How to service a mixing desk Part 1 - Mixer Cleaning
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- čas přidán 12. 07. 2024
- How to service a mixing desk. Mixer Cleaning. Mixing Desk Service. - servicing a mixing desk can be a big task but it doesn't have to be daunting. I've broken down each stage into steps so you can see exactly what to do and work your way through the process. As long as you take pictures along the way and keep notes of what went where, it's an easy task.
This is a Mackie 24 8 desk which may look like a large format mixing desk but it isn't. Each group of 8 channels come on 1 PCB and the same goes for the master section so it's a simple and easy desk to take apart.
This first stage can also be used as an interim service stage as it cleans the main surface and knobs which helps prevent dust, dirt and grease working its way inside the desk. In this stage I focus on removing the knobs and faders and leaving them to soak in washing up liquid over night. I did the process three times as there was a lot of grease being washed away each time I did it. I showed my mum one of the times and have to give her credit for the washing up capsule idea (tide pod) - she told me biological detergent contains enzymes which would eat away the grease.
The desk then received a once over with all purpose cleaning wipes of the citrus variety and a paintbrush helped work it into all the gaps and hard to reach areas.
Here's a link to the next part of how to service a mixing desk: • How to service a mixin...
Here's a link to part 3 of how to service a mixing desk: • How to service a mixin...
Here's a link to the final part of how to service a mixing desk: • How to Service a mixin...
Here's a link to my how to service a mixing desk playlist : • How to service a mixin...
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Your vids were EXTREMELY helpful. We followed you step by step as we worked on my 16x2 Mackey - as a warm-up act to tackling the 32x8 which we will be doing soon enough. The old box is much cleaner, much smoother and much quieter now. I will echo and amplify your remark about taking LOTS of pictures. We spent hours dusting, cleaning, scrubbing and de-oxing only to screw up at the very end by plugging one of the internal cables in BACKWARDS. I was fed up and looking on eBay for a replacement desk when my buddy suggested flopping one particular connector, and BINGO - all was well! But in our haste to get down to it, we made the assumption that we would remember how things fit together. WRONG! Also - be very clear about labeling what screws come from where so you won't screw up when it's time to put it all back together. Thanks for being our tour guide for a tedious, exacting, frustrating and ultimately very fun and successful day!
I learned a new term... washing up liquid! Great video.
You did a good job cleaning the knobs, I just threw them in a washing bag with the rest of the laundry... After watching this I doubt my grease was released 😄
That's a great way to do it. Biological Washing tablets would eat the grease on the knobs and they get rinsed with loads of water in a machine. Your way is the mainstream way of doing things, my way is probably slightly odd.
Fantastic set of videos, just what i was looking for. Thankyou!
Just picked up this exact desk and need to do the same, thanks for creating these videos :) subscribed.
Thanks mate, it means a lot. Just take your time, leave it all open to dry out properly after cleaning and it will be fine. Those desks are fantastic
excellent and very helpful.
Just got the same desk. Looking forward(ish) to fixing it up! Thanks for the vids
Fantastic. Please shout if you have any questions while doing it. Just take your time, it does take a whike
Great work, you really are looking after your gear
thank you
I've got my cleaners on order and I found your videos really useful, thanks for doing them. For removing the nuts for the pots and jacks, I recommend using a socket head but just use fingers rather than the the ratchet lever. It makes locating the nut easier than using long nose pliers and it will also prevent the nut getting damaged or the desk from getting scratched which would be slight risks with the pliers. It makes a repetitive task easier and more fool proof in my experience.
Tip: Get a small shop vac, and a car detail kit that reduces the already smaller hose to an even smaller one. Plus comes with a number of small attachments like angled brushes. In addition get a set of soft paint brushes in different shapes and sizes. Every studio I’ve been in here in Los Angeles uses the brush and vac technique, rather than canned air or wiping first, to avoid anything getting pushed in where it doesn’t belong.
Good shout. I’ve been using a power blower thing for years now. I’ll grab some hose attachments as there are a few studio bits I need to service
@@PherotoneStudios Hey, great videos!
I'm about to restor/rebuild/further modify my Soundcraft Ghost, the console the Mackie 8-Bus wanted to be when it grew up. (Though I still have a 16-Channel 8-Bus for 90s nostalgia sake).
The 32-channel Ghost and Mackie look similar in person and on paper. (Except the Mackie has 24 channels to the left and 8 to the right of the master section, and the Ghost has 16 on each side of the 'Center Section' for perfectly symmetrical zen. I'm a bit OCD.)
Sum 64-Channels through them, with nothing else engaged, and the similarities come to a dead stop.
Engage the EQs, and you'll never look back.
Track anything through the Preamps, and again your in boys vs men territory.
The reason, as you touched on in your video, is that while both boards from the top are a solid sheet of steel punched full of holes for all the buttons, knobs, and faders to pop through, rather than individual removable channel strips like the 6-figure consoles they're pretending to be, their differences become crystal clear when prop her up, look under her skirt.
Instead of those massive 8-channel PCBs full of untouchable components in the Mackie, the Soundcraft indeed has 32-individual through-hole circuit boards (and 5 in the master section), that can be repaired and modded and refined, just like their big brothers.
Again, the Mackie is great for what it is, I am not a Hater, I still have one. I also still have a 4-track cassette Portastudio, for the same reason, it has a Sound. They become a sound engineer's instruments rather than simply utilitarian devices.
So clean em up, and keep em making beautiful noises.
Music is in the ear of the beholder.
@@PherotoneStudios oh, and by blower you do mean Vacuum right?
Suction not Blowing?
I saw a major studio engineer training his rats how to clean an 80-channel G+, he had modded his Vacuum with hose from an autoparts store to get Suction down inside of the board.
He held up a can of air and said "if I ever see you with one of these, you're fired!"
Your videos are a God send thanks. I've managed to land myself a 24-8 just before Christmas and I think the far right hand ribbon to the meter bridge has come out of the mixer side I think. Is it a difficult job to get in there a plug it back in pls...?
Great video. how would I get that lovely desk to work with an iMac? Ive been after one of those desks for a while
Great content, I've just finished cleaning my Mackie 24x8x2 and although mine is quite a bit older than yours the design hasn't changed that much. The PCB's are the older light brown color and the case is slightly different but virtually the same.
Because of the age, all the knobs had yellowed so I tried for the first time retrobrighting and I was astonished at the results, highly recommend!
Amazing. I had to google retrobrighting - got to try it on something.
I also didn’t know they did an older version of the desk. Did the service sort any issues with your desk?
Behringer did a version of that desk which is unbelievably similar. I know they did different colour versions of it as we had both in our old studio. Behringer sort of ripped off the Mackie 24 8 but they also own the factories that make all the components for these sort of things (and almost all guitar pedals) so it’s not surprising
@@PherotoneStudios I've read somewhere that you can actually use Behringer MX8000 meter bridges on a Mackie, the ribbon connectors are essentially the same but you have to twist the cables a half rotation to make them fit.
As far as I know, only the MX8000 had an optional bridge, the follow-up model MX9000 and the Eurodesk SX4882 (pretty much the same as the MX9000, with better preamps and internal power supply) had the bridge included in the mixer case.
One more thing, the 4882 was apparently one of the last budget in-line mixers with 8 subgroups on the market, it was being made until the early 2010s.
Bummer that there is no market for such boards nowadays, at least not in the affordable price range (read: not costing as much as a middle-class car).
BTW, they've been making analog synths (mostly clones of classics like the minimoog etc) and drum machines for a few years already.
@@thedoublek4816 that’s interesting. I’ve had both and they’re almost identical. I should have tried the Mackie meter on the behringer but didn’t think
I just bought a MACKIE 1642 vlzpro yesterday , i service CB radoos as a hobby so have signal genetors , oscilloscopes etc, do you know the proper technical procedure for testing each each section/stages of a mixer? ie what tones to use from a signal generator?
Much appreciated
PeaceFromOz😊
in my allen & heath mixer I noticed that the click switches gunk up quite allot of dirt and dust to the point that the entire thing just crackles whenever I touch one of these. Fortunately I gave the channel switches a nice clean with some WD40 and it's all nice and crips.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos. I'm about to clean my Mackie SR 24.4 which I bought used a couple of years ago, and has quite a few scratchy pots. It is a daunting task, and your hard work will be very helpful. One questions! There's a loud POP sound when I power the mixer off, even if all levels are down. Do you have a suggestion for me? Thank you.
Thanks mate. Just take your time and make sure it’s all fully dry before reassembling. I think all mixers do that pop. Turn your speakers off before turning the mixer off
shut your power amps off first. or powered speakers. whatever you have. then turn your mixing board off. do the opposite when powering on. mixer first then power amps.
Any tips on how to clean knobs from a board that was in a smoker studio... It's a T
ascam M-216 (16-8-2) they are very yellow. I've tried without success... Please help!!! Thanks
Excellent video mate. Can you do one on having your mates over doing shots and spilling jäger bombs 💣 on the desk please.
Thank you.
You may joke but we used to film our rehearsals and one studio session we went in and the desk would not work. After watching the video back, it turned out that the desk had swallowed a pint of cider and the drummer had also stood on it. After that we stopped putting drinks near the mixer. Funny though
Pherotone Studios 😂😂😂 the drummer stood on it 🤣 omg that’s insane
I cleaned my mixer last week exactly as seen on your vedio and put it together after I finished. But when I powered the mixer and the solo button was flashing Red Light also the numbers 1 to 8 lines did not light only 9 to 24 was on could you advice..
That’s sounds familiar as I’ve had something similar to that years ago. Sounds like one of the ribbon cables isn’t attached properly and possibly one of the power cables.
I’d open it up and check all the cables are properly in place
I’m currently cleaning a Makie CR1604 and I can’t quite sus out how to remove the trim knobs. Any suggestions?
Is there a small grub screw on them? If not, they could just be really stuck on there. You can get tools for removing these knobs. Just make sure you don’t scratch the mixer, so maybe add a bit of electrical tape to the tool
@@PherotoneStudios Thanks bro. No small screw. Turns out they were just stuck on there a bit more than would allow finger pulling to remove them. A pair of pliers worked perfectly...
I once cleaned my dj mixer with lemony wipes ,biig mistake as i didnt wipe it off . Week later everything was getting eaten in .
LOL@ 6:29!!!!
So... Have not used my mixer in a year. I am in the process of cleaning it now. Man! This thing is nasty! Us humans are gross! LOL!