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Help with VU Meter

  • 08-12-2013 5:25pm
    #1
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭


    I need some advice regarding VU meters. The meter on my Ecler is lighting up more on the right side than it is on the left. It's ahead by about 1 or 2 bars. So I thought the issue was with the mixer. But I've just hooked up a different mixer and it's behaving the same way. Apparently it could be down to the turntable itself or the cartridges, but I ran Traktor through it using an Audio 6 and the same thing is happening. I've no doubt that the answer is blindingly obvious, but for the life of me I can't figure it out. Surely both the right and left side should be equal? I'd appreciate your help with this. Thanks.


Comments

  • #2
    cravings
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 143 ✭✭cravings


    plug left into right and right into left (turntable into mixer) and see if it moves.. then you know it's the turntable. then try swapping headshells, see it moves. you can work out what it is this way.


  • #3
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭ThirdMan


    cravings wrote: »
    plug left into right and right into left (turntable into mixer) and see if it moves.. then you know it's the turntable. then try swapping headshells, see it moves. you can work out what it is this way.

    I tried switching from right to left. The left side of the meter is now slightly ahead, although not as much. I guess I've got a problem on my hands.


  • #4
    cravings
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 143 ✭✭cravings


    take the headshell off your turntable and clean the metal contacts and put it back. might sort it.


  • #5
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭ThirdMan


    cravings wrote: »
    take the headshell off your turntable and clean the metal contacts and put it back. might sort it.

    No luck I'm afraid. Could it be the cables coming from the turntables? I guess anything is possible, but it's not something I've heard said about the 1210s before. Also, they were in unbelievably good condition when I bought them. Barely used. It's a bit hard to believe that they both developed the exact same problem. I bought them two years ago, and always blamed the meter imbalance on the mixer. Perhaps I never set the carts up correctly?

    Edit: Actually, if the problem is going from left to right when I switch the cables, does that rule out the cartridge?


  • #6
    milltown
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,618 ✭✭✭milltown


    Am I keeping up here?
    When you swapped the deck inputs into the mixer, the problem followed a deck? Have you swapped the carts between the two decks next to see if the problem follows a cart? Then, if your carts are the same, I'd swap the styluses.
    By any chance would you have two copies of the same record that you could compare the sound levels by ear? Otherwise I'd try set up a computer to record from each side into Audacity or something to compare the levels. Your mixer just puts out what it gets in so if there's a weak signal into one side it will still be weaker on the output side.

    I'd guess the most likely cause is one cart is weaker than the other.


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  • #7
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭ThirdMan


    milltown wrote: »
    When you swapped the deck inputs into the mixer, the problem followed a deck

    When I switched the RCAs from right to left the problem was on the left side of the meter.
    milltown wrote: »
    Have you swapped the carts between the two decks next to see if the problem follows a cart?

    Yeah I done this and it made no difference.
    milltown wrote: »
    Then, if your carts are the same, I'd swap the styluses.

    No luck here either I'm afraid.
    milltown wrote: »
    I'd guess the most likely cause is one cart is weaker than the other.

    I think at this stage it's starting to look like the turntables?


  • #8
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭ThirdMan


    One last update for anyone that's interested.

    I switched around the tiny pin cables on the cartridges. From right to left. And the left channel is now ahead by 1dB. Unlike previously, I have not switched around the RCA cables. So it seems like the problem is with the cartridge. Also, I've read that the stereo balance on Shure M44-7s is "within 2dB." Perhaps it's normal?


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