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Removing Noise from old equipment.


DrummerJonny

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Hey All.

 

I recently acquired an old 16 Channel mixer (Studiomaster Session Mix 16-2) that has seen far better days.

 

As well as a few broken pots and faders, the whole desk has a multitude of hisses, pops and hums.

 

I've found the majority of these can be cured by working the pots and faders, which I assume is scraping off dirt / debris from the tracks inside them.

 

However, there are still a few remaining that don't seem to be affected by any of this.

 

 

What else should I be looking for? It is a mixture of white noise and hums, affected variously by muting / unmuting channels, panning, and tone adjustment.

 

While confident with the basics, and a good solderer, this is my first attempt at a proper repair job on a mixer. I'm really treating this as a learning experience rather than a repair that needs to be done, therefore I welcome any other tips. I've already worked out that there are a few parts that need replacing and will do so in due course.

 

One other thing I'm unsure about: the desk has a board per channel, with a ribbon cable running between them. Would I be right in assuming it's fine to remove this from the majority of the channels while I work on some, so I can narrow down exactly what noise is coming from where?

 

 

MAny thanks in advance for all your help and insight, and as I said, any tips with regards to mixer servicing are most welcome!

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One other thing I'm unsure about: the desk has a board per channel, with a ribbon cable running between them. Would I be right in assuming it's fine to remove this from the majority of the channels while I work on some, so I can narrow down exactly what noise is coming from where?

 

Yes, you can remove the ribbon cable from all of the channel strips. You would be well advised to remove each of the other ribbon cables too and spray some switch cleaner/lubricant into the connectors or, if they are particularly obstinate, replace the cables.

 

At best, cleaning faders is only a temporary fix and replacing them is the best option but, if you are just doing this for yourself, then you might be happy with the results.

 

Dave

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One other thing I'm unsure about: the desk has a board per channel, with a ribbon cable running between them. Would I be right in assuming it's fine to remove this from the majority of the channels while I work on some, so I can narrow down exactly what noise is coming from where?

 

Yes, you can remove the ribbon cable from all of the channel strips. You would be well advised to remove each of the other ribbon cables too and spray some switch cleaner/lubricant into the connectors or, if they are particularly obstinate, replace the cables.

 

At best, cleaning faders is only a temporary fix and replacing them is the best option but, if you are just doing this for yourself, then you might be happy with the results.

 

Dave

 

Thanks Dave, Will do that. I'm still not sure if I will replace the faders. I'd like to, but they seem to be hard to come by.

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