The trouble with bees.

"I hear all sorts of buzzing coming out of my amp but it's usually dependent on which way I'm facing. If I'm facing say, roughly east or west, it's okay. If I rotate myself to north or south, the buzzing gets louder. This happens when I'm using a microphone as well. Any ideas on what's causing this and what I can do to rectify the problem?"

I presume you are using a guitar and referring to your guitar amp. Guitars (and basses) are very susceptible to EMI problems and it is not uncommon to notice drastic differences in the level of buzzing depending upon the direction it is facing. There are a number of tricks to help get rid of it and we've done a number of TTOTD's on them so it would be worth your time to search the archives for the words guitar and buzz (and/or guitar and hum). You will find helpful information there.

Microphones are generally much less susceptible to this type of thing, but under the right circumstances it will occur. Usually this is the result of a faulty or inferior cable.

Buzzing is also often caused or worsened by ground loops. Again there are a number of Tech Tips in the archives on how to find and deal with these. If the problem is being induced right into your guitar or microphone (or its cable) as EMI then unplugging the cable from the amp will make it go away. If it remains then you are dealing mostly with a ground loop problem. Another (less scientific) way to tell the difference between the two is to listen to the buzz. A ground loop will usually produce more of a low frequency hum, whereas EMI more often sounds like a buzz (complete with distortion and other artifacts). The buzz and the hum are similar, except the buzz has a lot more upper harmonic content (often due to distortion). This is by no means a foolproof method of determining a course of action, but in time sensitive situations it's a big clue where to start. Technically both are caused by the same phenomenon (technically they ARE the same phenomenon), but the practical solution paths are different so it's important that we think of them as different symptoms.