general question on mixers

[nosaj]

Do you guys find that the AUX send return get dirty just like FX send returns on a guitar amp causing intermittant vol drops?
I would think it'd be the same or similar
Thanks,
nosaj

[The Dude]

If you're talking about switching jacks, yes. They're not real smart in that they don't know what piece of gear they're in.
Where ever there is a switching jack, there can be a switching jack problem.

[eschertron]

I think my first visit to MEF was when I was researching a solution to The Dreaded Switching Jack Problem

Ah, good times...

[Leo_Gnardo]

Do you guys find that the AUX send return get dirty just like FX send returns on a guitar amp causing intermittant vol drops? I would think it'd be the same or similar.

Yes, deafinitely they get dirty - but you're not usually using aux send/returns as part of a normalled signal path. However, "break jacks" that allow signal to be sent to and returned from effects DO get corroded/dirty and since they are a normalled connection a faulty break jack will surely degrade or stop your signal. Some break jacks are set up in tip/ring/sleeve or trs jacks, on other mixers they're separate send and return quarter-inch jacks. You might find break jacks on input channels, submix busses and/or outputs. Very useful - my mix quality seriously improved once I modded my old console with pre-fader break jacks on each channel.

If you have a console with built in effects, for instance a reverb, and there's also a break jack so you can add more effects, delay for instance, then a dirty normalling switch on the return side of that jack would cause that reverb to be intermittent. Lots of old Peavey mixers were set up like that.

[Enzo]

Agree with Leo, the AUX stuff on mixers are not usually normalled, they are not linked. The sends and returns are separate things. Normal jacks would be things like inserts.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Agree with Leo, the AUX stuff on mixers are not usually normalled, they are not linked. The sends and returns are separate things. Normal jacks would be things like inserts.

Thanks Enzo! Inserts = break jacks. Sometimes my vocabulary is stuck in ancient times... huzzah!

[Enzo]

Oh, like Ye Olde Inserts...e


Would'st thee like more reverb in thy monitor?