What’s a Ground Loop? Eliminating Buzz and Hum from Your Amp 

What other issues do you encounter in your recording or performance rigs? Let us know what you’d like to see us solve next, and be sure to stop by Sweetwater to grab one of Morley’s Hum Exterminators for yourself! 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Morley-Hum-Exterminator

I got a new amp to run my computer speakers, and have been getting this awful buzzing noise through the speakers when there is a lot going on screen. I asked the internet, and saw the phrase "ground loop" mentioned, and this is the first video that came up when I looked into it. I have apparently checked so many of the boxes that would cause ground loop, it would be a miracle if I DIDNT get it. Thanks for the information on what it is and how to fix it. Short, and to the point. Excellent.

Very well explained, Mitch.

Perfect education, Mitch. I will surely be getting one! Love that Morley is made in the good old USA. 😃. Thanks! - Heather

Very well described! Nice job! 😉

Thank you I just solved my annoying humming problem with my studio monitors. With a pair of those cheap ground eliminator adaptors. Worked perfectly, thanks again.

I have had one of these for years, highly recommend

Firstly, thank you for this video. I stumbled across it while figuring out an issue with my vocal recordings. 1. I keep getting harmonics I believe, in Audition's spectral view. I can hear it, especially after I've done some post work on the recordings. 2. Using a decent USB mic connected directly to the PC (desktop) I'm not sure how a ground loop isolator would be implemented in this simple chain, but I'm certainly going to give it a shot. I'm not in the US anymore, so fingers crossed. It's been decades since I was a manager in a Guitar Center's Pro Audio department. I'd forgotten how often Sweetwater came up. Thanks again.Hope this works.

Good explanation of a technical issue

So much fun things to learn. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻BTW Lehle makes excellent solutions for this and they are passive like P ISO or P Splitter III.

This dude always knows his stuff

Great video!

Thank you Mitch!

Last week I received the preamp I bought, and when I settled everything so I could work, and yes, the buzz coming out my speakers

I have several USB powered machines that have various ground loop issues. I just use a ground loop isolator (GLI) on each noisy machines audio out. You can get them cheap online, if you don't mind using some 3.5mm plugged cabling, here and there. Honestly, somebody needs to make some 6.35mm versions. They work perfectly, and simplify the process of removing ground loops from a rig.

I have the ART Pro T8 and love it but i still have a loop so I suspect it might be some power supply caps in either my PA or my Tascam M-320b mixer. Or even perhaps in the power supply of my Teac 80-8. Hasn’t been recapped even though it works at probably 95%. There is really old wiring in this house so also might be something there.

What piece of equipment do you recommend to fix this problem?

When we let go of the guitar strings, a huge hum is created. Is it true that by using a wireless connection that that hum does not exist? Because I saw that someone said that when using wireless connections that you can let go of the guitar strings and there will be no hum, (and it also protects you from any possible electrical shocks). Does anybody know if this is true? (I am not talking about 60 cycle hum or RFI.) Is it true that with using a wireless transmitter that you do not need to ground your guitar strings by touching them?

Let me get this straight. You can create a ground loop if both devices are plugged into one big battery? They do not have connections to each other kudt draw power from the same battery pack.

Hi. In the video you said if you use a portable battery there wouldn't be a problem. But I just bought a EcoFlow river2 portable battery, but when I connect it to my amplifier, I hear a buzz. A small one with my acoustic amplifier Marshall AS50R. But when I use my electric, Orange Crush 35RT, the buzz is louder. Do you have any suggestions to what I could do to reduce or remove the buzzing sound? Oh and I live in Europe so 230V here, in case that matters. Any help is greatly appreciated! Have a great day!!

I have a computer as the source (3.5m jack) into a mixer (1/4" jack) and out to a loudspeaker via XLR cable. When music is playing the speaker sounds good but if nothing is playing the speaker will have very loud crackling and static even with the volume very low or turning off or on. It sounds like when you plug in a jack while everything is powered on. Could this be related to a ground loop issue also?

Is it beneficial to have one of these, on every piece of gear I'm using, at one time? ( 4 or more)

I have had this issue so many times

The standard here in the us is to bond the neutral cable to earth ground at the house's/building's power panel. Let that sink in.

The Great and Powerful OZ has spoken! Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! (Just kidding...but you know...there is a resemblance...)

If a single breaker feeds a few outlets in a room and all the equipment is connected to those outlets, can it result in a ground loop?

220v please

Bought 2 for my stereo rig and ah.......very minimal improvement for $400.0 AU not worth a dime.

Q: How are electronics GROUNDED in aircraft, spacecraft, UAPs?

FYI the neutral is connected to ground at the breaker panel. So lifting the ground will likely NOT solve your problem.

Just use a good expensive power box

Could use more pictures

90% of all hardware problems: The User 10% of all audio problems: bad ground. The best solution is to bury an engine block in your back yard, water it regularly, and pull all your grounds off your Public utility return and connect them to the buried engine block. You're welcome.

Waiting for music gear makers to create wireless, touchscreen, long-lasting, software update-able, great sounding, high quality gear. This is 2023, where’s innovation?!

I understood absolutely nothing from this video...

spoiler alert. this video has no solution if you're on a USB powered preamp. rip.

Bro, i couldn't understand you....

No help at all

People still boy guitar amps? 🙄 Sheeesh

So much noise sometimes, especially on my boss loop station, the rc2

I had to downspeed to 0.75 But very helpful Thanks🫡

Dual furman power conditioners. Dead silent.

I thought that was an eloquently delivered dissertation. About grounding loop de loops. And other fun, hair ripping stuff. I don't know what's in that little electrical adapter to, alleviate, ground loops? I have an even better method. I've been using for, 33 years now. And it takes care of everything. What is this thing? You go to your, industrial electrical supply store. And you request a, 1 to 1, 120 volt, 20 amp. Power Isolation Transformer. It's little bigger than your fist. You plug it into the electrical wall outlet. And then you plug. All of your audio equipment into that. Up to, 2000 Watts worth of audio gear. As you are now, Totally Electrically Isolated. You are getting power. Without actually being coupled to the incoming power lines. Your wires are not touching any of the AC electrical wires. You are isolated. Disconnected from. While getting power. Electromagnetically! Like Magic! It's, magic. It's called Induction. Not connection. While you are getting power you are not connected. Magic! And then you can use a passive, microphone splitter box. And take separate feeds for each microphone the band has onstage. This is the old-fashioned way of doing that. The way I had been doing it starting over 40 years ago. It's changed a bit since then. Now nobody has to do anything. You just select a preset and Voilà! There's your, Grammy! Now wasn't that easy? I want to become senile at my own pace! RemyRAD