Serato DJ Pro General Discussion

Talk about Serato DJ Pro, expansion packs and supported hardware

Hum/Buzzing

DJ Tang 4:37 PM - 18 January, 2019
Hey guys, I have a Pioneer DDJ-SR2 which is hooked up to a powered speaker, or sometimes to a mixer and then a powered speaker.

There is a hum when nothing is playing, which gets louder when I turn up the volume or gain. Does this mean it's due to the number of pre-amps in my system, and not a ground issue?

I've tried different combinations, such as lowering the gain on the controller, and turning up the gain on the speaker, and vice versa. However, I can't get a good balance between loud volume and low buzz/hum.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help!
DJ Tecniq 4:41 PM - 18 January, 2019
Try connecting to a diff power outlet esp if everything from your system is connected on the same outlet. Change audio cables? Could very well be your home setup and not the controller itself.
DJ Tecniq 4:42 PM - 18 January, 2019
Plug the system in except the controller and see if there’s any feedback or hum.
17tr2 6:24 PM - 18 January, 2019
"There is a hum when nothing is playing, which gets louder when I turn up the volume or gain. Does this mean it's due to the number of pre-amps in my system, and not a ground issue?"

A hum like that can be caused by several factors. Having more than one line stage and too much gain is the obvious cause, so you were correct in trying to adjust your volume controls.

Next, I would try what DJ Tecniq suggests. Grounding issues can cause problems for any system, and something like a bad rca cable can definitely be the issue.

One last thing, and this may not apply because it will depend on what type of gear you have, is mixing balanced and single ended components. I'm pretty sure your controller is not balanced. If you are plugging it into something like a mixer that is balanced, steps have to be taken because the 2 are not compatible. You would either convert the signal coming out of your controller to balanced with something like a direct box, or you would set the mixer to run in single ended operation (unbalanced) mode, if it has that option. Otherwise, you are essentially crossing + and - wires, and that will cause a nasty hum and possibly damage your gear.
Comrade Tulayev 8:45 PM - 18 January, 2019
SR2 has balanced XLR and TRS outputs and unbalanced RCA
DjSyndic8 4:19 AM - 19 January, 2019
Quote:
SR2 has balanced XLR and TRS outputs and unbalanced RCA


try and use balanced cables all around, this will help filter out nasty interference, buzzing and humming noise,
Laz219 11:19 PM - 21 January, 2019
Is the SR2 one of the units with a dodgy mic input?

Try turning the mic input all the way down, if I'm remembering right a lot of people have issues with this- especially if nothing is connected.
DJ Tecniq 11:21 PM - 21 January, 2019
Quote:
Is the SR2 one of the units with a dodgy mic input?

Try turning the mic input all the way down, if I'm remembering right a lot of people have issues with this- especially if nothing is connected.
No it was the SB2 that had that issue the SR2 has no real mic issues except for the preamp. Which all Pioneer products have problems with.
RR437T 1:34 AM - 22 January, 2019
Quote:
Quote:
SR2 has balanced XLR and TRS outputs and unbalanced RCA


try and use balanced cables all around, this will help filter out nasty interference, buzzing and humming noise,


Actually, that could be the problem. Balancing isn't about cables, its about connecting components. If the components are not balanced, then the cable is irrelevant. 2 unbalanced components connected with balanced cables does nothing. The #2 pins get shunted to ground making it a two conductor cable. Its no different than using a typical rca or mono 1/4 inch cable. A hum will occur if you have one component operating in some form of balanced operation, and the other one single ended. The unbalanced components shunts the #2 pin to ground, but the balanced one does not. When this happens, you literally cross + and - wires. You'll definitely get a hum and possibly damage equipment. And to further complicate matters, manufacturers have come up with creative ways to label things balanced that really are not.That's why its not a good idea to randomly connect components with balanced cables.