Following up our recent TTOTD about wiring racks (TTOTD 8/4/98), inSync reader Hubert adds the following:
“I have a 6 foot rack full of gear and was having trouble with noise from my FX units. I ran all the signal cables down one side, and the AC cables down the other side. Still had noise. One day will strolling through my local hardware store I saw some insulating foam wrap with an outer foil for water pipes. I took some home, slid my cables in it and clipped an alligator clip to the foil with a wire that lead to the rack frame. My noise level was cut in half. Then I put some on the Ac cable. Walla! No noise! This will also kill any EMI noise (motors, CB’s, etc.).”
EDITOR’S NOTE: In an ideal world the shielding built in to most audio cables is sufficient to protect against this type of problem, especially if a good grounding scheme is observed. In the “actual” world, however, I have had to employ this type of “super shield” on more than a few occasions. I never thought about using that pipe insulation stuff though. Great idea.