OR15H Effects Loop Hum

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matcrowdoe
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OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by matcrowdoe » Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:40 pm

Hey everyone. I'm posting because I'm having a problem with my OR15's effects loop. I purchased it back in September but didn't really get a chance to play it much for a couple months. When I did, though, I noticed that running pedals in the loop produced a very loud hum—even when the effects were switched off. Thinking it was a tube I switched V3 out for a known working 12AT7 but with no improvement. I've tried pedals one at a time (TB and buffered), different power supplies (DC v 9v battery) and also different cables just in case one in the mix was a dud. No joy.

I emailed Orange regarding the matter in November but was told that because it was a busy time of year for them that it might be a while before someone could help me out. It's almost March now and my hopes are not high. Has anyone else experienced this effects loop issue or know of how I can get a reply from tech support?

Matt

Jondog
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by Jondog » Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:25 am

Hard to say without physically looking at the amp. But be sure there's nothing in the room or nearby that could cause interference. As soon as you plug into an effects loop, you extend the amps circuit outside of the amp through all the cables. What type of power supply are you using on the pedals?
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by RickenBangler » Mon Feb 25, 2013 1:01 pm

Hi - no noise here at all in my OR15 loop (but I do only have a single Holy Grail Nano with supplied power supply in there). I would take a jack to jack lead and plug it from the send straight back into the return - still hum?

No? - then the problem lies outside the amp
Yes? - then that's maybe not so good...

At least it knocks one variable out of the chain.
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matcrowdoe
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by matcrowdoe » Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:07 pm

RickenBangler wrote:Hi - no noise here at all in my OR15 loop (but I do only have a single Holy Grail Nano with supplied power supply in there).
Would you mind doing me a favor? Could you plug a patch cable into the Return jack only (no effects and no plug in the Send jack) and see if it creates a hum? I forgot to mention in my OP that the sound I'm hearing is created regardless of whether any effects are connected, as long as the Return jack is populated.

I did as you suggested and patched directly between Send and Return—no hum. I'm not convinced the problem is external, though. No matter which variable I switch (pedal, cable, power source for pedals, etc.) the problem persists. The only constant is the OR15. None of my other amps have this problem. I love the sound of this head and the loop was a selling point for me. It's just a frustrating situation as I'm no farther than when I started despite doing some troubleshooting of my own and reaching out to Orange months ago.

Matt

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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by RickenBangler » Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:40 pm

matcrowdoe wrote:Would you mind doing me a favor? Could you plug a patch cable into the Return jack only (no effects and no plug in the Send jack) and see if it creates a hum?
Yeah - just done that - and sure it hums - pretty much what I'd expect - it's an ungrounded jack going straight into the power section, like having a cable in the instrument jack with no guitar hanging off the end of it.

Hopefully some of the more tech minded forumites will chime in but as far I can see there's nothing wrong with your OR. Have you tried running a single pedal using battery power? Hum still there? - EDIT - hmmm just checked your original post and see you've tried the battery - have you just used a single battery powered pedal...?

Don't know where you're located - but it seems a call to Orange is more effective than email...
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matcrowdoe
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by matcrowdoe » Mon Feb 25, 2013 6:52 pm

RickenBangler wrote:Yeah - just done that - and sure it hums - pretty much what I'd expect - it's an ungrounded jack going straight into the power section, like having a cable in the instrument jack with no guitar hanging off the end of it.
Yeah, not the most scientific experiment, but I was just curious. The plugs on the cable I used are spring-loaded so even if one end isn't connected it's still "closed". I have tried just a single battery-powered pedal to keep things simple but to no avail. Any effects in the loop can still be heard, but switching one on creates a loud pop and the effect sound is thin and weak as if the signal being put through it just isn't having a good day.

Anyway, thank you very much for your help.

Matt

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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by Jondog » Mon Feb 25, 2013 7:30 pm

If you patch your send and return together and get no hum, it's not the amp, at least on its own. What kind of effects are you running.
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by RickenBangler » Mon Feb 25, 2013 11:16 pm

No worries Matt - always happy to help out when I can...
Have to say
Jondog wrote:If you patch your send and return together and get no hum, it's not the amp
I believe this to be the case.
A long shot - I have a really crap earth (ground) in my cottage here (nestling in a damp field in the wilds of the Sussex countryside), everything interferes with everything else. Any amp I run fairly well cranked with a boot-full of gain is susceptible to extraneous noise. Have you experienced the same symptoms in a different location/rehearsal room/wherever?
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by Jondog » Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:37 pm

matcrowdoe wrote:
RickenBangler wrote:Yeah - just done that - and sure it hums - pretty much what I'd expect - it's an ungrounded jack going straight into the power section, like having a cable in the instrument jack with no guitar hanging off the end of it.
Yeah, not the most scientific experiment, but I was just curious. The plugs on the cable I used are spring-loaded so even if one end isn't connected it's still "closed". I have tried just a single battery-powered pedal to keep things simple but to no avail. Any effects in the loop can still be heard, but switching one on creates a loud pop and the effect sound is thin and weak as if the signal being put through it just isn't having a good day.

Anyway, thank you very much for your help.

Matt
The loud pop is a grounding issue in the pedal.
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by Companyman » Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:34 am

I have been having the exact same problem with my Root Terror's effects loop with a Mr. Black Eterna reverb and EQD Disaster Transport delay with various power supplies etc.These are high end boutique type pedals... It is driving me crazy because I bought the amp because of the loop, so I can use the amp gain with time based effects...I tried my MXR/CAE Booster in the loop and it worked perfectly with no noise or hum... so I'm guessing that the loop isn't designed for time based effects, but is designed for a boost after the preamp circuit perhaps....I hope we can get an Orange techs input on this because it sure is a drag.
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matcrowdoe
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by matcrowdoe » Sun Mar 10, 2013 5:58 pm

Companyman wrote:I have been having the exact same problem with my Root Terror's effects loop with a Mr. Black Eterna reverb and EQD Disaster Transport delay with various power supplies etc.
I also own a Disaster Transport (among several other boutique pedals) and I've been doing some tinkering over the past couple weeks. I know the craftsmanship of my pedals is fine and the power supply I use (Fuel Tank Jr/VL Mondo) is not the issue. I essentially narrowed it down to true bypass pedals. I discovered this when I had a Malekko 616 in the loop. It's got a switch to go between buffered and true bypass on the outside of the enclosure. In buffered mode it was whisper quiet. In true bypass mode it was noisy as hell. Further testing revealed that all my buffered pedals sounded wonderful yet the true bypass ones created nothing but problems.

It's worth noting that the Terror Root and the OR15 are manufactured using the same circuit board (and many of the same components, I'm sure) so I'm really not surprised someone else has run into this. I can't say I believe my amp is defective since technically it does work with some pedals, but it is a very poor quality loop indeed. The OR15 was my first Orange, and in light if this event, it will also be my last.

Matt

xorxe
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Re: OR15H Effects Loop Hum

Post by xorxe » Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:37 am

Hi all,

I have the same problem using an EHX Canyon delay pedal in the loop of my Orange OR15 Head. Tried different cables and power outlet from my effects power bank and the noise decreased, but was still there when picking up and lifting up the cables connecting the delay to the loop... (cables are tested and working properly). Today I tried the loop thing (patch cable to send and return) and there was no noise, after that I tried the Canyon again and there was no noise :D So, looks like the noise is appearing randomly. Is it possible that the amp is very sensitive to the electricity in my apartment? I use a nice power box for my effects, so I don't think that could be causing it.... What do you think?

thanks

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