Alesis 1622 mixer onboard headphone monitoring question

[Matter]

Hello,
Nice site, this is my first post. I’m learning about routing and patch bays so I may be missing something here.

I just read the posts on the 1622, now I get what “monolithic/integrated surface” is. Mystery solved, thanks!

Anyway, knowing this board was trouble but had some good routing features, I got one cheap on Ebay that was known to be working fine.

I’m used to my Mackie 1202 where you can just plug something in and hear it in the phones. The Alesis took quite a hit in shipping, enough to crack a corner off. Still powers up okay but I’m wondering if there has been internal damage.

Can anyone tell me, especially if you have one and could point out the correct steps to take, without doing any external routing shouldn’t you be able to plug in an instrument then see level on the LED’s and monitor through the headphones?

I have read the manual and played with the various parameters. The only time I can see level [and then it’s good and strong] and hear anything through the onboard phone jack is with the Solo switch engaged.

I tried various routings through effects, same thing [but of course no effect in phones w/solo on]. I haven’t tried any routing to a recorder and back or that type of thing.

Am I missing something here or is she busted?

Thank you for any insights, much appreciated!
Matt

 

[tmix]

I have one in the closet I have not used for years.
If I remember correct there are 2 modes for listening and 2 places to turn up the volume.
When solo'd there is a solo / headphone small rotary knob to turn to adjust the solo volume and when it is in "normal" (non-solo'd) mode you have to turn the big knob up towards the the top to drive the regular monitoring mode.
If that does'nt work for you let me know and I'll break it out so I can remember correctly.

Tom

Hello,
Nice site, this is my first post. I’m learning about routing and patch bays so I may be missing something here.

I just read the posts on the 1622, now I get what “monolithic/integrated surface” is. Mystery solved, thanks!

Anyway, knowing this board was trouble but had some good routing features, I got one cheap on Ebay that was known to be working fine.

I’m used to my Mackie 1202 where you can just plug something in and hear it in the phones. The Alesis took quite a hit in shipping, enough to crack a corner off. Still powers up okay but I’m wondering if there has been internal damage.

Can anyone tell me, especially if you have one and could point out the correct steps to take, without doing any external routing shouldn’t you be able to plug in an instrument then see level on the LED’s and monitor through the headphones?

I have read the manual and played with the various parameters. The only time I can see level [and then it’s good and strong] and hear anything through the onboard phone jack is with the Solo switch engaged.

I tried various routings through effects, same thing [but of course no effect in phones w/solo on]. I haven’t tried any routing to a recorder and back or that type of thing.

Am I missing something here or is she busted?

Thank you for any insights, much appreciated!
Matt

 

[Matter]

Hi Tom, thanks for this. I am in the [slow] process of hooking my computer up for recording, I may know more when I can test the 1622 monitoring from the sound card interface.

So far only using headphones here in my apartment.

Stand alone with the 1622 it seems like something is wrong because I can only get signal showing on the meter or level in the phones in Solo.

Massive signal in Solo, meter works, volume adjusted by the big knob. Nothing with master or sub-master switch on [and solo off].

Channel 1 master switch on, with the monitor volume knob all the way up you can hear the slight hissing of the headphone channel being open, but not the instrument itself.

It got banged up in shipping, something is rattling around inside. So with my limited knowledge just wondering if this is normal that with just the board by itself no meter or phone signal except in solo.

Maybe everything will come to life when it's monitoring back from the computer, but I don't think so.

I've tried turning the level up on all possible smaller knobs as you mentioned, no go. Quite possible I'm missing a key step here.

thanks again,
Matt

 

[tmix]

Matt,
It sounds right.
I know you have to assign it to the master buss or sub buss like you did.
You also have to raise the fader up on both the channel and the master buss because the monitoring is post fader(except in the solo mode).

Lastly there is a switch near the big knob for control room defeat, which only shuts off the outputs to the mains I believe so that you can kill the main speakers (control room out) when tracking over head phones, but I guess it is possible (stupid if so) it affects the headphones as well.

If raising the faders doesn't do it I now have it out of the closet and I can hook stuff up to it, find a setting that works and let know to try it for yourself. That way if the same setup doesn't work for you , we know it is broken.

Let me know.
I actually liked my board until it developed some solder joint problems on some of the output jacks on the back. It used to be pretty quiet.

 

[Matter]

Hey Tom,
Sorry, slow motion here, I’m still at square one with the Alesis 1622. Yes, I made sure the faders were up, same thing. I believe I have all switches in correct position.

I’m working through a bottle neck of reconfiguring studio, reformatting computers, finding drivers, learning/re-acquainting with interfaces and software, etc.

If you still have the desk out and can test then I’ll know if I have damaged goods before I try more complex routings. Much appreciated!

Solo channel switch on, stand alone board with headphones only, plugging something into a channel input with no external signal routing, the level meter lights up and there is signal in the phones.

Wondering if the meter will light up and you can hear anything in headphones in any other stand alone routing configuration other than solo.

Thanks, I am curious to know!
Matt

 

[soundchaser59]

This mixer is pretty simple. I dont have one any more, but I had one for 10 years.

I assume you've checked the "Troubleshooting" section on page 32 of the manual?

Are you sure there isn't a solo switch engaged on another channel where there is no input? If any solo switch is engaged then the monitor is cut off. For example, if you have a keyboard coming in channel 1, all other channels have nothing connected, and the channel 10 solo switch is engaged, you will not be able to hear anything.......unless you plug your keyboard into channel 10, or disengage the channel 10 solo switch.

Yes, you should be able to hear your stereo mix on the headphones without soloing any channels, even if the only thing plugged in to the mixer is a keyboard on one channel. If a corner got chipped during shipping, then I would guess the thing you hear rattling around inside is a piece of that corner and has nothing to do with the internal circuits. If you open the thing up you will be shocked and stunned to see how little stuff is in there. There isn't any thing in there to break off and rattle around as far as actual electronic components are concerned. If I remember correctly, you wont find any resistors or capacitors in there.

I'm surprised the manual doesn't have a picture of the mixer. That's what I was really trying to find....

 

[soundchaser59]

See if I remember this....

Instrument coming into channel 1, trim level up, signal showing on the meter. If you hear it loud and clear when you solo, then you have to be able to see that signal on a meter some where. If you cannot see it on any meter, but it's loud when you solo, then your assigns are not set right.

(eq and sends have no effect on your problem)

master assign switch is engaged. channel fader is up, master fader is up, headphones plugged into headphone jack, I'm not sure of the big volume knob has any effect on the headphone volume, it may be only the control room volume.

If you have signal showing on the main meters, then you should be able to hear sound in the headphones.

If you have level coming in with solo engaged, then you should be able to route that signal to the stereo buss and hear it on phones.

You have to engage either the master assign or sub master assign switch.

If you engage only the sub master assign, then you also have to engage the sub master to master assign switch AND turn up both sub and master faders or you will not hear anything.