Extremely Strange Issue: Random beeps play through my speakers

[Pizzamandible]

I'm a relatively tech literate guy, but this one has me totally stumped.

Recently, my speakers just started to play some random beeps. This is what they sound like: http://www.filedropper.com/whatisthissound (43kB MP3 file). The beeps occur maybe once or twice an hour, and are very loud (seems like the peak volume for whatever the volume setting currently is on the physical speakers).

My relevant basic hardware: Core2Duo E6600, 2GB RAM, XP SP3.

Sound-related gear: SB Live! soundcard, two MIDI keyboard connected via a gameport MIDI adapter and using the line-in for sound, two Yamaha MSP5 Active shielded nearfield studio monitor speakers.

Sound gear configuration: Synth 1 MIDI to Synth 2 MIDI to PC MIDI. Synth 1 audio out to SBLive! line-in. PC audio out to Wii component adapter audio in. Wii component adapter audio out to speakers. LCD monitor speakers are not active.

My troubleshooting:

• I tried recording the sound from my internal soundcard mixer, but, most importantly, the sound does not record from that. (So the sound file above is from an external mic grabbing the sound from the speakers. )
• I tried updating my sound card drivers (I use SB Live! with KX Project drivers--been using this configuration for years without any issue).
• Tried opening Task Manager and closing all nonessential programs.
• Tried running msconfig and stopping all nonessential startup programs.
• Tried muting my soundcard

Despite all this, the sound still happens. It is definitely coming out of the speakers, not the motherboard speaker.

Thoughts/Analysis: The sound is too regular (series of evenly-spaced and clear beeps) to be noise or bad cables. The fact that it doesn't come through the soundcard mixer either means it's on a segregated sound path from the soundcard's stereo mixer, or it's being caused by the Wii adapter or the speakers themselves. Which would be just plain weird, since none of that hardware has changed or has ever caused any problems. The fact that the sound occurs at random intervals, whether I'm working on the computer or not, makes it hard to associate with any specific action that might help diagnose it.

I know this is a longshot, but have any of you ever had this problem before? Any advice on how to figure out what's causing it? Any other forum you might know of that you think would be a better bet to post this question?

 

[Makuab]

Is it the sound that plays when you connect or disconnect a device?
I cant listen to it at the moment.

 

[Pizzamandible]

Is it the sound that plays when you connect or disconnect a device?
I cant listen to it at the moment.

Nope...It doesn't seem to be a Windows system sound of any kind. It's all very strange.

 

[Ruger22C]

Virus?

Mini-windows?

 

[Gunbuster]

Disable beep

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows/turn-off-the-annoying-windows-xp-system-beeps/

 

[Harvey]

Have you tried another sound card? Another similar Soundblaster that could use the installed driver setup would be easiest. You could also try the onboard sound just to see if the problem follows.

Have you tried another speaker setup?

Have you tried disconnecting all of your keyboards and as much recording/playback gear as possible, and reconnecting your music system one component at a time to identify a problematic component? If you find one that causes the problem when it's connected, you'll have to check it further.

Possiblities that come to mind:

1. It could be some RF (radio frequency) break through caused by a nearby radio source such as a cell tower or a radio/tv station or other wireless communication (ham operator, walkie-talkie, etc.).

2. It could be faulty grounding in your setup.

In either case, it still could be a bad cable, especially if it has weak or broken shielding. Check that all of your cables are securely plugged in at both ends. If so, try unplugging one cable at a time to see if you can identify which cable could be the problem.

Are all devices with three prong AC plugs plugged into a three wire AC outlet (no ground lifter or bypass)?

Are all the ground lug recepticals of your three prong AC outlets really grounded? Many older buildings have some three prong recepticals that are improperly grounded or not grounded at all.

Hope that helps.

 

[bigboxes]

I once had a ham operator that used to bleed into my electronics. I finally confronted him and asked him to stop it as he was clearly breaking the law with that much wattage. Look for one of your neighbors with a large whip antenna with the spiral base on their vehicle.

 

[Lanyap]

I had the same thing happen to me. It was either my T-mobile Samsung cell phone or Blackberry 7290 device. Can't remember which one but if I put it too close to some speakers I would get the exact same noise. It took me a while to figure it out. I think the phone/device is sending a signal to the tower every so often and the speakers are picking it up.

 

[Pizzamandible]

1. It could be some RF (radio frequency) break through caused by a nearby radio source such as a cell tower or a radio/tv station or other wireless communication (ham operator, walkie-talkie, etc.).

I haven't tried some of the excellent troubleshooting tips you gave, just because, when you're waiting for an hour for a random noise, a 6-7 step one-by-one reconnect troubleshoot is a last option.

But the radio waves interference thing sounds right, since it's been IDed by other people as the exact sound they heard.

I once had a ham operator that used to bleed into my electronics. I finally confronted him and asked him to stop it as he was clearly breaking the law with that much wattage. Look for one of your neighbors with a large whip antenna with the spiral base on their vehicle.

I live in an apartment building, so it's hard to see if anyone is using a big antenna in the nearby rooms. The road's pretty far away from my apartment, so less likely a car antenna... If it is a neighbor breaking some interference laws, is there any way for me to figure out who it is?

I had the same thing happen to me. It was either my T-mobile Samsung cell phone or Blackberry 7290 device. Can't remember which one but if I put it too close to some speakers I would get the exact same noise. It took me a while to figure it out. I think the phone/device is sending a signal to the tower every so often and the speakers are picking it up.

Weird thing is that my phone always gets set down near my speakers (on my computer desk), and this problem never occurred until yesterday, but now is happening nonstop. How did you fix it? Just move your phone further away? How far did you need?

(Though I still have questions on fixing it--thank you guys for IDing the sound. Really amazing! I had no hope anyone would know what the heck was going on.)

 

[Pizzamandible]

Good news, everyone! Problem is solved. It was just as Lanyap, bigboxes and Harvey hypothesized.

In the end, it was a Net10 prepaid phone on silent mode that my friend had (unbeknownst to either of us) lost behind my computer desk yesterday. I turned it off and while shutting down it, the speakers made the beep noise. After having it off for about 4 hours and no beeping, I'm positive that was the problem.

Thanks for all the help everyone. It's downright uncanny that you were able to take my vague description and a sound file and figure this out. Really appreciated.

 

[Lanyap]

Glad we were able to help you find the cause. It was an interesting problem and the unknown, at the time, device made even more of a challenge. I was going to ask you if you had any changes around your desk but you would not have known about the Net10 phone then.

 

[Harvey]

Glad we could help.

I was going to ask you if you had any changes around your desk but you would not have known about the Net10 phone then.

There's an easy fix for that. Subscribe to American Telephone & Telepath. :biggrin: