Strange Problem With DL1608?

[ChiroVette]

Okay, yesterday was my second show with the DL1608, and I am really starting to wonder if there is something wrong with the mixer, so maybe one of you folks can tell me if you have seen or heard of a problem like this:

We set up all the equipment and were ready to start playing, but for some reason there was NOTHING going to any of the monitors, except for the two wedges daisychained together fed by Aux 6 and an old Crown Powerbase. The other wedge monitor (Aux 1, an EV ELX112p) had nothing going to it at all. The four IEM's (Auxes 2 through 5) also had zilch!

I tried everything. I switched to auxes on the iPad and sure enough the input channels on those auxes (we use all 16 channels) were jumping around indicating signal. The FOH was fine and receiving signal, but none of the auxes from 1 trough 5. I tried everything. I even turned the Aux 1 output to the ELX wedge to full, slowly in case it started to feedback, but nothing. Finally, I just threw my hands up and we played the first set without monitors.

On the break between sets, I decided to try something. I shut off the mixer and turned it right back on. After that, voila, we had monitors from all sends. But that isn't the whole story. For reasons passing understanding, I COULD NOT get any drums into my IEM, only vocals and other instruments. The female vocalist seemed to be able to get everything into her IEM and she had an iPad with My Fader, which I gave her control over her Aux Send only. The rhythm guitarist had to take his IEMs out and work without monitors, because all he was able to get was drums and vocals, but no lead guitar or keys! I double checked his monitor feed on my iPad and sure enough, he had the lead guitar all the way up and the corresponding channel in his aux was jumping around showing around every time I hit a note or chord, but no matter what I did, he could not get anything close to all the channels in his aux.

Is this something ANYONE here has ever even heard of? Because it was so bizarre!

(Oh and I tried switching the aux sends from pre fade to post then back to pre again, and that helped not at all)

[RoadRanger]

Maybe try to force a firmware update?

[dpdan]

something I don't like about the meter level behavior is the fact that the levels show input gain.

It would have been nice to leave the red clip where it is that indicates input clipping, but it would have been nicer (at least to me)
for the levels to be post fader. It can look like the 1608 is hopping right a along then I realize... oh crap! the lead vocal isn't going
into her monitor... brain fart.   



   

[sam.spoons]

It isn't something like the gates being enabled? I got caught out that way when I first used the DL 1608.

[ChiroVette]

It isn't something like the gates being enabled? I got caught out that way when I first used the DL 1608.

No gates enabled at this show at all. The only thing I am probably likely to gate anyway would be the three Tom's, if and only if, they make noise after the initial hit from the drummer.

something I don't like about the meter level behavior is the fact that the levels show input gain.

It would have been nice to leave the red clip where it is that indicates input clipping, but it would have been nicer (at least to me)
for the levels to be post fader. It can look like the 1608 is hopping right a along then I realize... oh crap! the lead vocal isn't going
into her monitor... brain fart.   

Not quite sure if this pertains to me or not, but I can tell you that when the monitors weren't working I tried switching from pre-fade to post then back to pre again. I also made absolutely certain that the main (master) volume for that aux was up as were all the respective channel volumes within each of the non-working monitor auxes.

Maybe try to force a firmware update?

Worth considering, but I forced a firmware update when I first bought the mixer a few weeks ago. I think I need to put in a call to Mackie tech support when I have some free time today. See if this is a documented problem of some sort.

[WK154]

At first I thought that you might have been the victim of mute for the aux's but since restarting corrected some of the problems the only conclusion I can come to is that you have "el Limon" .

[dpdan]

yep, I would exchange it

[ChiroVette]

yep, I would exchange it

Yeah, lol easier said than done. I am working today and called Mackie tech support and they couldn't really help with anything but letting me explain the situation to them. I really need to have my mixer in front of me before they can walk through certain troubleshooting steps with me. I am quite sure that I can't simply say, "Hey send me a new mixer, asshat. I want an exchange!"

lol I can't (and honestly shouldn't) work that way, right?

[Topsøe]

Hi ChiroVette
Could the aux master mute have been on , unlike L&R auxes have a master mute.
The meters you see on aux pages is channel input meters and has no corelation with what you send to that particular aux.

[ChiroVette]

No, Topsøe, definitely not. That was the first thing I checked. I mean, lol it is a big, red, in-your-face button right on top of the master fader for that aux page.

[Topsøe]

Just asking , no offence ment  , but most problems have an eksplanation (and often aprox. 40 cm from the front panel)

[ChiroVette]

Just asking , no offence ment  , but most problems have an eksplanation (and often aprox. 40 cm from the front panel)

None taken! Believe me, no idea is too weird! I just wanted to let you know that I checked those things, but in no way was I offended.

[prosoundco guy]

Okay, yesterday was my second show with the DL1608, and I am really starting to wonder if there is something wrong with the mixer, so maybe one of you folks can tell me if you have seen or heard of a problem like this:

We set up all the equipment and were ready to start playing, but for some reason there was NOTHING going to any of the monitors, except for the two wedges daisychained together fed by Aux 6 and an old Crown Powerbase. The other wedge monitor (Aux 1, an EV ELX112p) had nothing going to it at all. The four IEM's (Auxes 2 through 5) also had zilch!

I tried everything. I switched to auxes on the iPad and sure enough the input channels on those auxes (we use all 16 channels) were jumping around indicating signal. The FOH was fine and receiving signal, but none of the auxes from 1 trough 5. I tried everything. I even turned the Aux 1 output to the ELX wedge to full, slowly in case it started to feedback, but nothing. Finally, I just threw my hands up and we played the first set without monitors.

On the break between sets, I decided to try something. I shut off the mixer and turned it right back on. After that, voila, we had monitors from all sends. But that isn't the whole story. For reasons passing understanding, I COULD NOT get any drums into my IEM, only vocals and other instruments. The female vocalist seemed to be able to get everything into her IEM and she had an iPad with My Fader, which I gave her control over her Aux Send only. The rhythm guitarist had to take his IEMs out and work without monitors, because all he was able to get was drums and vocals, but no lead guitar or keys! I double checked his monitor feed on my iPad and sure enough, he had the lead guitar all the way up and the corresponding channel in his aux was jumping around showing around every time I hit a note or chord, but no matter what I did, he could not get anything close to all the channels in his aux.

Is this something ANYONE here has ever even heard of? Because it was so bizarre!

(Oh and I tried switching the aux sends from pre fade to post then back to pre again, and that helped not at all)

I had a similar thing happen on my second gig with the DL. None of the monitors were getting signal, all had their masters up, and sends to them up, not muted. eXCEPT aux 1, which had nothing sending to it, but had the vocal mic for that wedge screaming with feedback...with no send from that input even when muted. I closed the iPad app, powered off router and mixer and restarted everything. That fixed it. Worked fine after that.

[dpdan]

that's scary

[ChiroVette]

I had a similar thing happen on my second gig with the DL. None of the monitors were getting signal, all had their masters up, and sends to them up, not muted. eXCEPT aux 1, which had nothing sending to it, but had the vocal mic for that wedge screaming with feedback...with no send from that input even when muted. I closed the iPad app, powered off router and mixer and restarted everything. That fixed it. Worked fine after that.

You know it is VERY FUNNY that you posted this, because you jogged my memory on something I had forgotten. While this was going on, I noticed something very odd: One of the monitor wedges that was getting signal was getting vocals NO MATTER WHAT! Meaning that I turned the main aux fader (this was aux 6) all the way down and nothing I could do even stopped the monitors from getting some vocals, including muting the respective vocal channels in that aux. This is odd, and I really am not sure what the hell to make of it. Worse, when I rebooted the mixer, it only partially fixed the problem. So I am basically clueless and not sure how in the hell to get Mackie to send me another one, which I assume at this point is what I need.