Taming Line Noise on OP-1 for Live Mix

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So, humorously, just like the last guy who posted about selling his OP-1…I, of course, have reservations and second thoughts…mostly because I love the synth engine and interface on the OP-1 so much. Plus, you all are an awesome creative community to be a part of.


I’m still not opposed to selling if I get serious offers…but here’s the main problem I ran into for live use: the line noise from the headphone jack.

Here’s my question: has anyone found a solution to reducing the line noise for live mixing? It’s a great lo-fi flourish for OP-1 only recording, but not so great for mixing with vocals and other instruments in a band setting. It seems like whenever I boost the gain, it just increases the constant white noise coming out of the jack.

I thought of something like the MXR Noise Clamp, or even running it through a MF Drive…any experience or feedback?
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You’re not running it off the usb power, are you?

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No (not USB Power). I think I figured out that the master fx Drive was a big part of the problem. There’s still some white noise from the headphone jack…but not nearly as crazy as with Drive on. It’s manageable now. So – in a live situation, does anyone use the master Drive?

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An inexpensive headphone amp like the Fiio E5 worked for me in getting rid of hiss from the output. 10h+ battery life, too.

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An inexpensive headphone amp like the Fiio E5 worked for me in getting rid of hiss from the output. 10h+ battery life, too.

Having never used a headphone amp, do you use a 1/8’’ male-to-male between the OP-1 and the Fiio E5?

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turn off that spring - noisiest p.o.s effect ever.


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Yes @trapdoors and I’m pretty sure it even came with a very short one, too. Or I bought one, can’t quite remember >.>

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I also constantly struggle with this problem of output noise. I checked the master fx and drive is set to 0. @KrisM I tried that, turned the gain as low as possible on my AI and I still get the noise. Also tried very little gain on headphone amp with AI input at unity. I’m about to invest in a UAD apollo (I am somewhat new to producing and am currently working w the onyx blackjack). Is it possible that my AI is the problem? I’m getting ready to put this on eBay

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I’ve noticed that my Op-1 is least noisy when on battery mode. It’s also equally as quiet when it’s plugged into USB power with a iPhone USB wall charger. When it’s USB is plugged into my computer however- it gets BAD. Lots of static.

When it’s not plugged into my computer it sounds fine for recording, but I’m frequently writing MIDI in Ableton that plays the Op-1, which yields unsavory static :confused:

I have a feeling it’s a ground loop between the audio out, the battery, and the USB power. Would a ground loop isolator box fix this? If someone has one could you try it out?

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I actually just recorded onto tape and then exported via USB onto my computer… It sounds so much better. I think it’s just the shitty headphone output that is the problem

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@ScottBrio you probably lucked out on your model if it sounds fine recording straight from the audio out haha. Like mine sounds okay but if I crank up the monitors and solo the track I can definitely hear it

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Rode VXLR Adapter: Rode VXLR Adapter for VideoMic Mini-Jack Female to XLR Male https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y021NA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ZJcVvbZ1K6N5H
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y021NA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ZJcVvbZ1K6N5H

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Rode VXLR Adapter: Rode VXLR Adapter for VideoMic Mini-Jack Female to XLR Male https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y021NA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ZJcVvbZ1K6N5H https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y021NA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ZJcVvbZ1K6N5H

Reviving old dead thread, but has anyone tried this?

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See https://www.operator-1.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2081/op1-and-ipad-could-be-amazing-but#latest

I bought a ground lift isolator cable for use between my iPad and my OP1 which makes a huge difference going into the line in on the OP1. I imagine this would help with the output too but not tried it.

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Yes the Solution ist to buy a mass separation filter. Then you have a clean signal.

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Power via batteries, or turn USB charging off.

When using USB and usb charging is off and you power off the OP1, then power it on, take out the USB plug and put it back in, then if still there’s power line noise, press a few note buttons and wait a little for the noise to stop. It’s fine if TE don’t want to change the feature set of the OP1, but they should work on fixing the internals and the management software. Otherwise Elektron users will always point at it and say “toy”.
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Thanks eesn - I’ve tried turning USB charging off but it only seems to sometimes behave as expected. But, I’ll try your trick and see if unplugging cable and such will work right.

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I wonder if this isolater will work - http://www.amazon.com/HifimeDIY-Isolator-ADUM4160-signal-isolation/dp/B00F4SCCR2?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0


Not sure if it’s more necessary to isolate the USB or the audio out.
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It’s and impedance mismatch bro. Use a Direct Box and problem solved, works like a charm (did it myself). A cheap one would do https://www.amazon.com/Whirlwind-1-channel-Passive-Instrument-Direct/dp/B0002DUQ72/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=imp2&qid=1570833046&sr=8-2.

cheers and keep making music

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I have been trying to connect my OP1, OPZ, computer, etc., to a Zoom H6 Recorder. Like many others, I am experiencing an unacceptable amount of noise (hiss) when connecting some devices to the H6. OP1 volume output through the headphone jack seems pretty quiet and required more gain when connecting to the H6, making the noise even worse. I have been looking all over the internet for a final “fix,” with many people recommending some relatively expensive preamp solutions. So, I figured I would post an answer to my specific issue. Using an XLR to 3.5mm cable (male to male) did the trick! I’ll post a link to the cables I bought.