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Driverack issue on setting limiter

Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 1:01 pm
by Bruce Weldy
I've spent all morning :wall: and :horse:

I added two T39s and a new amp, so it was time to go back and re-set the limiters and make sure the three sub amps were all putting out the same voltage.

Ran my test tone at 60hz as usual, but I couldn't get my voltmeter to sit still. It would hit 56 or so, then immediately come down slowly all the way to 4 or 5....then after a while it would pop up a little then back down.

I even connected a speaker to one of the other amps to see what the hell was happening. hummmmmpophmmmmmmmmslidehmmmmmmm

I started bypassing this and swapping that....even went to so far as to hook up my other driverack (it worked fine).....so, it had to be the driverack. I set and reset until I got :cussing:

Went and picked a preset at ramdom....it worked fine! What the hell!? Tried cloning my preset to another one....same problem. Started from scratch with a new preset - it worked! Re-created the EQ from the orignal after taking a picture of the graph.....Ok, so everything is fine.

Went back to the original one more time.....still doing the same thing. I had been through all the setup stuff, EQ, crossover, limiter, compressor - yet that one setting still was messed up......

Then the little button stood out like a sore thumb......AFS. The anti-feedback was on - so the unit saw the test tone as feedback and would take it down, then release, then take it down, the release......

Turned it off and everything worked fine.

Yes, I feel like a dumbass and would appreciate everyone telling me so...I deserve it. I spent two hours up and down off the garage floor trying to figure this thing out....and it was my own fault in the first place.

So, the lesson is - turn off your anti-feedback software before setting your limiters.

Re: Driverack issue on setting limiter

Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 2:03 pm
by DJPhatman
Ooooooh! I get the first! :hyper:

At least you figured it out. Make a mental note, lesson learned and move on.

Re: Driverack issue on setting limiter

Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 4:51 pm
by Grant Bunter
Bruce,
Your a dumbass! :)

Seriously, that sucks.
It seems no small coincidence you're the second person to explain issues with their driverack in a relatively short time frame, to announce the AFS button was the culprit.

Here's hoping everyone who uses the Driverack sees this and is heads up about the issues it causes...

Re: Driverack issue on setting limiter

Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 5:30 pm
by Hackomatic
I can relate in a LARGE way because troubleshooting is what I do for a living. So many times in the past I convinced myself something complex was going on only to find if I had started eliminating simple things, the solution was usually there. Of course that's after lots of wasted time and energy, and then, like you referring to myself as a dumb arse. :slap:

I don't use a Driverack, but am curious . . is it simply a button without some sort of visual annunciator to let you know you're in the AFS mode? dbx should make it more obvious somehow, I'd think.

Re: Driverack issue on setting limiter

Posted: Wed May 07, 2014 7:36 am
by Bruce Weldy
Hackomatic wrote: I don't use a Driverack, but am curious . . is it simply a button without some sort of visual annunciator to let you know you're in the AFS mode? dbx should make it more obvious somehow, I'd think.
It's a button on the front panel to access the feature. Truly, I had forgotten that it was on - and my feeble brain took a while to make the correlation of a steady signal being treated as feedback (since the unit can't tell the difference).

Re: Driverack issue on setting limiter

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 7:28 am
by MarcBass
Bruce Weldy wrote: Yes, I feel like a dumbass and would appreciate everyone telling me so...I deserve it. I spent two hours up and down off the garage floor trying to figure this thing out....and it was my own fault in the first place.
Bruce,

It only took you 2 hours to figure it out. Took me a few months!!!! I even bought a new multimeter before I stumbled on the AFS being on.

In my case it was the FOH Driverack (PA+). I don't use AFS on FOH but it had been turned on when an auto EQ had been run. A lesson hard learned in my case and much slower than you.

Hence, you are a faster learner than some of us!! Hopefully others will head the experience and learn even faster!