Now i have my new shiney pa rig i want to get the best from it and protect the rig as best i can. Currently im using a cheap mixer and an upgrade is on the cards.

However i have some concernces about noise clicks and pops through my rig from various devices not necessarily mine.

Last night i did a gig in a conservatory and there were 2 pedastle fans in the room. Everytime somebody switched one off i got a horrible pop through my rig. I also had an annoying buzz from other devices in the venue which i dont get in other venues.

I coudnt dismantle the rig and do some tests as i was under pressure to set up and get going.

Is there a solution to protect from external devices either through power conditioning or would a decent transformer based groung loop isolator be a good idea.

I use better quality signal cables throughout my setup so can rule these out.

cheers
Dave

There must be something amiss somewhere if a fan can cause a loud pop, this is the sort of thing you get if a cable screen is torn or has pulled out at one end; might be worth metering them out (including both screens of a stereo phono lead etc).

I assume you have decent equipment, some cheap stuff can be poorly screened when push comes to shove though its fine for bedroom DJ's.

I have 2 powered speakers on my home keyboard setup here, made up from items I repaired but the customer refused to pay for so I kept them. On the left channel there is a Skytec 10in plastic powered speaker and on the right is a 'Prime' wooden powered speaker. The skytec is fine but the Prime one picks up massive clicks whenever I turn my Hammond organ on. (in the same room). They use the same type of new leads, the only difference is the speaker itself...it's susceptible to noise as it's just its careless design.

Trying to eliminate the popping might be best by finding out which item in the system is picking up the noise; then quietly changing it for another model as and when. It will be easier than buying gizmos and boxes to filter out noise; some isolators can actually add to the noise because you are decreasing the signal to noise ratio each time something new is added to the chain.

I'm always on the lookout for a matching skytec speaker to replace this noisy Prime one at home, at the moment I'm just living with it. I could strip down the Hammond and fit switch suppressors, filters, capacitors, chokes and 50 quid gold plated leads but really it's the speaker itself that needs the boot.

Thanks for the reply. Its my New RCF pa rig which i assume should be fairly bombproof. I used brand new proel xlr signal cables last night between mixer (kam...ok dont laugh) and the cabs. I will see how it sounds tonight in a different venue. One thing i do know is that my ledj parcans also cause some pops when i switch them off especially when using the same double outlet in a venue. i usually have sound on one extension lead and lights on another. I will swap some cables about tonight if i get chance

cheers

Probably the mixer then!

I have a similar problem when turning the radio mic main transformer on and off. I get a lound bang

I now leave the bugger on until the end of the evening.

If you are heading down the RCF, FBT, Bose or EV route, then it would make perfect sense to buy a higher-end mixer. Personally I have RCF's and have now changed to a Denon DNX 500 mixer.

Rob

Heres a thought. would a class 2 mixer be better than a class 1. its been a while since studying electronics and just wondering what the best option is considering mic inputs etc. I will borrow a vextax and see. Last night the rig was very quiet with the lights and sound running off different outlets, with no pops when i switched the power off for the lights during the play out at the end of the night.

Yeah its possible, might be mains-borne interference, though since the mixer will have a low voltage power supply that's regulated, one would think it ought to be reasonably immune from it.

I agree that decent speakers deserve a decent mixer..after all, everything runs through the mixer to the speakers!

Different mixers 'sound' different just like different mics or headphones, shame to spoil the ship etc.

+1 for any of the Denon mixers, a small DNX500 can be picked up second hand from the usual places and Im sure Rob will confirm how good they sound and that they're built like tanks; its like slamming a door on a Mondeo then doing it on a Merc...a totally different experience...

Yep I got the DNX500 great little mixer. I too think your mixer needs upgrading.

Nik

Yes the Denon DNX 500 is a worthwhile investment. It's quite deep, so make sure that it will fit into your current case.

Never had any major probs with the djm600 thru the RCFs or the L1s but did with a DJX700...the sound was

The long term plan is to replace the current 19" rack cd kit with a table top cdj system with midi control anyway but i may pick up a s/h mixer to try.

cheers
Dave

I have the DN-X500 and it's terrific, has every function you could possibly need, I use it with the DN-Hc4500 midi controller & virtual DJ and it's an absolute pleasure to DJ with, I have the denon cd drawer too just in case my laptop goes mid gig. Rob is right about the depth, fits perfectly into this however

i did consider a 19" rack kit again but the cost is more or less the same as a cdj kit. will see.

Hi Dave
you can borrow my allen and heath xone 62 if you fancy , i go on hols on 17th so you can road test it and i will guarantee you will pine for one !!!!!!!!!!!!
cheers John.

What a kind offer John, you may need a crow bar to get it back though. Im going to try a couple of options to identify the source of the noise for sure and go from there.

Today i did sound for our sports day at school (sitting in the sun with an ice cream shouting orders at people is such hard work) and just had my laptop running off the heaphone output, mackie dxf 6 mixer and a cheap kam wireless mic kit. the noise was terrible even with the mixer levels down, but again i didnt get time to switch various thing off to see what was the cause. Also had a second laptop doing the scores etc.

It won't fit into a 2u 4u 2u so I use 8u 2u.

Yep it's a big mixer, that citronic case I linked is built like a brick house and still looks brand new after months of gigging, money well spent.

Just a thought. Are they powered cabs. If so are you running the gains correctly.

Nik

Yes and yes, i hope. They are 750w rcf's and i have so far not dialed the cab power past the mid point. My mixer gains are set just below 0db and my main mix is about -20db for the gigs i have done so far (all of 3).

Has to be venues and 3rd party equipment. I have done a few gigs with exactly the same gear and the noise has been minimal.

one question about the denon dn-hc4500 and bu cd drawer. how easy is it the swap between sources. Ie if virtual dj chucks a wobbler can you have a track cue'd up in the cd tray and play it instantly?

Yes I always have a CD cued, it takes roughly 3-5 seconds to change over depending on how nimble your fingers are, you hit source > select CD > OK...... done. You can even cue a cd in deck I when you are using deck I on VDJ. I have to say it is the best purchase I have made in a long time, it hasn't skipped, frozen or given any trouble whatsoever and is a real pleasure to use, and also it seems to like VDJ which is what you use as well. There is an excellent 10 minute tutorial of the unit working here on pcdj.co.uk. Paul Moss walks you through how the unit works, changes to CD etc, worth a look if you are interested in a new controller.

Thanks for that. I see prices are coming down on various bits of kit. The denon dns1200's were £449 and are now £350 ish and the pioneer cdj's are down over £100 to £515ish

the 4500 and bu drawer will set me back about £750

need to save up for a while

I've also been looking at the HC4500 - esp as you can get CD drawers for it too.. plus it has the sound-card site built in, plus it seems to work with many different DJ software..

Cheers,

David

The dh-hc4500 and cd drawer have also come down, 640 pounds on thomanns uk store with free delivery to your door