Another Type Of Humming Sound Problem

[GwenButler]

I have a Ruggedized Laptop™ Computer With Video Hoster® Software, and just had my first paying gig. (Thanks again to everyone who helped out by answering my many pre-gig questions!) At the onset of the gig I had a MAJOR humming sound problem that seemed to be caused by my brand-new amplifier (Crown XLS 202 DJ XLS202Dw/200 watts in each channel at 8 ohms).

My Crown amp was working perfectly fine when it was at my home, however, after being transported less than 5 miles away a horrible humming sound kicked in. After quite a bit of troubleshooting (component to component wires, speakers wires, laptop wires, etc.) I gave up. Luckily a spare amp was available. After replacing the Crown AMP with an (over 20 year old) Audionic of Oregon CC-2 APM (117 VAC 60 HZ 4 AMP Bridge Mono CHA 80 OHM MIN) the problem went away, however, the output sound was no where as good as when I was home using the Crown AMP. After the gig I went home to re-engage the Crown AMP and everything worked perfectly.

Just wondering if the establishment’s power source could have been the problem as the performance took place in a newly added building addition that had numerous Keno machines, flat screen TVs mounted on the walls and a juke box. (I tried plugging the Crown AMP directly into the wall outlet with no luck.)

Any and all advice greatly appreciated.

Gwen