cleaning your mixer

[Matthias Richter]

how often do you guys clean your (panel) mixers? Just the outside, heavy dust, sand removal from the inside too or even cleaning the P&G faders? Or do you bring it in for service? I`ve got a Cooper 208 and I am wondering how much of a self cleaning process one can / should do?

Cheers, Matthias

[Guest Eric Lamontagne]

I often 'sweep' it is a dusty studio, or use a baby wipe on the surface.

I have several times carefully cleaned the P&G faders myself. I also request that Audio Services clean my mixers when any servicing is performed. They are located in Toronto and I have found them to be the most reliable with my gear, especially british gear.

Eric

[John Steigerwald]

I use a 4" soft bristled paint brush for keeping the general dust off.

About once a month, or after a particularly dirty gig, I blow everything off with compressed air and hit the faders with a good contact cleaner.

[GrahamTimmer]

I will brush 208 off everyday.  i take apart and clean the p&gs when i notice they are a little 'sticky'. 

Graham Timmer

[old school]

I dust mine with a brush all the time. 3 times a year I will pull all the crap off the cart and clean it all and rebuild the 'money maker'. I send my Cooper to Coffey Sound to get a good cleaning along with all my broken gear at the end of every December for the yearly clean up. I also update to the newest, most tested version for my Deva, and Sound Devices recorders.

CrewC

[David Waelder]

Andy Cooper has been recommending that users clean the P&G faders with lukewarm water. He even suggests holding the component under the faucet or soaking in the sink. (After disconnecting, of course) 

From the Cooper Sound site:

IF YOU HAVE AMPLE TIME, YOU CAN HOLD THE FADER UNDER RUNNING WATER, OR LET IT SOAK IN THE SINK, OR EVEN USE AN ULTRASOUND MACHINE (IF WATER IS THE SOLVENT). BY DOING THIS, YOU WILL REQUIRE A FAIRLY LONG TIME TO LET THE FADER SIT TO AIR DRY.

I'd be curious if others in the group are doing this and what the experience has been.

I cleaned one of my faders under running water but I can't really determine if was any cleaner after the treatment than it was before. I did wait two days for thorough drying before reinstalling and can confirm that it suffered no harm from the treatment. For smoothness of operation, I find that cleaning and lubricating the steel rod is the main thing and I find little need to actually clean the conductive plastic in the faders.

David Waelder

[Darren]

In the early eighties I was a mixer working with very large consoles on concert tours.  I used to dismantle our mixers once a year for a good cleaning.  Even at that time we were instructed by P&G themselves that their recommended safe cleaning method was to completely dismantle the faders and clean them in a mixture of dish soap and water.  I remember the entire process being incredibly time consuming.

[Glen Trew]

The P&G Faders on the Cooper are silky smooth when new, but in about a year or so of typical exposure to set elements (smoke, dust, rain, mud (dust+rain=mud), etc, the sliders will lose their smoothness and get a little grabby in places. The P&G faders will usually not get noisy, with the exception of the masters near the top of the throw.

Taking the faders apart to make them silky smooth again can be done, but I would recommend it only for someone very confident in their knack for things mechanical. It is very easy to damage the brush contacts, and it is easy to forget how the parts are supposed to go back together. For those willing to take the plunge (and the risk) keep in mind that there are two (and only two) areas that affect the smooth operation (and neither of these involve the audio contact points). The primary friction part is the white nylon bushing that rides on the round rail. The rail should be removed, cleaned, and very slightly lubed with the smallest film of light oil or silicon grease. (There are all kinds of arguments about what type to use, or whether to use any at all, but after years of trying everything on countless faders, I use a thin film of oil on my own CS-106... P&G recommends a film of silicon lube). The second area that can cause sticktion is the grove at the bottom of the fader that the tongue of the slider rides in. This groove collects debri, so it should be blown and wiped out. A little silicon there doesn't hurt either.

Some say to not use lube on the contact surfaces because the lube can trap dirt and dust. This is true, but a nonlubed surface wears earlier and creates its own debris. Either way, it's a losing battle that you'll have to fight in another year or so. I've found that a film of lube on the slider surfaces (but not the electrical contacts!) helps. The white nylon bushing tends to wear oblong after some time, which causes the slider to tilt and bind, regardless of how much lube you use. P&G will not sell these bushings as replacement parts, but I've found that you can turn them 1/4 turn and get another life out of them.

Rarely have I seen the audio contacts (the wire brushes and conductive plastic traces) become noisy. The exception is sometimes at the top of the fader where debris is scraped into a pile and left. Noise in this area is more common on the master faders because they rarely leave the full-up position, so they do not "self-clean" like the others sort of do. I've found that wiping the conductive plastic traces on the fader circuit board with a dry cloth is all that's needed to remove the debris. Be very careful with the wire brush contacts of the wiper. They are very easy to bend, and once they are bent you should definitely replace them.

P&G faders are great, but the good news for Sonosax SX-ST owners is that, while their faders are not P&G, they will actually stay smoother much longer. The reason for this is that they are better sealed from dust, and the slider rides on two rails instead of one. Haven't had to clean any yet.

For those who don't want to deal with their own faders, Steve George, the master tech at the US location of Trew Audio, is very good at it.

Glen Trew

[Joe Finlan]

Though I have nothing technical to add to this thread it does remind me of cleaning out the P&G fader modules on an early/mid seventies Neve console in the recording studio where I worked in the early 80's. When we finished we had collected enough weed out of the modules to roll a nice fat joint.

Ahh, the good old days of rock and roll.