jesse g Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Hello All, My Mackie Big Knob Monitor Controller (Original) is biting the dust after having it for such a long time. It's time to find something new to connect 3 sets of monitors, manage my inputs and my head phone mixes. When I turn up the Big Knob to increase the output for all of my monitors, I receive a crackle sound and have to sweep the Big Know back and forth several times to make it go away. The next day when I come back, the crackle sound is back as well and I have to sweep the Big Knob again. The same goes for my input connectors, I have to wiggle them for inputs to be quiet at times. I have used “DeoxIT” several times but it hasn't helped fully. What affordable suggestions do you have for UP to $500.00? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackson white Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 NOS McOne gets a lot of use here. solid, well built, passive, not a lot to go wrong, but not sure they're still in production, 2nd hand running ~$200. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Baay Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 I used to use a Mackie mixer to manage both input and output to/from my MOTU interface, but removed it from my setup some time ago. Now I use the volume control on the MOTU but it's become terminally scratchy as well. I've considered getting a Big Knob in the past; I'll be curious to see what recommendations you get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 I've started looking at the following under $500.00 PreSonus Monitor Station V2 (New) The Drawmer CMC2 (New) Audient Nero Desktop Monitor (Demo Model) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettelus Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 2 hours ago, jesse g said: I have used “DeoxIT” several times but it hasn't helped fully. Quick question on this... did you take the cover off and apply the DeOxit through the hole on the back of the pot? The wiper blade is actually "exposed" (and accessible) there, and that is the only way to get DeOxit onto what has actually corroded inside a potentiometer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutrageProductions Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 I've used the Presonus & it's OK. I'm currently using the Dangerous Monitor ST, but it is waaayyy out of your budget. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallstonefan Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 (edited) Until I moved to RME and picked up the desktop controller I was using a Dangerous D-Box as my monitor controller. I've loved this thing and the headphone amps are LOUD. You could feed a digital and an analog signal as sources but I think you only get two speaker outs. Needing three changes the equation. Fun fact, I sent a digital signal from my old UAD Apollo silver units to the D-Box because it had better converters. When I went to the new Apollo X I switched to sending an analog signal because the converters in the X were better than the D-Box. Moved to the RME and it's converters beat the Apollo (to my ears) and the desktop controller is a sweet piece of kit. Now to pull the D-Box from the rack and get it on Reverb... Good luck! Edited January 17 by smallstonefan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 1 hour ago, mettelus said: Quick question on this... did you take the cover off and apply the DeOxit through the hole on the back of the pot? The wiper blade is actually "exposed" (and accessible) there, and that is the only way to get DeOxit onto what has actually corroded inside a potentiometer. Mettelus, I did not remove the cover because I didn't want to mess up anything internal. What I did was spray DeoxIT onto a Q-Tip and then wipe the inside of the Big Knob 1/4 inch female ports and the wiped the ends of my 1/4 inch cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 4 hours ago, jackson white said: NOS McOne gets a lot of use here. solid, well built, passive, not a lot to go wrong, but not sure they're still in production, 2nd hand running ~$200. This is great, but it does not have a level meter. I love the partial wood exterior, but I would like to have a level meter included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 2 hours ago, OutrageProductions said: I've used the Presonus & it's OK. I'm currently using the Dangerous Monitor ST, but it is waaayyy out of your budget. Oh yes, Definitely!! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 Scratchy pots is seldom a reason to retire a piece of otherwise functioning gear. Especially if you're thinking of dropping $500 on a replacement. The easy fix is a squirt of DeOxit FaderLube (the green can, not the red can). I fixed many, many scratchy pots with this back when I was doing amp repair. Since the lube in it is thinner than what pots come with, there will be a difference in the feel of the knob, but if the choice is between tossing the unit and opening it up and giving it a shot of FaderLube, I'll go with the change in feel every time. Never had a client complain. Another trick that I used was just to work the pot. They're designed to be self-cleaning to a certain degree. What I do is quickly turn the knob back and forth 20 times. So in effect, the pot's wiper travels across the resistive element 40 times. This takes about 5 seconds and is great for situations where the pot is rarely adjusted. What happens in that case is that the resistive element gets a film on it in the areas that are less often used. Whipping the wiper across the resistive element brushes the crud off. If you do it with your amp turned on, you'll likely hear the pot getting progressively quieter after about 5 turns. If not, then FaderLube is called for, and if that doesn't do it, then the resistive element is likely damaged and replacing the pot is the fix. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 https://www.amazon.com/DeoxIT-D5S-6-Contact-Cleaner-Integrated/dp/B0002BBV4G/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=deoxit&qid=1690744003&sr=8-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettelus Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 6 hours ago, jesse g said: Mettelus, I did not remove the cover because I didn't want to mess up anything internal. What I did was spray DeoxIT onto a Q-Tip and then wipe the inside of the Big Knob 1/4 inch female ports and the wiped the ends of my 1/4 inch cables. I took a quick look at that controller and a couple things for you. First, there are 3 screws on each end so the unit will come apart into 2 pieces AFAICT (the bottom and sides are one piece). The guts are not "loose" but any interconnecting wiring may be short, so opening it similar to a book is the best way to open the case. Just disconnect everything prior and be sure to use a screwdriver that seats properly so you do not round off the corners of the screws. Working on a towel helps a lot if a screw tries to escape, so it won't roll off someplace on you. The buttons (should) have a protective rubber mat over the switches, but all of the contacts need to be sprayed with them clearly exposed to clean them properly. Pots have a hole on the back (the "big knob"), and the push buttons can be gotten from the top (under where the mat should be). The TRS jacks you can get from the outside easily like you already did; but if you pop that open, that is also a good opportunity to add a little more "spring" to them by pushing them a little toward the center of the 1/4" holes (the tip connection is really just a spring). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 17 Author Share Posted January 17 12 hours ago, Byron Dickens said: https://www.amazon.com/DeoxIT-D5S-6-Contact-Cleaner-Integrated/dp/B0002BBV4G/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=deoxit&qid=1690744003&sr=8-4 Yes, DeoxIT D5S-6 Spray, More Than A Contact Cleaner, 142g, Integrated Straw. This is what I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 8 hours ago, jesse g said: Yes, DeoxIT D5S-6 Spray, More Than A Contact Cleaner, 142g, Integrated Straw. This is what I have. FaderLube is what you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 (edited) On 1/17/2024 at 8:19 PM, Starship Krupa said: FaderLube is what you need. Ordered from Amazon. I will take off the Big Knob, the small pots, remove the bolts on the back and the screws on the bottom and sides and do a little spraying when it arrives. ? Edited January 20 by jesse g 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettelus Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 (edited) 4 hours ago, jesse g said: I will take off the Big Knob, the small pots You shouldn't have to take off any components (possibly the knob on the top itself if the pot is actually mounted to the bottom half... you'll know as soon as you take out those 6 end screws, but I'd wager that pot is mounted to the top plate). Most components are mounted, then wired, so you just need access to the contacts from "inside." I suspect it has a single printed circuit board (PCB) mounted to the bottom half (and should not need to take this off). Unless they did something funky, just opening it will let you access what you need to clean. Quick update for clarification: The slot behind the wiring tabs on the back of pots is direct access to the wiper internally. Edited January 18 by mettelus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 Opening of the Mackie BigKnob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Templeton Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 I watched your video and there's no good news. I suspect the issue with the outputs are cracked solder joints. You'd have to examine the board with a magnifier to tell for sure. That I/o board on the back doesn't look like it would be too hard to work with and reflowing the solder connections could fix that issue. The scratchy main control problem will require you to pull the main board and anything mounted on top of it. All the controls on the top of the unit may have to be removed. Seeing how it's built, that main control knob may have a very small pot attached on the back of the main board, or it may be some sort of conductive trace. You'll have to pull the main board in order to properly clean it. I can't tell the type of construction on that main board but if it's surface mount components you may be hooped. Very hard to work with and some special tools required. IF you're good with soldering you may be able to fix it. If you're not or all the components are SMT, don't bother. My pal gave me his brand new channel strip because it's cutting out. It's all surface mount and I don't have the skills required to fix it. You can tell if it's SMT on sight. The components, be they resistors or capacitors, are just little tiny blocks and you need a magnifier to read the values. They're basically glued in place at the factory and then the whole board is baked melting the solder. Or at least it's something like that. I hate the way things are built these days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 I have the Mackie Big Knob Original, however, the process should be the same. Here is a video of a Big Knob (Newer Version) internal cleaning. I will be doing my cleaning on Saturday 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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