SD 633 Fader Issue

[samrodgers]

My issue is on Channel 1. 

 

-If i gently move the fader or gain it swings drastically up and down

-It doesn't consistently happen

-If I change input to pre fade it solves the dramatic rise and falls
 

I've included video and corresponding audio files. I have tried different mics, different power(NP to hirose direct, NP to BDS to hirose, et cetera)

 

Has anyone had the same issue? Any information is gladly appreciated. I read in a reply from a user on reddit that they sent theirs in and within a year the issue came back. 

 

 

(Edit: I should mention I've been told to calibrate the Fader several times. It doesn't solve the issue.)

TESTT03.WAV

[Matt Mayer]

Given the amount the Fader value is "dancing" in the screen, the pot is bad.

 

Send it in to Sound Devices to have it repaired.

[Mungo]

A colleague of mine had a 633 fader that had a "life on its own". You could investigate this by looking into the channel's pfl view. The fader dB value was changing all the time. The mixer had to be sent in.

[samrodgers]

8 hours ago, Mungo said:

A colleague of mine had a 633 fader that had a "life on its own". You could investigate this by looking into the channel's pfl view. The fader dB value was changing all the time. The mixer had to be sent in.

At first I thought it was my hearing or my attention or a weird limiting effect.. but once I was able to recreated I go into the Channel one view to isolate it. As can be seen check out the .mov

 

16 hours ago, Matt Mayer said:

Given the amount the Fader value is "dancing" in the screen, the pot is bad.

 

Send it in to Sound Devices to have it repaired.

It's going to Sound Device either way. I just want to hear if anyone has had the same issue and their solve and if it came back.

 

 

Thanks everyone.

[B_Van_Deusen]

Hey Sam,

 

I've had a 633 for many years with a similar dancing Channel 1 issue (although if i went up 3db on the pot it would stop dancing reliably, which has been my work around).  It only affects the mix and not the trim.

 

Did you find cleaning the pots helped the issue or was it only sending it to Sound Devices that fixed it?

 

[JonG]

When I first bought my 633 my first fader would do that sometimes seemingly unprovoked. Then it just stopped, even without updating the firmware. Hasn’t returned since. 

[Mark Farag]

Had this exact issue with one of the faders on my 833 from day 1. Exchanged it with the dealer, and the brand new replacement arrived with a damaged trim knob that had clearly been covered with sharpie (or some sort of paint to cover the damage to the metal) from the manufacturer. Contacted Sound Devices and they sent me a third unit directly. That unit had one the loosest and most inconsistent faders of the 3 units. At that point, I gave up and just accepted it. None of my MixPres for a fraction of the price had such issues. Fast forward a few years later and the same fader on the 833 is now more erratic as in your video, and even looser. Switching it to a certain level above or below unity avoids the "jumping." My 833 has served me well otherwise, but I regret not trying for a fourth unit before the warranty elapsed.