Blas Kisic Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 My cart mixer is a Mackie Onyx 1620, which has served me well for a couple of years. Recently, though, I've noticed that a "solo" button and a "mute" button (in two different strips) "stick". Also, there's a 1/4" port that has makes contact intermittently. The mixer is otherwise in good condition and I have no reason to believe there's anything more serious than a lack of cleaning or lubrication. I called "Stretch" at Valley Sound Music Technologies (a Mackie authorized service center) and they pre-charge $75 to take it in, then there'll be somewhere between $150 and $200 for checking, cleaning and lubrication - assuming there's nothing wrong with it. I wonder if there's anything else I can do on my own before I take it there (compressed air, contact cleaner…) and part with $300, seeing as it isn't worth more than $400. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 I had disassembled my Onyx to investigate a malfunctioning HPF switch , but I don't recall the Solo switch architecture, sorry. Contact cleaner maybe if you can get it in there. If it's coffee (a common cause for sticking buttons and such), I don't know if contact cleaner will work on coffee... hence.. Many moons ago when I was an Porsche tech, I tried to remove dried coffee residue with brake cleaner, carb cleaner, ect., ect. Didn't work.. Water based cleaners did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al mcguire Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 If you have a Porsche that is broken you repair it. If you have a Mackie that needs repair you replace it. One old mans opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted April 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 7 hours ago, al mcguire said: If you have a Porsche that is broken you repair it. If you have a Mackie that needs repair you replace it. One old mans opinion Indeed. That's the quandary. I took it to another vendor that will charge me $90 to clean and lube it. They'll let me know if it needs anything else. BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering Ear Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 I have a 1640i that I'm not using, I'd be happy to offload it for a very good price. A little larger than the one you're using. PM me if that interests you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted April 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 On April 23, 2016 at 7:51 PM, Wandering Ear said: I have a 1640i that I'm not using, I'd be happy to offload it for a very good price. A little larger than the one you're using. PM me if that interests you. Thanks. I'll find out in a few days, but I'm 90% sure that all it needs is a simple cleaning. OTOH, if it ends up being something more serious, I'll probably reconfigure the cart altogether. I'm considering a 664+CL12 setup, or some other option yet to be determined (looking at the Soundcraft Expression Si at the moment…) Cheers, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering Ear Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 44 minutes ago, Blas Kisic said: Thanks. I'll find out in a few days, but I'm 90% sure that all it needs is a simple cleaning. OTOH, if it ends up being something more serious, I'll probably reconfigure the cart altogether. I'm considering a 664+CL12 setup, or some other option yet to be determined (looking at the Soundcraft Expression Si at the moment…) Cheers, BK Sounds like a good plan. Have you tried Deoxit D5 to clean the sticky buttons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted April 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 5 minutes ago, Wandering Ear said: Sounds like a good plan. Have you tried Deoxit D5 to clean the sticky buttons? Have Deoxit, but have been hesitant to use it for that, as I read in a Mackie user's group it wouldn't be a good idea. Either way, it's at the repair facility - let's see what they say a week from now. BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 Mackies are a very good value for money. One of the ways they keep the price low is that they use cheap parts. This includes pushbuttons, pots and connectors. Your mixer is telling you that you've gotten your money's worth out of it and might want to consider selling it along to a band or a newb who can live with its shortcomings and the results of wear and tear, while you need something more reliable. I would not spend much money doing the kind of fixes you mention--if you like the mixer I'd get a new one and sell the old one right away. If you can move up, great, but a new version of what you have will serve you well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted April 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 Thanks, Phil. I'm already looking at alternatives. The front runners now are one of the PreSonus and the Soundcraft Expression Si. But, like I said, if all it needs is a cleaning, I'll put it back in service. I really wish an OEM would step up and cater to our market, small as it is - but willing to spend on good, reliable machines. If Line 6, A&H or Behringer came up with a control surface with optional Dante connectivity, smooth 10mm faders, 12 48V XLR inputs, decent routing options in a compact, lightweight package I would gladly pay $1K-2K. But, I guess, they wouldn't expect to sell more than a couple thousands… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 The PreSonus and the Expression line of Soundcraft are of the same level of build quality as the Mackie you have. Anymore there is really nothing between good but lowbudg mixers for the MI market like those and the few (expensive) survivors in the world of high-quality small boards (PSC, Sonosax, AD, or used Coopers)--this is one reason why so many folks have moved to integrated mixer-recorders for portable low-input-count work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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