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Unofficial Mackie User Forums => DL1608/DL806/DL32R/ProDX Mixers => Topic started by: JohnMHoyt on March 17, 2018, 03:00:29 PM

Title: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on March 17, 2018, 03:00:29 PM
Well, last night we were playing for thousands of our closest friends at one of the areas largest weekly music concert series and opted to run our own sound since we had 8 people on stage and our tech knows us better than the sound company....

We used the DL32R, and provided the sound company a L+R feed to their system for mains.

Everything was great until 3/4 of the way through the show... Halfway through the 2nd hour and a half or so....

We were still connected via wi-fi to our router, but, MF went dormant...   Red disconnected indicator.  The system stayed live, with the mix exactly where it was, but there was no control from any iPad.
Today I checked and sure enough, the recording also stopped at the exact time this happened.

Now I have the DL on my kitchen table running for the last 30 minutes or so with a signal into it to see if this happens again.

My recordings are ruined - we had a 4 camera shoot, and was depending on that multitrack.

GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   At least the show wasn't totally ruined.  We just didn't have effects or control.   

I believe the effects were down (delay and verb) too. Not sure if they crashed along with the control services or if the tech had them muted or down just before it went sideways.

This is the second time something like this has happened. The first time was at a bar gig, so we took a break and rebooted.   

Nothing else was affected - we were on solid mains, and we have a power conditioner too.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 17, 2018, 03:39:40 PM
Sounds like it's time to retire the DL32R with all that history of cable failures etc.. I wouldn't wait for another critical show to ruin your reputation, Mackie's not worth that.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on March 17, 2018, 03:51:31 PM
Sounds like it's time to retire the DL32R with all that history of cable failures etc.. I wouldn't wait for another critical show to ruin your reputation, Mackie's not worth that.

If this ever happens to anyone... just finish the song, announce a quick break, turn the mains and mons off reboot mackie, wait a minute after power is back on and bring the mains+mons back online.. should only be down 2 minutes max... start recording again and get the show going.

Maybe I will take up juggling to entertain while it reboots.

Sure is sad that this happened at this particular show. Not like a wedding, or bar gig where we could stop... 

Not sure what other mixer to look at, I don’t want a physical console. I need 32 inputs, need 12+ outs, need 32 channel direct to disk recording. Those aren’t wants at this stage of the game.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 17, 2018, 07:20:00 PM
A X32 rack and a S16 stage box along with the recording card would meet the requirements. Haven't heard of X32's locking up. No cables to re-seat inside. Music files don't need to be separated. Expandable to 40 channels.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 17, 2018, 10:23:48 PM
A quick survey on the net leaves you with company. Turns out that Cinderella turns into a pumpkin after about 2-2.5Hrs. So  the reboot should be planed for before 2Hrs of operation. Mackie has a horrible track record for fixing intermittent problems (remember "white noise").
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on March 18, 2018, 09:58:53 PM
A quick survey on the net leaves you with company. Turns out that Cinderella turns into a pumpkin after about 2-2.5Hrs. So  the reboot should be planed for before 2Hrs of operation. Mackie has a horrible track record for fixing intermittent problems (remember "white noise").

I think that out of a couple hundred shows, I have had the system on for anywhere from 3-8 hours at a time, and left on at my rehearsal spot for days at a time, with only maybe 3 lockups....
The first time was within weeks of getting it and I didn't know what was going on. It had been on only from sound check until we started the first song. As I recall, it was just like last friday and no response. 
We stopped and checked everything, then finally shut it all down and back up and it worked. That didn't happen again until a good while later.

I have a friend who has used his DL32r for 3 years in a pub for hundreds of acts. He's never had a single problem. It's on all the time, or most of the time.   Never had a cable come loose either. But it never moves.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on March 18, 2018, 10:02:44 PM
A X32 rack and a S16 stage box along with the recording card would meet the requirements. Haven't heard of X32's locking up. No cables to re-seat inside. Music files don't need to be separated. Expandable to 40 channels.

To get what I have now is almost impossible.

In 3 rack spaces, I have 32 inputs and 16 outputs.  All the ports are accessible from the front. I can record direct to disk.

Going to an X32 rack would have some of my ins/outs deep inside a rack.  So I would essentially need 2 S16s to get all my ins/outs where we could access them.  That is an even bigger rack than I have and more expense and more room in the car.  Of course I could build an XLR patch bay, but that's 2 spaces, plus 2 for the S16 and 3 for the mixer.

Then there's the recording issue... The card that I saw uses SD cards, not enough storage. I need to be able to record ~22 tracks - and have enough storage for 2 shows a weekend minimum.
There's a 3rd party card for 300 bucks or so.

Just doesn't seem like a "deal" compared to the Mackie...
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: dpdan on March 18, 2018, 11:13:43 PM
Hi John, sad to hear about your DL32R failure.

I would suggest letting Ben Olswang at Mackie know exactly what happended.
I don't imagine there is anything now that he or anyone could do for you after the fact.

I had one situation after hundreds and hundreds of jobs with my now three year old DL32R last summer and after one set, the band went backstage to eat,
we came back into the ballroom and I had no control of anything, of course the lead vocal mic was still working since I always leave it on, as well as the background music, which I was able to turn off since it was playing via "Airplay" from an old iPhone. Immediately, I tried a second iPad, no go, I then swapped routers, no go, nothing fixed the unresponsvie DL32R except a quick power down and back up again,, and all was good. I can surely understand your grief with losing the multi-track recording when you have multiple cameras running. GOSH! :( I suppose if it was being recorded to a laptop with a DAW, since the audio was still running fine, it may not have quit when the "connected hard drive" recording stopped. Who knows,,, 

All I can say is this.... somehow, "we" fall in love with this technology and the amazing luxury that it provides with so much stuff in one little box that we also expect it to behave flawlessy in every way, especially when for two plus years and close to three hundred events..... it does.
I too get complacent with the nearly PERFECT reliablilty, and when something does go wrong it is devastating. I think that as long as we are dealing with "zeros and ones" streaming at nine bazillion miles per millisecond, somewhere along the way, one of the little digits get's lost. I have no explanation except that this is one of the things that we know CAN happen. I have heard horror stories of concerts going down with Digico consoles that cost....  HOLY CRAP more than one can imagine.. Anyway, I feel your pain.     
 
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on March 19, 2018, 05:00:43 AM
Hi John, sad to hear about your DL32R failure.

I would suggest letting Ben Olswang at Mackie know exactly what happended.
I don't imagine there is anything now that he or anyone could do for you after the fact.
     

My dl32r has had a slew of problems but most of them I can deal with in spite of the frustration.
The crash during a show is not one of them, so I am seriously looking, but it’s hard to Best the price and features of the dl32r.

It’s so close to perfect in design and features ...

I wonder if my problem is not related to the system clock being so far off. In the computer service work I do for a day job, time is important to servers and computers and network gear.

Anyway, Mackie isn’t going to do anything to help me - i’m Long out of warranty and I cannot afford to send this system in for service - sigh
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: dpdan on March 19, 2018, 06:14:32 AM
put that sucker on eBay with a used iPad and router then buy a new one,
you could also get extended warranty from Square Trade for the new one.  :P

I seriously doubt that the "way off" time stamping on your multi-channel wav files is to blame.
I'm wondering.... you should consider this... please don't call me an idiot,,, but a friend of mine repairs electronic stuff for a living. He has his own shop and on the counter where people bring in their gear for repair he has a power "conditioner" made by Monster sitting right there for everyone to see. It caught on fire when the home was struck by lightening and fried everything that it was supposed to protect. It almost burned down the customer's home. Almost everyone asks about it, and when they do he gets to slam Monster for the crap they make. He then explains that unless you buy a commercial AC power backup system you are wasting your money on these Furman and Monster consumer pieces of crap that claim to condition your power. Anyway, if I were you, I would try not using the "conditioner". I have done three years of shows, concerts and wedding receptions, probably pushing 300 jobs and the only device I use is a Furman PL-PLUS that sits above the DL32R in a four space SKB case, it is only for the convenience of displaying AC Volts, and providing AC outlets for the DL, two Sennheiser wireless receivers and the Apple router. I never expect it to protect my gear.
Just a thought,,,

It's worth trying a few jobs without it.

       
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on March 19, 2018, 01:04:12 PM
put that sucker on eBay with a used iPad and router then buy a new one,
you could also get extended warranty from Square Trade for the new one.  :P
     

I was talking with my wife last night about options and the X32 is just not a good option for us...   3 spaces for the mixer, 2 for the s16 to get enough ports and then another 2 for a xlr panel to move the jacks of the X32 to the outside of the rack where we could reach them, then the recording card.  Lots of break points, more weight and size and a new rack.

So, I may just buy another Mackie DL32R even though it is a bit long in the tooth and no development that we can see happening.   Going to kick myself if 6 months from purchase, they release a new model!

I'll move the existing one into the studio and it will give me a mostly working mixer there for rehearsals, practice, recording, etc, and be a backup.

Funny you should mention power conditioners....   The first time this happened, when the thing was brand new, I was on stable power and using a big monster toroidal power conditioner from my work. It was about 2000 bucks. But it was so heavy, and took up so much room (it's bigger than the mixer) that we stopped carrying it years ago. That thing has the most stable output you have ever seen an o-scope on, it's a thing of beauty.   Soooooo, the very first time this happened to the mackie, I guarantee it wasn't power related. I don't know what caused it. 

The second time was with stable power at a commercial venue and I think it was heat related. Yes, a furman was in place.

This time was on power filtered by the pro sound company with a rack of filters, then into my furman, a different one from the 2nd time.... Guaranteed not heat, it was outdoors with a good breeze, both fans turning, low 70s temps, though, the sun was out, and may have been hitting the front rack at the beginning of the show and the black absorbing heat - but by the time it crashed it was dark and temps dropping....  Soooo, not thinking heat.

As I went through more of the video, and we headed into that second half of the second set, the band got hotter, and the crowd got bumpin - lots of great dancers and footage - and damn, no sound from the board!

OH!  One other thing when it crashed the very first time - I had a computer connected and was recording to it - the audio to the computer stopped too! So the USB goes dead when this happens.
Only the Ins/Outs remain active in the last mix state....   I believe the effects engines die too because in the video clips there are no effects and they were on during the previous song before the crash and the sound tech says they did not kill them before the crash.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 19, 2018, 07:19:08 PM
Let me address the recording card issue first. The SDHC spec is only "officially" good to 32GB but Behringers ad refers to 64GB for 2 cards. So what's wrong with this picture? Well Microsoft in Windows 98 had Fat32 able to go to 2TB. So what happened? In an attempt to move their customers to NT and the NTFS file system they crippled the FAT32 formatter. Unfortunately there are lots of 3rd party apps that will in fact format it up to the original 2TB. Microsoft did not disable the read/write function. I am using a 128GB USB stick regularly without issues with a FAT32 format. My Zoom Q4N is used with 64GB SDXC cards without issues formatted with FAT32. It cant use exFAT. 6 hrs of 720p video plus 48 kHz of audio (stereo) uses ~ 32GB. Based on Behringers 3hrs of 32 channels (64 GB cards) for one of the cards running 3 hrs that would put 128 GB at 6 hrs.  More than enough even for your application and it's easily exchanged for a new one and beats dragging a fragile hard-drive around. I don't have the card at present so I can't be certain of the capacity but someone certainly can answer that question.

Correction the Q4N cant use exFat.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 19, 2018, 07:30:45 PM
As to the X32r and a X16 I would certainly approach things differently. I would make a two stage-box setup 4U (room for the router) and 2U with the single network cable between them. This in my experience lends itself to less cable clutter on stage instead of all from the same box. The boxes would also be lighter to transport. The rear connector layout can easily become the front with the right box (front and rear rails short box). Since I don't have enough detail on your specific setup It's only a suggestion. Since I have the tools to make boxes this has never been an issue. Your mileage may vary.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Weogo on March 20, 2018, 08:27:49 PM
Hi Folks,

John, bummer about the gig and recording!

I posted about this on the LAB:
 http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,166836.0.html
Interesting comments. 
Even some of the big-name mixers have had show-stopping re-boots.
 
POWER:
On the internet we can read bad stuff about pretty much every digital mixer.
I would bet that a significant number of these problems are power related.

Do you meter the power for every show? 
A basic three-prong tester and volt-meter will show most, though not all, common problems.
Are you using a UPS?

SurgeX is probably the best surge protector you can get.
The SA-82 is plenty of protection for a digital mixer, router, DSP, digital wireless and
other things that you don't want to re-boot because of a power glitch.
Most other surge protectors use MOVs.  A few of these lower cost protectors will
indicate when their MOVs are no longer protecting, but most don't.
I don't always use my SurgeX unit, but I ALWAYS have anything digital on a UPS.

RECORDING:
With the USB drives, I have been stopping/restarting recordings, mostly to mark the end of songs.
This also saves everything up to that point.
I'm using USB sticks, or an SSD in a USB case, no fragile spinning drive issues.
One venue has a laptop installed next to the mixer so there I'm tracking directly to Reaper.

WK,
I own a DL1608, installed one in a local venue, own a DL32R and have two installed in local venues.
These are regularly doing 4~6 hours shows.
One does a bunch of 8+ hour concerts over the summer.
Last Saturday mine did theater from 6:30AM on to 3:30 off.
I have heard of no re-boots during a show, ever.
Frankly, for you to state these mixers need re-booting "about 2-2.5hrs"
makes me question your motivation for posting this.
Please back up your statement.
I want to believe you are posting to make the world a better place.

For me, all of this equipment is just tools.
I own AKG, Audix, Audio Technica, Countryman, Crown, Earthworks, EV, Heil, Rode,
Sennheiser, Shure, and even a couple Radio Shack microphones.
Generally, the best mic for the job gets used.
I own and use a Midas MR18 for some small gigs where it has the specific feature set needed. 
Considering the gigs I do, budget issues, time constraints, pack space, crew, recording options, etc.,
the DL32R is generally my first choice mixer.

John, if you want to consider something different, last week I did a show and the band
showed up with their own tech, carrying an Allen & Heath SQ5 and stage-box. 
(Contrary to the rider we were sent.  Also per the rider, we had six monitors on deck, and
they were carrying IEMs!)
He used our Cat5E between the stage and FOH, and all went well.
Seemed like a nice mixer, lots of ins and outs, and has some nice features.
From reading LAB posts, this mixer looks promising, but there are some early adopter issues.
For Ipad mixing I still prefer the DL32R over the A&H app.

Thanks and good health,  Weogo
 
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 21, 2018, 07:57:12 PM
WEGO
The 2-2.5 hr. preemptive reboot was for those that had a prior problem not for the general DL32 user base. I use a battery powered system for most venues, it comes with it's own problems, but not during the performance. The recording is limited to a max of 4 GB so it already has a saving feature in FAT32. I don't know if anyone would want to record for that long without a break.
So are you doing your part in this World?
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Weogo on March 22, 2018, 03:10:15 AM
Hi WK,

Thanks for the clarification about the pre-emptive re-boots.
I suggest a device in that condition needs repair or replacement.
Brings back 25 year old memories of my Windows 3.1 computer.  Lots of re-boots there.

Good question.
Among other activities,
in 1998 I started a forum for techs doing audio for folk dances that currently has about 250 subscribers,
about eleven years ago I installed solar hot water panels on the roof and
I'm a volunteer librarian at the non-profit Asheville Tool Library.

Thanks and good health,  Weogo
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 22, 2018, 06:48:27 AM
WEOGO
Before jumping to conclusions "I suggest a device in that condition needs repair or replacement." you might notice that the broken equipment runs fine after a re-boot. Did you replace your computer because of W3.1 or just upgrade to W95? Not too long ago in MF2.x some units provided "white noise". To make a long story short Mackie finally admitted to their problem and it was fixed in MF3.0. I think the jury is still out on this intermittent problem.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on March 24, 2018, 07:54:09 PM
My lockup problem has been extremely rare....  just sucks that this time cost me a valuable recording. At least the show didn’t stop.

I always check power where my bass amp and rack with dl32r is, using a cheap three prong tester for ground conditions, and then with my very old but trusty fluke for volts.  I have used an ups, but only for shows with generators, as I have had more things blown up by crappy power.

I spent hours looking at options for a better mixer - even though the dl32r could use a refresh in general, and more love from the dev team (android/windows support, Little things like simple ability to change the time/date, etc) - it’s hard to beat the thing for features, size, and all.

I just can’t justify changing platforms at this time, so, I guess I will buy a new dl32r and hope they don’t release a new one after I make my purchase...
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on March 25, 2018, 09:23:15 PM
Not to worry it won't happen for at least another five years.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on April 21, 2018, 03:20:15 PM
It is with MUCH adrenaline and aggression that I post this....   I'm pisssssssssssed off.... 

Last night, at another festival (this time with a much smaller crowd thank God) the DL32 locked up again and we had no control.   16 minutes into the show.
Didn't want to stop, so we made it another 45 minutes and took a break, downed the mains, performed a quick reboot and we were back up 2 minutes later.

Then it did it again!

However, it's been running fine this morning for hours....

Power was good, off 120VAC mains at 117vac...   Temps were in the 60s.

I guess I'm buying a new mixer since this is twice in a month.....   gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on April 21, 2018, 03:21:22 PM
What's the best deal I can get on a DL32R anywhere?    Anyone know of any coupons, any deals, specials??????
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: dpdan on April 21, 2018, 07:20:25 PM
what kind of router are you using?
 
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on April 21, 2018, 07:27:37 PM
what kind of router are you using?

It's not router related as the recording stops as soon as it locks up.  And the iPads remain connected to the router and control other systems we have, just no connection to the Mackie.
Router is crApple Airport
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: stevegarris on April 21, 2018, 08:36:21 PM
What's the best deal I can get on a DL32R anywhere?    Anyone know of any coupons, any deals, specials??????

Too bad you didn't post yesterday - see this:
https://goo.gl/4MrHqc
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on April 22, 2018, 03:13:28 PM
Just a thought John. with all the intermittent problems with this unit did you ever reload the firmware? If not I would certainly give it a try. Don't see it anywhere in the posts.
Cheers
You did reload the firmware a while ago with the clock problem but it wouldn't hurt to try it again. Make sure all your setting are saved (shows). Bug Mackie again on the clock maybe they'll fix another bug.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Weogo on April 22, 2018, 05:02:07 PM
Hi Wk and John,

Great minds think alike    : -)
I was driving home from a gig last night and thought a firmware install would be worth trying.

Page 271 of the Master Fader Reference Guide has the instructions for performing a 'force update'.
To optimize for good results, I would make sure the Ipad has a good charge, and that the DL32R and router are on a UPS, and
that it is a calm day without anything significant affecting power in you area.

Thanks and good health,  Weogo
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on April 24, 2018, 12:23:58 PM
Just a thought John. with all the intermittent problems with this unit did you ever reload the firmware? If not I would certainly give it a try. Don't see it anywhere in the posts.
Cheers
You did reload the firmware a while ago with the clock problem but it wouldn't hurt to try it again. Make sure all your setting are saved (shows). Bug Mackie again on the clock maybe they'll fix another bug.

Nope, I did not do that - but I'll have time soon!
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on April 24, 2018, 12:26:57 PM
What's the best deal I can get on a DL32R anywhere?    Anyone know of any coupons, any deals, specials??????

Too bad you didn't post yesterday - see this:
https://goo.gl/4MrHqc

Holy cow! I would have bought that! hahahaah   

Just an update, I placed an order yesterday for a new DL32R....  Unfortunately, they are on back order from my vendor of choice, Hames Pro, a local guy.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: dpdan on April 25, 2018, 06:36:09 AM
even though PSSL website listed the DL32R as "Discontinued" it isn't discontinued. Out of stock sure,... discontinued, no way!
Dem babies are sellin like hotcakes :)
And, they would not sell a new, sealed box unit for $999.99, heck I would buy a third one for that price :)

 
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Michael Welter on September 02, 2018, 04:59:14 PM
John, did you get your new unit? How is it working?

I'm doing a big show this weekend, and am having the same problem on day 3. I rebooted the DL32R, and it worked fine for about 30 minutes, then locked up again. I'm not recording, so no issues there.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on September 04, 2018, 12:35:48 AM
Yes... it’s working well. All my problems were solved by spending some money....   I’ve been too busy to send the old one in for repair.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on September 04, 2018, 05:02:14 AM
John,
That's a pretty drastic solution, Mackie loves it by making more money for a questionably design. someone needs to identify the problem, Mackie certainly won't tell us.
Michael how did your unit fare at the weekend gig?

Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on September 04, 2018, 12:01:42 PM
I should have sent it in at the first sign of trouble - it was under warranty when I first contacted Mackie...  but we were looking at a 2 week turnaround.
At that time, my band was playing 2 and 3 shows a week, plus a rehearsal, so downtime was not acceptable.
Mackie's tech recommended a potential fix - re-seating ribbon cables.  It worked.   

It worked long enough to get me out of warranty.   I kept reseating for a long time, until it didn't work any longer on one or two channels.

During that time, something else happened where the date on the recordings got bumped off several months - a huge pain when you have hundreds of recordings to sort through (makes it nice when you can search for a date).

Anyway....  Then it started locking up randomly.

Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Michael Welter on September 04, 2018, 01:22:14 PM
Michael how did your unit fare at the weekend gig?
For the most part, it worked well. But it did lock up a couple times. The iPads showed that it was disconnected, but the connection light on the unit was solid. The only fix was to restart the unit, which meant waiting for a break. This happened twice on Sunday morning, and it worked flawlessly after that.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on September 04, 2018, 02:22:03 PM
My new one has done something similar, but I think it's my iPad or the crapple airport...

So we have maybe 5 iPads connected, and an iPhone, it works great, and then one (it's mine) disconnects.   The bluetooth still streams music, the sound system is up.
Everyone else has control.  I can close the app, reopen it - still no DL showing up.

I reboot the airport (NOT the mixer, not the iPad) and my iPad will then reconnect and then I can control the Mackie from mine again.

It's happened to FOH (iPad Pro) a couple times, but mainly happens to me.  Probably because I'm doing more than anyone else with it and likely the first to notice.

At least this time it's not the DL32R, I don't think.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Michael Welter on September 04, 2018, 07:33:06 PM
John, that happens to me, as well. I use an Apple Airport Express router. When that happens, I go into the settings on the iPad, forget the network, then reconnect to it. And that fixes the issue.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on September 04, 2018, 08:24:17 PM
Hrmmmmm so I wonder if that is the Airport at fault or the ipad?    It ONLY does this with my system, so I'm leaning towards the airport.... maybe?

What exactly are we clearing when we reboot/reset?  ARP tables?
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Michael Welter on September 04, 2018, 08:27:56 PM
I'm leaning toward the Airport being the problem, as I can usually also fix the problem with restarting the Airport. But it's usually more convenient to forget the network, and reconnect, as I don't have to visit the stage to do that.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Weogo on September 04, 2018, 09:02:36 PM
Hi Folks,

I have the same issue on occasion with ASUS AC68 routers, and more frequently recently.

My bet is something in IOS,  like the Ipad is not connected to the internet so it disconnects.

I don't have to forget the network, just turn off wireless networking, restart networking and it will re-connect pretty quickly.

Thanks and good health,  Weogo
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on September 09, 2018, 03:33:13 PM
John, after reading about all your Dl32 symptoms here is what I suspect. Since this happens infrequently I am suspecting the IP ( DHCP) lease time as the culprit. Once the (of unknown duration) IP lease time is up the connect process seems to be faulty or not executed. A good argument for using fixed IP addresses. The way to get the iPad to run the IP request code is to first forget the network and then reconnect. This works for Weogo and Michael apparently. This also explains why just one iPad is disconnected (yours). The logic for this resides in the iPad and is far less likely to be the fault of the router. Try the fixed IP address and see if the problem persists.
Michael, one hangup in my book is unacceptable. I hope this is not one of the elusive "White Noise" issues with Mackie's code. The long unsupported cables in the unit are a recipe for disaster with units in frequent transit. Mackie apparently has no clue.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on September 09, 2018, 04:00:15 PM
Weogo, restarting WiFi or forgetting the network are basically the same thing in that both reestablish addresses and lease times. It is most likely in Mackie's code in handling the network (app to iOS code) since I have never experienced a disconnect with other network based communication apps that didn't have a recovery procedure (X-Air - iPad, Android, PC app come to mind).
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on September 09, 2018, 04:10:21 PM
This topic was also covered some time ago.
http://cacophony.aspinock.com/index.php?topic=520.msg15172#msg15172
Cheers
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Michael Welter on September 10, 2018, 02:57:51 PM
I'll try a fixed IP address and see if that fixes the issue. Thanks for the idea.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on September 26, 2018, 05:50:50 PM
I'll try a fixed IP address and see if that fixes the issue. Thanks for the idea.
Have you put on any mileage with the fixed IP address? A bunch here I'm sure would be interested in the results.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: Michael Welter on September 26, 2018, 06:05:50 PM
Not yet. My DL is currently in storage, as I haven't had any gigs in the last few weeks.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on September 26, 2018, 07:07:49 PM
How about you John, since you were the OP?
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on September 29, 2018, 01:45:55 AM
How about you John, since you were the OP?

Bought a new DL32R and no longer have the exact same problem. Previously, when it would lock up, all iPads would lose connection. Recording to disk would stop. A shutdown and restart of the DL was the only way to recover.

Now, it seems my airport is having problems. We have 5-7 iPads and iPhones and during shows, one, two or even all will go red and disconnect ...  the system is running fine at this point.
Disconnecting the iPad from the AP and back doesn’t fix it, putting the iPad in airplane mode doesn’t fix it.
Rebooting the dl32r fixes it
Rebooting the airport AP fixes it

No, the DL nor iPads are not static.

Might try it tomorrow if I have time at the next show and see what happens.

John

Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on September 29, 2018, 07:43:03 AM
One other thing you can try is to replace the Ethernet cable. Use a CAT6 and keep it as short as possible. Avoid any potential EMI issues. It seems odd that two DL32R's act almost the same way.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on October 20, 2018, 07:58:15 AM
A little history on Ethernet cables as used in the Audio Industry. When the Behringer X32 first came out a run of Cat5 (as specified by Behringer then) especially 100ft. or more runs started to give intermittent results (sound familiar?). Some savvy people pointed this out to Behringer and suggested they use STP (Shielded Twisted Pair cable instead of Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP). EMI and ESD problems disappeared. Guess what Behringer X32 and other high end brands are using for their Ethernet connections today? :) I don't believe that long runs are the only ones with problems depending on the source of the interference. I don't know how long your cable to the router is but there's a known solution by using a  STP cable. The mostly plastic routers aren't the best but at least one etherCon (Neutrik) connection at the mixer end would help. This of course would require some surgery to the DL32R input using etherCon. Caution here Cat5e and Cat6 connectors are not interchangeable. You can also just use a shielded RJ45 connector with the complimentary chassis connector (less drastic but more fragile). Too bad Mackie couldn't learn from Behringer and other manufacturer about this problem. Since UDP (Unreliable Datagram Protocol) is used (IICRC) commands can get lost without any error recovery. You then have a sync problem. I have long suggested that TCP/IP be used for Command and Control (not for streaming audio) on these mixers but the myth that it is slower has been proven to be false especially in heavier traffic. Since current chip-sets are 10/100/1000 that's 10 times (roughly speaking) then what is being used in these mixers the speed issue could have been avoided altogether. TCP/IP is just harder to program with. Mandolin the next layer above UDP is not quite up to the job in error recovery it seems. As you can see there are lots of other possible causes for your problem.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on October 22, 2018, 04:58:56 AM
Stp 1.5ft cable in use from airport to mackie.  I’ll change it out when I get a chance, again
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on October 22, 2018, 07:57:20 PM
After chasing down some pics on both the DL32R Ethernet and the Airport Express connectors it appears both have shields so a STP should be OK (I don't own either product). This unfortunately points more to the DL32R software. The quality of the cable  however does matter, especially if the connectors are improperly installed. Although the N spec includes PRP ( see  https://info.belden.com/hubfs/resources/technical/other/drastic-improvements-in-wireless-reliability-webpage-pdf.pdf?hsLang=en&t=1539972123614   ) it's optional and not in these devices. It would be a boon to UDP.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: JohnMHoyt on October 22, 2018, 09:58:53 PM
Commercially made cable, but who's to say it didn't get bumped or something, even though it's in a road case.

I replaced with another cable, of another brand, after certifying with my tester.   The old one also checked out okay, but hey, worth trying.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on October 24, 2018, 02:56:19 PM
It appears that Mackie is aware of the problem (according to Dan in another thread , I think he is still a Beta tester for them). So now it's time to wait for Mackie to fix their code. ::)  Nothing like working with a time bomb. I would send it back and hope for a better unit since not every DL32R user seems to have this problem or do they?. Same scenario as their white noise problem.
Title: Re: Mackie DL32R locked up during show
Post by: WK154 on October 24, 2018, 03:41:52 PM
While on the subject of network cables Mackie's manual still states a CAT5 cable for the router to DL32R interconnect. Well you be hard pressed to even find a CAT5 cable since they have been replaced by CAT5e since about 2003 (15 years ago), long before the DL32R existed. There is a BIG difference between a CAT5 and a CAT5e cable in electrical properties. Nothing is said about a shielded cable which is highly recommended in this environment. Time to correct the manual especially for those users not into networks. Same problem exists in the DL16/32S manual.  :lol: