Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker

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This does NOT sound like a ground problem or a ground loop. A ground loop would have a 60hz hum.... like a guitar amp when you touch the tip of the guitar cord. It's approximately a low "B" in pitch.

You can try removing grounds with the adapters..... never cut the ground plug connector off. I doubt that you will solve the whine this way.

Whining sounds are mostly caused by interference. In another forum site, we get this kind of issue from folks using the wireless mice and other radio frequency devices around the audio gear.

You absolutely must find the source of the noise first before you can work on solving it.

Since many folks use unbalanced wiring and cheap cords, the first step here is to ID the offending device. Shut off the wireless devices (one at a time, but then leave them off if there are multiple devices... perhaps the source is not singular but from multiple sources) that are in use in the proximity to the computer/DAW. Did it go away?

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Leave no stone unturned in the search for this problem.


Guitarhacker makes some really good points here. Particularly:
A ground loop would have a 60hz hum.

The fact that the interference is a multi-octave harmonic suggests there's some "signal processing" going on. If it were, say approx 120Hz, I'd suspect a badly filtered bridge rectifier somewhere - but it seems to be above the 330Hz of the 1st E string - the B above that is nominally 493.9Hz - the nearest 60HZ multiple up there is 480Hz (3 octaves higher than mains 60Hz) - and maybe a quarter tone flat wink

Thus there is something processing it and while a simple earth loop may well be the original noise signal source, there's something else going on too.

--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya laugh --=--
You're only paranoid if you're wrong!