1Spot - noisy as hell (or is it just me?)

[MikeSelmer]

Hi all! I just bought a Visual Sound 1Spot + daisy chain to power my new small pedalboard. I'm bummed, since the 1Spot seems to be very very noisy, at least in the space I tried it (at home). I gives hum and buzz and accentuates any noise coming from the guitar. Irritating! The same happens when I try it with many pedals or just one pedal between my guitar and amp. And it does it with all the pedals (two Guyatone micros, Catalinbread Hyper Pak, EH Nano Small Stone).

Actually, I have two 1Spots, and both of them do the same.

Now, I tried running the same pedals with a home-made power supply that my friend made - NO NOISE! And this power supply is just a one-out supply that I quess basically works the same way as 1Spot (only one power out for all the pedals). I tried my Pedal Power II, too, and of course there was no problem with noise.

Anybody else have similar problems with 1Spot? Could I do something to prevent the noise issue (I'd still like to use the 1Spot because it's small and lightweight).

Cheers,
MIKE

 

[Ramhead]

Strange.. never had any issues with my 1spot..

 

[bagpipe]

No noise from mine either. I've been using the same 1-Spot for approx 3 years, to power 8 or 9 pedals, without any issues or noise.

 

[drod2045]

It could be the power youre plugging into or something obscure. Mine is quiet at home but sometimes at gigs the OD gives off more hum than Im used to. so I just always have it off unless Im using it, or i roll the volume off

 

[HHB]

I've had 2 and they worked great, no noise at all, maybe you have another issue

 

[reo73]

No noise here.

 

[Birddog]

I use two. No noise.

 

[R3deemed]

It could be the power youre plugging into or something obscure. Mine is quiet at home but sometimes at gigs the OD gives off more hum than Im used to. so I just always have it off unless Im using it, or i roll the volume off

Have you checked the VS site? They have a list of pedals they recommend to use w/ the One Spot. Could be you have an invader

 

[fr8_trane]

It could be defective or you may have a pedal that it doesn't like.

FYI My korg delay was noisy with my old 1 spot. But its silent with my newer one.

 

[thehlebo]

It's sounds like it is most likely a grounding issue?

 

[Frenster]

I've had the same problem, so I bought a transformer at Radio Shack and it's tons quieter.

 

[mmcquain]

No noise from mine either. I've been using the same 1-Spot for approx 3 years, to power 8 or 9 pedals, without any issues or noise.

+1 - I've powered as many as 12-14 pedals off a single 1-Spot (I don't recommend this but it got the job done). I now have about 8 pedals that it is powering and I haven't had any real issues. I've actually got 3 1-Spots and all have been equally quiet.

Hmmm, your problem sounds like either grounding or maybe a pedal that just doesn't like the 1-Spot (it happens). Maybe try running your pedals 1 at a time to see if you can isolate the problem.

 

[backaxe]

Powering 9 pedals of various makes....no noise issues.

 

[Sandro]

I have two my self and no issue at all.

Sandro

 

[MikeSelmer]

Maybe try running your pedals 1 at a time to see if you can isolate the problem.

That's what I did. The noise exists with every pedal alone. And in all the rooms of my home. I need to check how it works at my rehearsal place on Sunday...

So, it seems that it's just me

MIKE

 

[orogeny]

11 pedals of my 1-spot. No noise.

 

[MikeSelmer]

Have you checked the VS site? They have a list of pedals they recommend to use w/ the One Spot. Could be you have an invader

I'm afraid the Visual Sound compatibility chart cannot be trusted. It says that the 1Spot works with all ZVEX effects. I had some issues on my bigger board with the 1Spot ruining the tone of my ZVEX Wah Probe. I contacted Zachary at ZVEX about it and he confirmed that 1Spot is not the preferred power supply for the Wah Probe. He gave me a technical description of what happens, but I don't understand any of that stuff...

 

[Snakum]

Been gigging one for two years running two Bad Monkeys, DigiDelay, TurboFlange, and a Morley Wah into Laney LC-50, Mesa F100 halfstack, and a Mesa F-50 combo. Never had noise issues with it, and I've played some places with fairly crappy power, too, requiring our sound monkey to put all sorts of filters on before the power amps on the PA.

I dunno?

 

[fullerplast]

The OneSpot is one of the quietest supplies of it's type (wall wart switcher) on the market. Many problems related to noise come down to particular combinations of pedals. Due to the particular filtering and noise generated by some pedals, daisy chaining supplies will sometimes allow that noise to be coupled to other pedals down the line in ways that are not always predictable (due to proximity effects, external RF, etc). These types of pedals are best run with either an independent supply or an isolated supply. If it's only one pedal that's the culprit, it's often cheaper to just dedicate a separate $20 OneSpot than buy a $200 isolated supply, but either solution will work.

 

[bandofthieves™]

I Like what Voodoo labs says..

POWERING PEDALS IS EASY. MAKING THEM SOUND GREAT ISN’T.


Isolation is more than fixing ground loops.
Ground loops cause hum, and the solution is to break the unwanted ground path. Isolation is the best way to do it. Unlike other power supplies, Pedal Power 2 Plus isolates EVERY output. This eliminates tone robbing interaction between units. Now you can properly power everything from vintage overdrives to modern digital marvels that others just can’t!

Proprietary balanced transformer makes it possible.
A typical transformer, like those used in a wall wart, creates a large magnetic field that causes hum in any audio path near it. Pedal Power 2 Plus uses a custom designed, ultra-low noise toroidal transformer, with separate balanced windings for every output. Now even the most sensitive pedals can be dead quiet.
Switching power supplies aren’t for everything.
What’s good for charging a cell phone is NOT good for your pedals. While digital switching power supplies are small and inexpensive, they also generate unpredictable transients and extraneous noise. Pedal Power 2 Plus uses an audiophile quality linear supply for consistently stable, clean, pure power.