Abstract: A device is connected in a signal path for canceling an unwanted noise signal induced by and correlated to the AC power line. The noise signal is assumed to have relatively constant phase (with respect to the AC power line) and amplitude during the period of use. The desired signal is assumed to be temporarily mutable for a brief period during which the noise signal is acquired. A manually- or automatically-adjusted gain (or attenuation) stage and overload detector are at the front-end of the waveform acquisition/playback block. A manually- or automatically-adjusted stage, typically linked to the earlier gain (attenuation) stage and with complementary attenuation (or gain) is at the back-end of the waveform acquisition/playback block. In this way, maximum performance can easily be realized from a waveform acquisition/playback block of lower resolution over a wide range of noise signal levels.