I just received a brand new BB and started using it. I am getting a “static fuzz” under certain conditions, outlined below.
When I connect the BB with a standard audio cable to an input channel on my mixer, I hear a steady static fuzz, even when no beat is playing and even when the BB volume is turned to zero. (Headphone volume is turned all the way down.) The volume of the static is not affected by turning the main volume knob or the headphone volume dial. The static is present in both Output L and Output R.
When I connect the BB with the same cable directly to a monitor speaker, there is NO static fuzz.
When I connect my guitar with the same cable to the same input channel on my mixer, there is NO fuzz. I have never heard this static fuzz in the years I have been using my mixer.
When I connect the BB to the same input channel on my mixer through the HEADPHONE jack, there is NO fuzz.
I am really glad that there seems to be a work-around (sending signal to mixer out of headphone jack), but I would love to hear some ideas about why this might be happening.
Note: The cord I am plugging into the BB headphone jack is stereo 3.5mm. The other end of the cable going into the mixer is mono (it is an adapter at the end of my stereo 3.5mm cable). I tried using a stereo 1/4" audio cable to connect the BB from L or R Output to mixer, and still got the fuzz.
I found a solution, sort of. First of all, let me mention that the mixer I am using is a Zoom L-12. Plugging in the standard audio cable from the BB L Output going into Channels 1, 2, 4, 9/10 or 11/12 resulted in NO static fuzz. I still don’t really know the reason why plugging it into the other channels resulted in static fuzz, but I will just be happy that I can plug the BB into my mixer and not have static fuzz!
OK, drilling down closer to the solution. The static fuzz appears when the BB is plugged into a channel input on the Zoom L-12 where the Gain knob is turned up past 10 o’clock. Hopefully, this is helpful to somebody else who might encounter the same issue.
Both the BB and Zoom mixer are powered by the power cords that came with the units, into different outlets.
I appreciate the follow-up. Even though I “solved” the problem, there still must be something amiss if I can’t even have my gain knob at neutral on the mixer channel pre-amp without hearing static.
Where do you have the volume control at on the BB? My own BB going into a small mixer is set a roughly 3 o’clock (3 o’clock gives me some wiggle room at the BB to adjust things if needed). On the mixer I bring up the gain so the channel clip light just starts to illuminate and then back off the that gain a small bit to give a bit of headroom before clipping. I then set the channel level where I want it with the Main/Master set at ‘0’. This hopefully puts the ‘noise’ well below the signal so it’s not heard. You may have another source of noise, but maybe a little playing with the gain and subsequent levels may help.
I haven’t figured out yet exactly where the BB volume will be relative the rest of the mix, but I think I will have the headroom I need with the gain knob on the channel strip turned down to a level where I don’t hear the static fuzz.