Mackie Quad Gate/Compressor Owner's Manual - Page 18

QUAD-COMP/GATE Appendix A: Service Information Warranty Service Details concerning Warranty Service are spelled out in the Warranty section on page 23. If you think your Quad Comp/Gate has a problem, please do everything you can to confirm it before calling for service. Doing so might save you from the deprivation of your Quad Comp/Gate and the associated suffering. These may sound obvious to you, but here are some things you can check. Read on: Troubleshooting No Power • Our favorite question: Is it plugged in? • Make sure the power cord is securely seated in the IEC socket, and plugged all the way into the AC outlet. • Make sure the AC outlet is live (check with a tester or lamp). • Make sure the rear panel POWER [2] switch is in the ON position. • Is anything on the front panel illuminated? If not, make sure the AC outlet is live. • Are all the lights out in your town? If so, contact your local power company to get power restored. • If nothing is illuminated, and you are certain that the AC outlet is live, it will be necessary to have your Quad Comp/Gate serviced. There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer to "Repair" on the next page to find out how to proceed. Bad Channel • If one channel sounds bad, try pressing BYPASS on that channel. If it improves things, carefully check your settings on that channel. • Look at the OUTPUT METER [10] ladder and check and adjust the GAIN [37] knob if needed. • Check there are no extreme settings of the gate or compressor, or the key filters. • Try turning the Quad Comp/Gate off. The connections between the input and output are then joined internally, and this should allow your mixer and amps to still play. If a channel is still missing, you may have a bad connection cable either into or out of the Quad Comp/Gate, or a bad mixer output or amplifier. • Try the same source signal in another channel, set up exactly like the suspect channel. Bad Output • If it's one of the outputs, try unplugging the others. For example, if it's an XLR output, try unplugging any TRS outputs if used. If the problem goes away, it's not the Quad Comp/Gate. • If a left output is presumed dead, switch the left and right cords at the Quad Comp/Gate end. If the problem stays on the left side, it's not the Quad Comp/Gate, but maybe the left amplifier channel, a bad cord, or left speaker. Bad Sound • Are the input and output connectors plugged completely into the jacks? • Press either BYPASS button and listen for any improvement. • Is the key-filter listen on? If so, then the LED will light below each key filter knob. Turn this off by pressing the key filter knobs in. • If possible, listen to the signal with headphones plugged into the input source device or mixer. If it sounds bad there, it's not the Quad Comp/Gate causing the problem. • Have you gone a tad overboard with the settings? • Has the band been together long? (Don't ask them this, as it might cause bad feelings or a black eye.) No Compression • If the SIDECHAIN is engaged, and yet there is nothing plugged into the SIDECHAIN RETURNs, there will be no compression. Noise/Hum • Turn down each mixer channel, one by one. If the noise disappears, it's coming from whatever is plugged into that channel. Check your whatever. • Check the signal cables between the mixer and the Quad Comp/Gate. Disconnect them one by one. If the noise goes away, you'll know which input is causing the problem. • Sometimes it helps to plug all the audio equipment into the same AC circuit so they share a common ground. 18 QUAD COMP/GATE