Hey all!
I got my UR22 today. It’s great for Amplitube 3, but this computer/white/hard-drive/mouse noise that the unit picks up and sends through my Yamaha HS50M-monitors is driving absolutely crazy!! I’m thinking of returning this one and getting another product.
Could you guys help me out? The noise is freaking crazy! 
If I’m online, using Cubase or just opening files, the unit produces this weird high-pitch static noise.
PLEASE HELP!! WHAT DO I DO? 
Try an EBTech HumX:
If you are using a laptop, unplug it to see if the noise persists on battery power.
Try using a ground lift on the laptop. It works perfect for me. 
The UR824 gave me a lot of the same noises you described. I was thinking it was a problem with Reaper’s GUI, but after using the unit for a while it didn’t happen as often. It could be a grounding problem in my guitar too. Maybe
I’ll try one of the devices mentioned.
Tim
Maybe I should start a new thread on this, but I think it is common for a lot of us with the UR series interfaces.
For me the PC noises persist with the UR824. It is not related to the host GUI as I first thought.
Syncing projects on two PC’s. The one with the UR824 makes terrible noises. The other PC using either windows Wave Out driver or the Emu Asio driver are quiet. It seems there is a common problem in the circuitry of the UR products. Anyone else experiencing this.
It drives me mad!!
How do i run an earth loop from it??
I don’t know about the ur22, but on the back panel of the ur824 there is a grounding screw specifically intended to help if there are hum/earthing problems.
In response to sackclothlamb above, I have 2 ur824s and neither have any hum issues.
Steve.
mine is a quiet as a mouse too 
with my desktop or laptop.
MC
I’m starting to think it’s a problem specific to Vista x64. Doesn’t always happen, but since I’m now only running mics
through the UR824 into the EMU 1820m (into Windows XP x64), there are no issues with noise. Guitars (clean) only go through the EMU 1820m. CLEAN. Clean Guitar through UR824 = distorted signal.
Tim
Finally solved a noise problem - Its not the UR22 which, unless the unit is defective, really is very quiet (same probably applied to the UR44 and even non-Steinberg USB audio & aubio/MIDI interfaces - though non-Steinberg units might themselves have noise and this included even consumer USB audio interfaces).
Unfortunately USB audio in general has the probability of being noisy. The +5v to ground difference in the power line of USB is probably the most common generation of noise into USB audio devices. The +5v to ground difference variation over microsecond or shorter time can be so incredibly small its not an issue with USB in general until sensitive audio equipment enters the picture. Power supply filtering may be an issue with poor or over taxed power supplies but this doesn’t address the effects the rest of the system can still have on the +5v to ground difference at the USB port of the computer.
With this in mind, the +5v to ground difference is the most likely suspect/baseline of addressing noise.
Of course general professional audio always needs to be aware of equipment grounding issues,
Running a ground wire from the UR22 to the computer might help, like using common AC power outlets and using ground wire between audio equipment of the past 40 years. But typically when equipment may need this ground wire connect its manufactured with a intentional ground screw, of which the UR22 does not have, suggesting it doesn’t need it.
There are USB isolaters on the market that isolate the +5v to ground difference but given the circuitry used they may not do what you want them to, least not without some audio signal filtering. It is possible this is the only or best possible option you have outside of using a different computer.
Here is what I did to solve my UR22 noise issue (or greatly reduce it to “if I didn’t know it was there, I wouldn’t think to even listen for it”).
replaced the UR22 (as it was one of the condenser mic issue units) — no change. Before doing this I stripped my system down, removing all cards and devices i.e. SB Audigy, Wireless network, KVM switch and using wired mouse and routing USB line to UR22 away from monitors and other equipment (even stuff off) best I could. No change.
added a PCI USB 2.0 card in effort to isolate or contribute to +5v isolation - helped a small amount
replaced the cheap Allied 500w power supply that came with the Microcenter Powerspec G400 with an Inland 500w PSU, and then with a Corsair RM650. If there was a change I didn’t notice.
tried relocating USB card and SB Audigy 2zs card to other PCI slots with varying results (Note: Creative no longer supports the card and front panel interface on Windows 7 or above - so used the unofficial software installer. As I want to use the MIDI/game port…Microsoft no longer supports the game port from Windows 7 onward and so the gameport driver in the SB unofficial software doesn’t work… I found a hack somewhere online (don’t recall, wish I did so I could change which PCI slot) that allowed a user chosen PCI slot to use/activate the MIDI/gameport. So moving the SB Audigy card to another slot did help reduce the noise some but losing MIDI was not acceptable.
4a) moving the SB Audigy card around and back to its original PCI slot eventually lead to a racket of additional noise and I thought I was losing headway until I uninstalled and re-installed the unofficial software. Suggesting this to others to remove and re-install drivers if you are getting a racket of noise when doing nothing at all.
The Intel i7 4770k cpu has built-in Intel 4600 GPU that can handle three monitors and its video performance isn’t so bad either (2D [applications] nice but not so well with 3D graphics [games]). So of course my next step was to get a video card and turn off the Intel 4600 GPU as best I can from the motherboard bios.
I got an Nvidia quadro K600 (2D applications biased [quadro 600 - autodesk certified]- though considered 3D games biased cards [I don’t play game but maybe I might do some animation] )
SOB, @&*%$ , grrrr @^@&$%# ARRRRRGHHHH ----- I’m damn glad I’m not using a laptop where I wouldn’t have the option of shutting off Intel CPU built-in GPU. And it is here where the only choice might be to use a USB isolater and hope that it works.
So the question now is: Was it the general +5v to ground difference causing problems thru USB or noise being leaked from the Intel i7 4770k built-in GPU into the data/audio USB line? And if it is the data/audio clearly its not enough of a signal to mess with anything more than audio sensitive equipment. I suspect its the +5v to ground difference, otherwise Intel would have either not released the CPU or heard about it shortly after (maybe they do know). It could also be a motherboard issues of not isolating or buffering the +5v/ground well enough from the CPU. So if anyone is using the built-in GPU on the i7 4770 line without UR22 noise problems… Please do say as this might narrow it down to motherboard issues.
I’m good for now. Noise for all practical purposes is gone. And I can honestly say I fully understand the frustrations and mistaken claims the UR22 is noisy. It is NOT Noisy but very quiet!
One final note: in the process of all the above I came to notice my Dell Optiplex GX620 with an inexpensive MSI AMD Radeon HD 5450 graphics card and an ASUS Xonar DG audio card and no USB audio connected has very similar [if not the same] noise being generated with Windows explorer window movement as I was dealing with on the PowerSpec G400. The Dell GX620 being much older has a different CPU in it, Pentium D dual processor with no built in GPU. This brings us back around to the +5v to ground fluctuation issue, even where there is not USB audio, solidifying the +5v to ground fluctuation issue where ever it may be in the computer system.
A quick add and tip: The USB 2.0 PCI card I’m using has an internal USB port (shared with one of the external ports [now gaf taped over]) as I’m using the internal port for the Cubase eLicense dongle. Making the dongle more secure and safe in location. I happen to have an extra eLicense dongle, should I decide to transfer my licenses…without opening up the computer.
I got exactly the same problem. After updated every single driver Im out of options
I had a similar noise with my UR44 connected to my monitors. After ensuring everything was appropriately grounded to a common point and a USB cable with ferrite choke used - it would still persist.
The cure was suggested by a friend of mine who does professional audio installation for a living. The cure was to cut the shield wire at the speaker end of the balanced lead going to the monitor (both speakers). This only works for balanced leads and signals. Note it needs to be done at the speaker end as the disconnected cable will effectively become an antenna and put stray noises into your monitors if it is long enough. No doubt in professional settings he does this is a different way
My understanding is this is to all intents and purposes a ground lift. Being a balanced lead it makes no difference to the signal and everything is still grounded via power points and other connections. It simply killed the interference in the ground voltage that was no doubt looping around the various devices connected to my system.
PROBLEM FIXED!
It was about powercables! They were in the same EXTENSION CORD BLOCK. And the ground power caused that problem. I found another extension cord block and plugged only mine speakers powercables into it and the problem dissapeared immediately! 
Congratulations! That must be such a relief; might help some others too.
Steve.
THANK YOU for this thread!! I had the same issue, and it was baffling me. I searched the web and found this thread. I never thought USB could have ground loop issues.
In my case, I unplugged the laptop (it has battery for a while), and the noise immediately went away. So, I determined that the laptop was the issue, not the UR22.
Then, I swapped the laptop power supply (I had a portable power supply already), and problem solved! I don’t know how long I would have taken to figure this out without this thread, so thanks, all.
I am thinking of buying 1 or 2 of these Rolls DB25b Direct Box/Pad/Ground Lift | Guitar Center – just to help with these problems in the future.
wanted to say that i had a similar problem,but on a desktop PC. a powered usb 3.0 hub solved my problem. see this thread for more details: Steinberg UR22 Line-In Noise-Level-Test with powered USB-Hub - Steinberg Hardware - Steinberg Forums
Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I had this exact same problem - noise when monitors connected, noise reacted to movement on screen.
I fixed it today, and my fix was not mentioned in this thread or others. My problem was, I had connected an unbalanced audio jack to a balanced output in the card. My original cable was a two-pole, standard patch cable.
I bought a balanced jack → XLR cable and connected the monitors with these, and the problem was fixed!
Anyways figured I’d leave a comment here for future reference.
@Flip!!! Thank you so much. Worked perfectly and immediately. Change one of the monitors over to a different extension and boom, only static out of the other monitor. Switched that one over too and no more static!
When you guys changed your monitors’ power source to a “different block”, was it the same circuit or a different circuit?
Having this problem with my desktop. Didn’t happen when I used it with a Laptop. All my devices (PC, UT RT 2 power supply, monitors, monitor) plugged into a Furman Power Conditioning Power strip
Have been thinking maybe my desktop’s motherboard isn’t completely grounded. Have read that sometimes a powder coated case can make it “easier” for the CPU to send its excess voltages out the USB cable than the stand offs.
Anyway, will try the different power strips w the monitors soon, but was wondering if this was an active thread and if someone could tell me if it was a different circuit or just a different plug first.
I’m running TRS 1/4" jacks out from the interface and in to the monitors. I suppose one way to tell if it was the PC or the monitors would be to try it with headphones…