Mackie 1604 Vlz3 16 Channel Mixer - Page 2 - Answered Questions & Fixed issues
No sound
This is not a powered mixer and so you must connect a power amp to the "line level" outputs of the mixer. Other "no output" problems could be related to buss assignments and other signal routing issues. Check for output by connecting "Main Out" left or right to a guitar amp input instead BUT turn all volumes down to zero before conductiong this test as guitar amps are designed for "Microphone" level inputs. Owners and Hookup manuals can be found here... http://www.mackie.com/products/1604vlz3/
Get sound with headset but not in speaker
One problem is if somebody has put a plug into the INSERT jacks on the back. If signalls have been driven into these that are intended to be used for external effects, an op amp can be blown and it is a pain to replace. Try plugging a se of headphones into each and see if you can hear a signal. You will only hear it in the LEFT headphone and this is normal. Make sure ALL the channels have the L/R switches punched down as these send each cahnnel into the MAIN mixing bus.
My d8b runs and after
I suspect the power supply is shutting down... may be overloaded due to failure in the board or a failure in the supply itself. The time delay before failure is indicative of something heating up causing the delay in failing.
DO verify the power source is good. ALSO verify that ALL interconnected equipment such as the board, amps, powered speakers ALL are powered from the same receptacle or power source.
I can't get any sound
There is NO way to select channels to "Source"... The selections on this mixer are to send the channels to SOLO, Sub1-2 or Sub 3-4 and/or main L-R. You should have the bottom button for each channel punched down to L-R. NEVER connect ANYTHING other than an external effects unit to the INSERT jacks!!!! These jacks are combined output/input jacks with send and return on the same jack. Special insert cables are used for these. An external drum machine should be connected to a line input for one of the channels USING a TRS balanced cable. Page 28 of your user manual shows the block diagram and signal flow diagram. The trim control is the input gain control. Start with those say at 12 o'clock and advance the fader for the channel of interest...you should get signal at the main outs. MAKE SURE that the lines from the mixer to the amps are BALANCED TRS type cables... You cannot use unbalanced cables for this. The user manual explains balanced cables and what they look like. I just repaired one of these mixers that some foolish people plugged stuff into the MAIN INSERT jacks and blew out the driver that drives the MAIN insert which kills the input to the MAIN output drivers. There is one small chip between the AMAIN fader and the sub next to it and one has to remove every knob and take the unit all apart to get to it... It is a tiny surface mounted part the size of a matchhead with 8 leads... not for the faint of heart to repair. As a test of this part, you can plug a st of headphones into the RIGHT MAIN insert jack and drive audio into a channel... turn trim control up fully for the channel and the fader on full, and set the PAN control to 12 oclock and punch down the L-R button for that channel. You should hear the audio in ONLY the left ear... Now try the phones in the LEFT INSERT jack... you again should hear the audio in the left headphone only (these jacks are not stereo like the headphones). If you cannot hear anything, then likely somebody has blown that driver in your unit... It is painful and time consuming to repair this... there are hundreds of knobs to pull off and put back on... dozens of screws and cables and to get it all back together. Also make sure ALL of your interconnected equipment is powered from a SINGLE receptacle or power module. Read your user manual thoughroughly. You can get one online download if you need it.
Is this free? sir
Free? I don't think you will find somebody giving away a mixer free... If you need help with yours, contact me at fredy2 on aol.com. Use Mackie in subject line...
Have a Mackie 1604 VLZ
One of the power supplies has failed. This can either because of a short on it or the regulator chip has failed. Unplug the power cable from the main board. At one end are the +/- 16 volt supplies with ground in the middle. and the other end has a ground and the 48 volt phantom power. There are a couple grounds near the middle and a 10 volt power as well.
Here is your schematic:
http://elektrotanya.com/mackie_1604vlz.pdf/download.html
Scroll down to "get manual" and click on it to download. IGNORE other download links... they are for third party PDF readers.
The order to troubleshoot: Unplug the power cable from the supply to the main board. Test for those voltages with power on. If they are NOT there, disassemble the pod to get to the power supply and troubleshoot for the missing +/-16 volt supply... May be shorted by
a cap or the regulator chip may have failed. If the supply voltages are there, turn off power and replace the connector being VERY careful to not get it a pin sideways as there is NO index. Next disconnect the audio cables to the pod and reach in and check the voltages on those pins again on the power cable, or just note if the LED's are still screwed up... If they are, congratulations... you get to remove the POD from the back.... 4 screws... and then get to carefully pull every knob off the panel and using a small hex allen wrench remove a bunch of screws to release the main board. There is a dust cover for the faders... remove this noting the oreintation and DO NOT forget to replace it when you are done. Now you can reconnect the power supply to the bare board. First thing is to visually inspect for the obvious... next with power on use a "calibrated finger" to look fo a hot chip that might be sucking the current... beyond that you use the techniques of millivoltmeter searching for where the current is shorted looking for the place where that voltage goes to near zero. This uses the resistance of the power buss. When it is all repaired you get to put those knobs back on... been there, done this... I had a bad chip that was the driver for the MAIN INSERT... stuck down between the main fader and the one next to it. ALWAYS power all interconnected equipment form the SAME receptacle or power conditioner to avoid the ground bounce damage like this.
Hello,
I have a Mackie 1604
The LEAST expensive thing to do is to buy an external stepdown transformer.
Here is a link:
http://www.world-import.com/transformers.htm
The 100 Watt would be adequate... If you think you might need more you could have a reserve for other equipment... At around $8 USD I don't think you can beat that. The labor cost to change the internal transformer would cost many times what the external transformer costs, not to mention the cost on a new internal transformer.
I want to plug a
Look in your user manual for how you "INSERT" an EQ at an input. The 1/4 inch TRS jacks on the back, lower row labeled "Insert" is where you use a TRS cable to aan EQ that has TRS INSERT jack. If your EQ doesn't have this, then you will need to find or make a "splitter" cable. The tip of the cable is the send to the EQ and the sleeve is the return signal after EQ.
I have a Mackie cv1604 which suddenly stopped
same problem here.. gimme a holler if you've figured anything out.
mine, channels light up, it's getting sound (input) from mics, but it's no sound coming out. i'm almost definite the problem is with the main mix slider. but then again i could be wrong.
What is the best way to run a Bass thrue the mixer
The easiest way is to take the line out from the bass amp and connect it to the line in socket of the mixer ( not the XLR Mic in ). This will give a clean and flat sound which you will have to customize using the Mixer tone control and not the bass amp controls.
I have hooked up like
The first thing: You MUST use ACTIVE speakers and monitors as the unit does NOT have power amplifiers within it. You will use BALANCED XLR or TRS cables to the POWERED speakers. ALL interconnected equipment will be powered from teh same receptacle or source. You did not tell us what model speakers and monitors you are using so I can't tell you more until you tell us that info.
Im trying to set up aux send and receive to and
The inserts are specifically designed for this. Use TRS cables and connect the effects to the insert connector for where you want it to be used. Plase update this with the effect make and model and I'll try to provide additional details and examples.
Dan
I use a Mackie 1604vlz
You can, but I would not suggest it. Depending upon the input design of the powered sub, the highs might not get filtered out. Many subs assume that they are only receiving the lows. You are better off using a crossover between the mixer and the amp for highs and the powered sub for the lows. Please note that the crossover will give you much more control over the sound quality.
Dan
I have a Mackie CR1604
This should be a fairly reasonable repair. The main problem is finding the source of the hum. Since it is effected by the sliders, the source is in the mic pre-amp sections. Since all channels are effected, I would suspect a power supply problem rather than a problem with the electronics. Please send a note to
[email protected] asking her for contact information for me. I can help you out. These are decent mixers (I own a few) and should last for many years. Yours just needs a little TLC.
Dan
Model: Mackie DFX-6
Hi,
I have a
Check the power going to the main output with a multimeter. It may be a simple fuse or the output board may have come disconnected from the main board.
I have 1604-Vlz3 mixer recorded
The problem is that card has only UNBALANCED inputs. You really need balanced or first run the mixer outputs through a DI backwards. Frankly, I would recommend NOT using a card within the PC as there is so much digital noise. Use either a USB or Firewire external convertor and for goodness sakes use balanced lines from teh Mackie... ALL interconnected equipment needs to be powered from the same receptacle or source. M Audio, Roland/Cakewalk and Presonus all make cards as do others.
Hi,
my makie 1604 vlz channels
There are cables that bridge the sets of channels together. You MAY have a bad connection of one of these. The strips of channels I believe are in banks of 8 in the Mackie's. The cables should be accessable with removing the back of the unit.
If you have had a spill of liquid into the faders, then you know what the problem is and requires extensive work to replace faders. You could try putting a bit of CRC226 into the middle of the fader slots if the faders are noisy. You can get the CRC226 at the Home Depot in the electrical dept. Use ONLY this exact product.
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