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I have a crackling potentiometer, what can I do?
" As a first measure, you can have a technician clean the potentiometer with contact spray, since it might be dirty (take the cover off, spray a bit of cleaner on the potentiometer and turn it hard left and hard right several times to remove the dirt).
If the potentiometer was in fact dirty, this should solve the problem.
Otherwise, the potentiometer will have to be replaced. In this case, please take your gear to your closest SPL dealer or distributor for repair. "
I have noticed slight differences between channels when turning the potentiometer, is it broken?
" It is quite normal to perceive small tolerances in the lower range of travel of the potentiometer due to its mechanical construction.
Think of if this way: a two-channel potentiometer is like an axis with two rings. When you move the pot you are actually moving the rings over two contacts. To be able to provide a perfect match from the very beginning of its travel, the mechanical construction of the potentiometer would have to guarantee tolerances well below one millimeter. A precision that high is only available at extremely high prices.
However, during quality control we make sure that only the lowest range, which is not that relevant, is affected. It is important to remark that the small time delay needed to guarantee a safe contact is made does not really say anything about the balance between channels, which can still be excellent. If you notice larger tolerances in a more relevant range, do get in contact with us. In such cases, your equipment most surely needs maintenance or repair. "
I can still hear something even though the volume control is set hard left. Shouldn’t the output be totally muted?
" No. In principle, a potentiometer is not a switch but an attenuation control. Under normal conditions, the maximum attenuation (-80dB) ought to be more than enough to avoid any residual level.
However, if the input levels are too high, you might still be able hear sound at a residual level.
By way of illustration, we have made the following measurements:
Input level 0dBu (775mV)/Volume hard left/Loudspeaker output: approx. -80dBu (0.000077Veff)
Input level 20Bu (7.745V)/Volume hard left/Loudspeaker output: approx. -55dBu (0.0014Veff)
A 20dB input signal is obviously very hot, but we just wanted to make our point. Generally speaking, for input levels above 6dB the possibility of having residual level is certainly real.
If the residual level is only audible in one channel it probably has to do with the usual tolerance of the components. "
Is it possible to "integrate" the MTC2381 with the sorround unit in order to share the same L-R monitors?
" yes, you can route the MTC output to the stereo input (D) of the SMC.
Internally the SMC is a 6-channel unit, stereo L and R are the same paths like surround FL and FR. So if you route a stereo signal to the SMC, it is played back from speakers front L and R of a surround set.
So when you activate the input D on the SMC front, you hear the stereo signal coming from the MTC through the front R and L speakers of your surround speaker set.
Check the detailed pics of the SMC front and rear to see the buttons and I/O options.
http://spl.info/en/hardware/monitor-controllers/surround-monitor-controller/short-description.html
>> links below product photo
Please note: additionally to a surround speaker set, you can also use a second stereo speaker set with the SMC - in this case, you have to use its dedicated stereo outputs and press the button "stereo monitors". "
Does the Cabulator work with a 120W amp head with 4, 8 and 16 Ohm available outputs?
" The Cabulator has been designed for 4-16 Ohm speakers. This means you can connect one 4, 8 or 16-Ohm speaker cabinet to its soak output.
The max output power of the guitar amp feeding the Cabulator is 100 watts (8-Ohm only!), whereas it is always clever not to crank up your amp: Avoid settings above 70% of the total output power because of dangerous signal peaks (please refer to the product manual).
With a 120-watt amp, don’t set the master volume of your amp above 50%. This way, you can be sure that no signal peak will damage the Cabulator. "
With my iPod and my DAW return connected to the SPL MTC 2381, there is a drastic level difference between both signals so that A/B reference monitoring is not possible. Any suggestions on how I can solve this?
" The iPod is not a professional audio equipment, so it does not have a professional line-level output stage. Thus, you should connect your iPod to the RCA inputs of the MTC in order for the source signal to be boosted to match a “real” line level. However, since consumer products like the iPod have different output levels, this level boost will not always allow the signal to reach exactly the right level. In this case, you can connect a line-gainer (for instance a preamp like our GoldMike MK2) between both devices. By the way, do make sure that you have disabled the output-level limiter on your iPod.
About A/B reference: the best way to go about this is to import the reference audio files into your DAW, balance their level with that of your own files, and switch alternatively between the respective tracks in your sequencer. This way, both signals use exactly the same audio path (DA converters, MTC input stage) and can be compared accurately. "
What cable do I need for a DB25 connector?
" Ideally you should use an XLR or jack to DB25 snake cable. These sort of cables have eight XLR or jack connectors on one end and an eight channel DB25 connector on the other. The pinout of DB25 connectors corresponds to the TASCAM standard. You may find these snake cables in most any pro audio specialized store. "
SPL Goldmike 9844:
When switching 48 V phantom power to on built-in VU-meters flicker into red zone with needles clicking audible at their post (this occurs even when gain controls are shut down to zero). Does this mean an issue?
" It is quite normal to hear a "pop" or see some movement on the VU meters whenever you turn the phantom power on. The reason for that is that the voltage is switched on quite abruptly and needs to build up on the microphone first. How loud this pop is depends in no small part on the microphone itself. "
