Tech Support

We don't expect you to have any issues with one of our pedals. But just in case you're having some trouble with your rig, whether its related to one of our pedals or not, here's some information that will hopefully help you getting your gear sounding its best.

The Troubleshooting Method

The first thing you need to do when there is a problem is isolate exactly where that problem is coming from. Here is an easy way to work out what is causing your issue.

Have your amp & pedal power plugged into the same wall outlet.
Use an isolated power supply. Remember, just because it is a power brick doesn't mean its outputs are isolated. Check the manual, & don't be tempted by that power supply that's £20 cheaper but looks the same, it probably doesn't have isolated outputs. Without an isolated power supply you're susceptible to ground loops. Also if you are daisy-chaining pedals with both positive & negative grounds this will essentially short the power supply & you'll get no sound.
First, test your guitar direct into your amp. If the noise persists then chances are its interference from another device in the building. See 'Interference From Other Devices' section below.
Next, test each pedal individually. So your signal path is Guitar > Pedal > Amp. Test each pedal this way to see if one of them is causing the noise. If they all make the noise or some version of it, chances are its your power supply.
If none of them make the noise in isolation, it could be that one of your pedals has a noisy buffer that a gain based pedal is amplifying down stream. To test this have your signal path Guitar > test pedal > gain based pedal switched on > amp. Alternatively it could be that one of your pedals doesn't like where it is in your chain. See 'Oscillation From Pedals In Wrong Operating Conditions' section below.

Once you have identified the source of your noise, the below information should help you to solve your problem.

Noise Issues In Detail

99% of noise issues are caused by a powering problem, not your pedals. Here's a quick guide on how to identify where your noise problem is coming from, why it's happening & how to avoid it.

GROUND LOOPS

Ground loops are one of the most common noise problems. These occur when your devices have more than one path to ground. If you're running multiple pedals but not using an isolated power supply sometimes this can create ground loops between pedals. Another possibility is if you have your amplifier plugged into one wall outlet, and your pedals plugged into another wall outlet that is on a different breaker circuit.

Quick fix : Use an isolated power supply, plug your amp & pedal power into the same wall outlet (but be careful not to exceed the max amp output if you're running a lot of equipment).

If you're using more than one amp, use a signal splitter with an isolated second output. We do NOT recommend lifting the ground of the second amplifier as this is dangerous & you could risk electric shock. Your amp runs at very high voltages & you provide a path to ground if there is a build up of charge.

60 CYCLE HUM

No not the podcast. The AC power coming from your wall in most countries is generated at 60Hz, hence the name. Any device that requires DC power converts this AC into DC with a rectifier, for example your amplifer & pedal power supply. Good quality power suppliers tend to have noise filters the removes the 60 cycle hum so you don't hear it. However many cheaper power supplies don't. All of Forest Effects pedals have power noise filtering so this shouldn't be an issue with our pedals. However if 60 cycle hum is getting into your audio path somewhere in your chain, any gain based pedals (boost, overdrive, distortion, fuzz etc.) will amplify this noise, sometimes making it appear that the noise is coming from the gain based pedal.

Quick fix : Use an isolated power supply. Yep that old chestnut, all us builders recommend them for good reason, it prevents most noise issues.

INTERFERENCE FROM OTHER DEVICES

You would be amazed at how much other devices in your environment can interfere with your gear, either inductively or buy putting noise on your house's power circuits. Some classic examples include TV's, dimmer switches. & devices with heating elements. For example in our last property we would get an almighty hum when the light on the dimmer switch downstairs was turned on. In our current place, if the TV is on the faint buzzing you wouldn't usually notice is noticeably loud through the amplifier, especially if any gain pedals are on. Turn those devices off, noise goes away.

Quick fix : Check the room (and sometimes other rooms if they share circuits) for other devices that could be putting noise onto your power lines or putting out inductive interference & switch them off. As long as they're not necessary. Don't go turning off granny's life support machine for your sweet tone.

OSCILLATION FROM PEDALS IN WRONG OPERATING CONDITIONS

Some circuits, for example most vintage fuzz pedals, need specific operating conditions or they can oscillate (produce sound by themselves, often high pitched, often loud). If its an vintage fuzz circuit most need to be first in your chain so they can see your guitars high impedance output without any buffers in the way.

Forest Effects pedals that need specific operating conditions :

Ursa is based on a vintage circuit & thus needs to be treated as one. While its noise floor is significantly lower, due to the nature of the circuit it is likely to oscillate or at least not sound very good if placed after buffers.

Handwired Germanium Treble Booster like Ursa above is a vintage circuit with a low impedance input. Be sure to keep it at the front of your chain to get the best out of it.

Burro Booster is based on our favourite setting from the Germanium Treble Booster, as such, it needs the same operating conditions.

NOISY BUFFERS IN OLD PEDALS

Its not impossible to have this problem from new pedals but most these days that have a buffered bypass have good quality buffers.

Some old pedals though can colour your tone when bypassed, & even produce a hiss that gain pedals will amplify. One of our favorite pedals is our old MIJ Boss OC-2 Octaver, however when bypassed it does produce an annoying hiss & suck some tone. We don't have the heart to modify it, so we use a true bypass looper.

Quick fix : Invest in a true bypass looper. Modding the pedal for true bypass is another option but removing the buffer can sometimes fundamentally change the sound of the pedal so we wouldn't recommend it unless you really know what you're doing, in which case you wouldn't need our help with noise issues.