New Manley MU - not working!!!

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2001 10:04 pm

Hello everyone , I just hooked my brand new MU in today and I got a shocking suprize! I have it going direct in to the stereo incerts of a Mackie 32 channel mixer.The cables are Monster 500 series XLR to ring tip sleeve and work fine for my Distressors.When I am in bypass mode the signal comes through fine. But when I engage the compression there is but a slight tiny sound.....what happened? Did it blow a fuse?Eva Anna said I had to re soder the wires , however I have spoken to a few people today about the pin 1=Ground, pin 2= Hot(+), pin 3= cold (-)
and they said the Manley should work with my configuration.Please some one , what is going on?Thanks!Mad John
Zythum Studios"The present day Composer refuses to die!" Varese Sad

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 12:33 am

Yes, pin 1=G, pin 2=+, pin 3=-, but you haven't explained exactly how you wired it to the insert plug?

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 9:41 am

Hi ANG , It is a simple hook up. Monster incert cables with XLR male- female on one side and 1/4 inch ring tip sleeve.The 1/4 inch plugs are going into the female 1/4 inch Mackie Stereo Incerts.Again I get a signal in bypass and a shrill faint almost unaudible signal when the MUs Compressor is engaged.I am considering sending it back!!!What can I check to asure the fault is not my own?Mad John
Zythum Studios

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 12:09 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by John Thomas Milhorat:
Hi ANG , It is a simple hook up. Monster incert cables with XLR male- female on one side and 1/4 inch ring tip sleeve.The 1/4 inch plugs are going into the female 1/4 inch Mackie Stereo Incerts.Again I get a signal in bypass and a shrill faint almost unaudible signal when the MUs Compressor is engaged.I am considering sending it back!!!What can I check to asure the fault is not my own?Mad John
Zythum Studios<hr></blockquote>Well if you only get the noise when the compressor is engaged, the MU is probably fuckeded up. Actually, I had a simmilar problem with my Massive Passive. When the right channel was in BYPASS, the signal would distort heavily. It sounded AOK when the EQ was engaged. I sent it back and Manley couldn't find anything wrong with it, but they replaced the right PCB. I haven't tested it again yet cus my studio is in boxes, but I'll post the results if anyone cares.

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 1:26 pm

I find that the Vari-Mu in the studio where I work sounds better when it's not in the unbalanced insert and when it's getting a 600 ohm load, but it doesn't do any crazy stuff like you described. Sounds like you probably need to send it back, which is a bitch since its heavy and delicate. BTW did you check that all the tubes and other electronics are securely in their sockets? When we got ours some stuff had come loose in shipping. Good luck.

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 2:48 pm

I am just about to try a recomendation , which is to simple use an adaptor that reverses pin 2 and 3 polarity.Will let you know if this works.Mad John
Zythum Studios

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 3:13 pm

I've found that the Manley boxes sound much better while bypassed too. :p
:w:

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 5:35 pm

Oh, spare us Mike. Next comes the pitch for the Telefucken' V72, right? <img src="graemlins/retard.gif" border="0" alt="[rasta]" />

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 6:49 pm

Hey what do you know...it works!The MU is Ballenced , where Mackie incerts are unballenced. I had to use a simple adapter that takes 1/4 inch cables to adapter then to MU (XLR)I really was woried for a minute there!Hate to spend the bucks for sucks! Very Happy

I am greatly releaved....now if the store I got these adaptors from just had had one more I could of heard both sides tonight...oh well.Mad John
Zythum Studios

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 8:42 pm

Then the hook up wasn't that simple, was it?
If you have a soldering iron, I can help you wire the insert cable properly so you don't need no steenking adapters.

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 9:39 pm

Is it bad to use the adaptors? To tell you the truth I was worried about that myself.Sam Ass gave me some Hosa adaptors , and I was yearning to find out if the MU was faulty or not, so I had to get them...bad move?Cheers!Mad John
Zythum Studios

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 10:40 pm

LOL :w:
I love the mackie/manley coupling.

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2001 11:05 pm

Ordinarily, no. But how much did you pay for the Monster cables? IMO it doesn't make sense to get cables that expensive and then add some cheap adapters to the chain.Knowing at least some rudimentary audio electronics before you go purchasing $10,000 worth of gear is what makes sense to me. But it does no good to beat yourself up about it, right?Maybe you should check out Harvey Gerst's forum, small Steps - a beginner's guide to pro results. There's a lot of info about stuff like this in there.Hope that helps.

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2001 8:55 am

I was informed that although it would seem the cheap way to connect the Manley , the path is so short with the adaptors that it does not degrade the singnal.Is this the case?I will be useing a ballenced patchbay soon. Will I need the adaptors for this configuration?I am still a little confused , The Manley stuff is not completly straight forward and it rattles my nuts to sit on a fence between Professional (Manley) and semi Professional hook ups (Mackie.)Mad John
Zythum Studios"The present day modern Composer refuses to die"
- Edgar Varese :p

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2001 7:28 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by littledog:
Balanced patchbays are going to be a nice addition, but they won't change the fact that the insert points on your Mackie (or any other sub-$10,000 mixer that i can think of) are unbalanced.<hr></blockquote>Why does he have to 'insert'? Why not go balanced out of the piece of outboard gear into the patchbay, and into the same piece of gear from the patch bay (giving each i/o a discrete point on the bay), and it will remain balanced the whole time.

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