My PC at work (Dell Optiplex 7010, running Windows 7 Pro 32-bit) keeps having a problem with what sounds like cicada's coming through my speakers.
Facebook with embedded videos that self-start almost guarantee this will happen. Similar other web pages with embedded videos that start themselves. But not always.
Those video's will not have the sound track play when they start themselves. They will be silent, though the cicadas will sing. Stop and restart the video manually, and I will hear the sound track, but it will usually have the cicadas with it.
Any soundless videos will not have this problem.
Shut off Facebook or whatever started the cicada's and it will take a good 10 seconds or so for the cicada's to stop. Well after I've shut down.
Searching for the cause I can find all kinds of vague things, most of them wrong or not applicable. This is a PC, not a mac, it's not microphone feedback, etc. A few vague clues regarding Java and or flash, but neither seem particularly applicable, though maybe Java. I've had some weird problems with some Java applets occasionally.
There will also be a similar cicada like buzz sometimes when I open up program. It's not quite the same sound, and tends to be quite brief.
It's almost like something with my video is bleeding over into the audio.
Dunno. Any of you folk have some sage suggestions?
I know what you're talking about. Electrical noise from other parts of the computer is leaking into your audio signal. If it was constant, it could be from a speaker wire being too close to an AC power wire or something, but you're only hearing it when your sound card is not in sleep mode, so it's something inside the computer.
Sometimes it's a failing sound card or PSU, sometimes the computer just does that and you have to live with it. My high-end gaming PC on a fancy UPS and all does this, but it's very quiet, not noticeable over other sound - some of the noise coincides with HDD activity.
The severity of your problem tells me it's probably a failing part though.
I think you're right. And it has gotten worse recently.
I started to reply that it was only in Facebook. But I just tried a few other web pages with videos, and youtube directly. Sure enough, as soon as a video started playing, the noise started up.
Thanks!
This was my solution to noisy audio out of my PC;
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UCA202
Drivers are built into Windows Vista, 7, and probably XP as well as OSX. I've been using mine for about three or four years now and it's been flawless for its intended purpose. I only use the analog RCA out and not the SPDIF so I can't comment on that side but it doesn't sound like you would use that either.
Yeah the USB audio devices are much less susceptible to electrical noise problems than internal sound cards.
