An inSync reader inquires about SCSI noise bleeding into his instrument.
“I’ve had this annoying problem ever since I joined my PC’s SCSI chain to my sampler. Any time either machine sends data across the SCSI bus, I hear this clicky, buzzy, stuttering whir that sings in perfect time to the sporadic flashing of the Hard Drive’s LED.”
As answered by our Director of Soundware Engineering, Daniel Fisher.
Welcome to the dark world of SCSI Voodoo. As a Soundware Engineer, I’m constantly rerouting and rechaining SCSI between many different brands and models of gear. Because of this I can assure you that the noise you’re hearing:
- Is common and not hurting anything (aside from annoying you).
- *Can* be improved by some voodoo combination of the below:
- Correct Termination
- Better SCSI Cables
- Shorter SCSI Lengths
- Removing a particularly troublesome device from the chain
- Physically Rerouting the SCSI Cables
- Physically Rerouting the SCSI Ribbon Cables
“F” is a common one for me. Sometimes after I’ve opened then closed my Kurzweil I’ll find that the SCSI noise has changed. Sometimes it’s quieter and sometimes it’s noisier. When it’s noisy I reopen the unit and try to drape the SCSI Cable in a different way and then try to seal the unit so it stays that way. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. I just try until I get it. Hence the term “SCSI Voodoo”.
Editors Note: I also recall having a Mac with an Audio Media II card in it years ago that would produce very faint SCSI noise. Since the audio card worked by reading SCSI off of a drive while it was playing audio this was a bit of a problem. I was able to greatly reduce the noise by rerouting SCSI ribbon cables and by moving the card to a different slot in the computer. If all else fails, stand on your head, hold your nose, and sing the words to The Facts of Life TV show.