Uneven stereo volume control

[Gone To Lunch]

I have a Behringer Ultralink Pro which I use for splitting my main output to various speakers for mix comparison.

I note that the L and R levels are increasingly uneven, the L side is just dying away, and this is from the main input level control.

I am not an electrician, but I understand one can get some kind of stuff to spray into the control to sort this out, or is it just knackered ? I have had it two years, it is probably the most used control in my studio, so should I just buy a new one ?

[JH Brandt]

I would recommend a replacement. If you can afford it, buy a precision pot. But check the original equipment manufacturers spec, you must get the same type, taper, and resistance.

Cheers,
John

[Martin Walker]

John's reply is probably the best long-term approach, but I've brought various pots back to life with DeOxit, as I've discussed in this FAQ entitled 'How Can I Stop My Pots & Switches Crackling? ':

http://www.soundonsound.com/forum/showf ... ber=717481

It's worth a try anyway!

Martin

[Gone To Lunch]

I would recommend a replacement. If you can afford it, buy a precision pot. But check the original equipment manufacturers spec, you must get the same type, taper, and resistance.

Cheers,
John

But is it easy to fit ? given that as well as buying it, I would probably have to pay an electrician to fit it, or is it easy like changing a battery ? I am thinking a brand new replacement from studiospares would be about £70, how does that compare ?

[zoosound]

It won't be as easy to fit as changing a battery. It will involve opening the unit up & probably removing the board that the pot is on, desoldering the faulty one and soldering in the new one. If you can't solder yourself, I'd say a new unit is more economical than having a tech fix it for you.

Deoxit as Martin mentioned is probably your best bet if you want a quick attempt at fixing it. You can buy it online for around £20 a can. It's very good, simple to use & handy to have around. It won't cure everything though

[zenguitar]

It's very good, simple to use & handy to have around. It won't cure everything though

It cured my hiccups once... when I saw the price !!!

But once you get a can it'll last for years

Andy

[Mike Stranks]

I was recently asked to 'have a quick look' at a mixer that was bound for the skip due to all sorts of fader, switch and pot problems. These had been perceived as failed electronics.

It was indeed in a sorry state. But the careful application of De-Oxit and a surface clean restored the beast to as much former glory as it ever had.

Confession time.... My name is Mike Stranks and I bought my De-Oxit from ... ...Russ Andrews...

[Kwackman]

Confession time.... My name is Mike Stranks and I bought my De-Oxit from ... ...Russ Andrews...

There's no place on a public forum like this to talk about this sort of disgraceful behaviour!

It must ave been the cheapest thing they ever sold!

[Goddard]

I have a Behringer Ultralink Pro which I use for splitting my main output to various speakers for mix comparison.

I have had it two years, it is probably the most used control in my studio, so should I just buy a new one ?

Not clear why using that unit for mix monitor switching (level matching? because Minimon 800 isn't rackable?), but you might want to check whether your unit might still be under warranty before you go mucking about inside it, as Behringer started warranting their gear for 3 years a while back.

That said, if any of my gear only lasted 2 years, I might be considering other makers' offerings before buying another of the same maker's gear.

[Gone To Lunch]

Thank you all for your helpful comments.

Rather than pay so much for the De-oxit, what does the team think about This cheaper alternative from Maplins ?

[grab]

Confession time.... My name is Mike Stranks and I bought my De-Oxit from ... ...Russ Andrews...

It must be the only thing he's ever sold which actually does what it claims to!

[zenguitar]

Rather than pay so much for the De-oxit, what does the team think about This cheaper alternative from Maplins ?

Never tried the Maplins own brand. But I have used SERVISOL Super 10 for many years. Not quite as good as De-oxit but not far behind. The link is to Canford Audio. They do sell it in Maplins too, but it doesn't seem to be listed on their website.

Andy

[James Perrett]

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative try

http://cpc.farnell.com/servisol/100001300-200ml/super-10-swi...

I've had a can of this for many years.

Remember that if you use De-oxit you also need to replace the lubrication with something like Cailube. Servisol claims to improve the lubrication as well as clean the contacts.

James.

Edit: Andy beat me to it!

[Hugh Robjohns]

+1 on Super 10 for cleaning pots.

De-oxit is great on tarnished connectors, but not really intended for pot-cleaning.

H