one : easy

two : http://www.dact.com (second to none)

three : without a doubt!

the remote is terrible. It scratches and cuts out on both or either channel on its own.

that suprises me as I didn't expect that signal would actualy pass through the remore unit
one should never make assumptions about how things are made
... must always lift the lid to be sure

the part may be replacable but I'd have to see inside ... and then the part would need to be available

I suspect it may just be a dual ganged potentiometer ... :roll:

The DACT alternative is one fine idea
even if you do change over to another controller the DACT box can always find a use elswhere. ( I can explain )

Also there is Goldpoint Switches
http://www.goldpt.com/

My DIY Factory site has a little info and I am working on more but it is a slow old process so I don't have a solution described in full yet.
http://www.diyfactory.com/projects/dawmonswitch/dawmonswitch_1.htm

Mk1 is the simple passive attenuator ... from dual ganged pot to dual stepper switch like DACT or Goldpoint.

MK2 is the VCA based unit with remote controller ... wired

Mk3 will be a multi relay box with either wired or IR remote control ... like the MKI it is a PASSIVE signal route and will have some user preset features like ... dim, cut, mono ... left, right
This is being developed with great assistance from Mikkel S.
http://electronics.dantimax.dk/
It will also be expanded for input switching and multiple outputs (active)

So in the long run it will do the same sort of thing as the PreSonus Central
HOWEVER
mine will be quite different in method and will probably not have the SPDF or AES functions ... Mikkel says otherwise ... so you never know
:D

I have no direct experience with this presonus unit. I don't know whether the volume control is an analog pot, or some kind of encoder that controls a vca or dac digitally. The dact attenuators are good and compact, but presonus tends to stuff their chassis' chucky corner tight. Don't know if even the dact would have room inside. Need to look under the lid.

Based on other presonus gear I have seen, I would expect that there are too many other compromises in that unit to warrant another $100-300 in mods. I would be inclinded to just build a new monitor controller all together.

Hey guys!

Thanks for the input.

I'm really quite interested in keeping the Central Station. Despite other crap from Presonus, I have been quite impressed by this unit so far.

Unfortunately, the audio does travel to and from the remote control unit and therefore does go through the remotes attenuator. I've cracked the case and, while it doesn't appear to be cram packed (actually it's wide open), the problem that I see is that the attenuator is at the bottom of the slanted unit. I'll take some photos and measurements and let you guys know.

Iznogood - if everything looks like it would work, could I send it to you via post and have you gather the part(s), perform the work and ship it back? I would gladly pay if it's not TOO expensive. (I know the part works out to around $50-$75 USD - please feel free to factor in your reasonable charge for labor - I'm not about screwing people for their efforts...)

Thanks guys!

Jeremy

get pictures of that attenuator

so very disapointing that the audio does pass through the remote

it is very likely that a replacement part can be fitted
also very possible that a better than original (Alps perhaps) could be fitted

there must be a good Tech near to you

cucco

i would be happy to help..... but i'm far away from you.... in denmark....

so i guess it would be alot cheaper for you to find someone in the states...

did you want to put the att. in the main unit or the remote?

Zilla wrote: did you want to put the att. in the main unit or the remote?

In the remote.
Pics coming tonight.

Sorry for the delay in posting pics.

Here the are...

(Dead Link Removed)
(Dead Link Removed)
(Dead Link Removed)
(Dead Link Removed)

It appears that there is enough room for just about any other attenuator. It also appears that several points are soldered to the board but only 3 are traced to anything else. One of those obviously appears to be a ground.

Is this typical, only 3 connections? Hell, that should be pretty easy!

Thanks guys!!!

Jeremy 8-)

three connections per layer

guessing
signal, ground & slider

I don't think that those bottom connections and tracks are the only ones.

Difficult to see but I suspect there are more directly below the green four layer pot ... right next to the 10 pin IDC / Ribbon connector.

I don't know why there is 4 layers ... two stereo controls perhaps.
Perhaps they are using two layers to form one ... for reliability ?
Wait ! :shock:
could be set up as a balanced attenuator sort of thing.
:roll:

Should be easy to find and fit a suitable unit here.

DE-soldering the old one will be difficult as these are plate through holes.
An experienced tech can do this.
The novice should be careful about heat build up on those solder pads and plate through holes ... doing the PCB damage.

I would use both Solder Sucker AND Solder Wick techniques.

You need to find the resistive value of this thing
look for markings on the side 10k ... 20k
could be low at around 500 or 1k if this is a balanced attenuator thing
I haven't found a likely suspect online yet ... but I'll keep looking.

Do they have a spare part you can buy ?

maybe DC offset?

Guys:

This sounds like a problem not with the attenuator, but a leaky capacitor in series with the attenuator which can be changing the DC offset into the next stage of circuitry. Just for fun, I'd check that possibility out. If a cap is in series with the attenuator, replace them and listen to the results. Very simple to do, very inexpensive and quick. Cheap fix while you are considering the better attenuator.

I've had pretty dismal results my pair of PreSonus DCP-8's. One has lost its memory and scrambles its settings on every power-up cycle. Both seem to have low-level transient bursts that get into my Rosettas. PreSonus can't fix them any more. Plus, I believe that they sound like crap, too - I haven't yet recorded anything without them in the chain but I'll bet things sound much better the next time I do a recording.

Thanks for the info - I was seriously considering one of these things for my studio that suffers from not having a good talkback system. Sounds like its time to look elsewhere.

Re: maybe DC offset?

dpd wrote: ... This sounds like a problem not with the attenuator, but a leaky capacitor in series with the attenuator which can be changing the DC offset into the next stage of circuitry. Just for fun, I'd check that possibility out. If a cap is in series with the attenuator, replace them and listen to the results. Very simple to do, very inexpensive and quick. Cheap fix while you are considering the better attenuator...

excellent
excelent advice
8-)
seriously this makes lots of sense and I should have suggested it

you wouldn't expect a pot to be scratchy this soon and the DC through the cap is very good thinking

good to see someone is looking at this with a clear head

thanks to dpd

Looking at those pics confirms my initial feeling: start from scratch.

Interesting comment about blocking caps. Makes me wonder why you would need them in a supposedly passive circuit.

Thanks guys!

I appreciate all the tips.

One thing though - with all due respect - I don't want another device and I don't want to build one. The thing is, I really like the device as it is. I don't like that the remote is causing troubles. I might have them repair/replace it as it's under warranty, but I still want the stepped attenuator.

In general, I haven't noticed any degradation of the sound by its passing through it (if it's there, it's minimal) and the converters are actually halfway decent. (Neigh, they're actually damn good! They're no Lavry's or Benchmarks, but they're every bit as good as Apogees!)

Thanks!

Jeremy

About 25+ years ago I built a stereo preamp from scratch (why I admire Kev so much - he sticks with it!). The 1st model used a 24 position attenuator built with 1% metal film resistors and a pretty good switch. I just never thought that 24 positions was sufficient. So, I went out and bought a monster 32 position dual-deck Shallco switch with silver contacts and massive wipers. Then, I designed my own attenuator profile - not linear, not quite audio taper and built it with high end 1% metal film resistors (non-magnetic leads, etc). That thing still works to this day. There is zero crosstalk and it tracks great between the two channels. Heck, even made a beefy knob out of aluminum stock and sand-blasted it. BTW, the switch has a very nice feel.

http://www.shallco.com

dpd wrote: ... That thing still works to this day. There is zero crosstalk and it tracks great between the two channels. Heck, even made a beefy knob out of aluminum stock and sand-blasted it. BTW, the switch has a very nice feel.

8)
Oh ... SO ... Sweeeet

I love DIY

Kev wrote: [quote=dpd] ... That thing still works to this day. There is zero crosstalk and it tracks great between the two channels. Heck, even made a beefy knob out of aluminum stock and sand-blasted it. BTW, the switch has a very nice feel.

8)
Oh ... SO ... Sweeeet

I love DIY

Hey, Kev, if I can dig up the design folder, do you want me to send you the information?