback and it should go away for a while...

Ground lift plug fixed my high pitch whine. Is there a dangerous downside?

Hi, I've had a similar problem and I think it may be due to certain components being on the same electrical circuit as your monitors (if active). Try plugging them into their own surge strip/outlet and see if that helps.

Also, using high quality balanced cables from your interface to speakers can make a huge difference with eliminating this type of interference. Good luck!

I have a similar problem with my mbox when hooking up a second screen (to my macbook pro). Try setting up the system so it's making the whining noise, and then disconnect your screen and see if it goes away. If it does i'm not sure what to suggest, different cables or different screen maybe?

i suggest International Plug Adapters from ... plug adapters

What happened to the original poster? well glad I found this post, I will give a few of these ideas a try