More PatchBay/Cable weirdness

bluesfordan

Member
I cleaned up my patch cables a couple days ago with DeOxit as was recommended here. It seemed to resolve the intermittent issue. I had fine results while I was mixing tracks and playing with plugins.

I decided to dub a demo tape (yes, a cassette, I'm old school). After reacquainting myself with the gozintas and goezoutofs, I finally got a level on the tape deck.

First order of weidness. Didn't matter which deck I used, I was only getting a right side signal. Nothing on the left meter of the deck although the sound was coming through the speakers just fine. I unplugged the left lead in to the tape deck and moved the right lead in to the left in jack. Now I had both meters on the deck going but it was mono. Huh? Plugged back into the right in jack and only the right meter was going. Then I plugged the left lead in back to the left in jack. Now I had the proper stereo signal going to the tape deck. Ooo kay, whatever, at least it's working.

for 1 minute and 50 seconds anyway, when the left side decided it didn't want to work anymore. At that point I said fuck it and shut everything off, unplugged everything and called it a night.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Propositions? Wait, what? What should be my first order of business?
 
Thoughts? Suggestions? Propositions? Wait, what? What should be my first order of business?
Simplify and remove the variables. Isolate and confirm each point in the chain building back out until you find the flaw.
:>)
I guess you're sending a stereo mix from your DAW to some decks -via a patch bay? (I can't tell for sure.
 
First question: Was there phantom power involved? That is, were you connecting the line outs of the tape deck to mic inputs of the interface (via the patch bay)?

Second question: By meters, did you mean the actual ones on the deck or the ones on the interface or in the software?
 
home studio:

Mac Mini, GarageBand

Patchbay

stereo receiver

tape deck

yes, I was trying to send from DAW to tape deck via patch bay. Direct route yielded the same right only meter on tape deck action and extremely faint at that, with everything maxed output and record level on tape deck dimed that was barely any signal level being sent.

next step was to go from DAW to receiver via AUX and tape monitor to tape deck. At first got the right side meter of tape deck showing signal. disconnected left patch cable and crossed right cable to left jack to tape deck. Now both meters on tape deck show identical signal. Put right cable back to right input jack, show right meter on tape deck with signal. Reconnected left patch cable and now the proper stereo signal is indicated on the tape deck's meters.

However, to get a somewhat decent level on tape deck, had to max DAW output and dime tape deck's record level. that doesn't seem right. How do I go about sussing that out?
 
Do you own a headphone amplifier or a wee mixer perchance?

Both can serve as a signal tracer you see. If you had an AC voltmeter and one of same you could even MEASURE the signals along each tortuous path!

Dave.
 
no headphone amplifier but I do have a small mixer. I guess if you call a mackie 1202VLZ a small mixer. And I actually just bought a little multimeter at a yard sale last week. It's just one of those HF jobbies that they probably give away free if you purchase 2 leaf blowers :laughings:

One of same what?

I was actually thinking of a headphone amplifier so I don't have to use my stereo all the time, I have lots of patchbay jacks left. Any recommendations?
 
no headphone amplifier but I do have a small mixer. I guess if you call a mackie 1202VLZ a small mixer. And I actually just bought a little multimeter at a yard sale last week. It's just one of those HF jobbies that they probably give away free if you purchase 2 leaf blowers :laughings:

One of same what?

I was actually thinking of a headphone amplifier so I don't have to use my stereo all the time, I have lots of patchbay jacks left. Any recommendations?

Ok so, plug some headphones into the Mackie and check for clean signals in both ears with a known good source, out put of AI for instance.
You can now use that setup to work your way down the audio paths to check the signal's progress. You might have to make up/cobble various cable formats along the way but this is all good experience. With audio signals in the 'line level' area ( -10dBV to +4dBu = 0.316V to ~1V ) you can even just strip and twist wires to make up temporary connections.

Connect the multimeter to a Main Out of the mixer on its lowest AC range, probably 10V, and it should show signal presence.

Headphone amplifiers? I have the wee Behringer HA400 seems fine to me, bags of level into my AKG K92s (and I am reg' deaf!) There are of course better about but how much do you want to spend for the convenience? What does the mac'mixer do all day?
Dave.
 
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