Can this noise be fixed?

Recording, Mixing and Producing
#1

Hi,

I have a noise issue that only occurs if a particular combo of mic and preamp is used. Here’s what happens:

  1. Rode M5 mic into Clarett AI preamp --> normal noise
  2. Rode M5 mic into ISA2 preamp --> normal noise + electrical interference
  3. Lewitt mic into ISA2 preamp --> normal noise

So the RODE mic into the ISA preamp produces this interference, but when I use another mic (the Lewitt) into the same preamp with the same cable, there is no interference.

Now if I take the same mic that produces interference into the ISA2 and plug it into my Clarett interface, it doesn’t produce any interference.

How is this possible? Is there some kind of incompatibility between the mic and the preamp? The mic is a Rode M5. Actually I have a matched pair and this happens with both. The preamp is a Focusrite ISA Two.

Here are some sound samples for the 3 tests. What do you think?

Rode M5 / Clarett AI:

Rode M5 / ISA2:

Lewitt / ISA2:

#2

That definitely sounds like a grounding issue. Does the noise go away when you touch the mic?

1 Like
#3

Noise doesn’t go away when touching the mic even though the M5 has an all-metal body. The weird thing is that the same mic into another preamp doesn’t make this noise, and another mic into the same preamp doesn’t either, that is what I don’t understand.

Anyway for some reason the noise is gone now, I couldn’t replicate the issue.