Topic: 671 Not Locking up to UA5 coax signal

[Matt Quinn]

Starting to get pretty annoyed with this.

The past few times I've been out with the T+UA-5>stock 671, I've been having issues with the 671 dropping the digital signal and going into a bizarre 'Lock' mode. I'll look down at the bag, notice the red REC led blinking instead of being solid, and the display flashes 'Unlock'. Sometimes if I jiggle the cable around (the cable is securely plugged in all the way, and the issue has appeared with multiple cables), I can get it to lock & start up again. From then on, it's a crap shoot though, with the issue showing up more often than not.

I ran my MT for about an hour last night off the UA5's digi out with no issue. So I'm guessing something is bunk with the 671's coax in connector. Anyone have any experiences like this? Ever get the 'lock' or 'Unlock' message?

Oh yeah, yesterday I set up my gear in my living room to do some troubleshooting & I couldn't get the 671 to see the digi signal from the UA5 at all. That's what sparked the test of the MT off the UA5. The 671 wouldn't start at all. I did test it running analog in, though, and it recorded without any issue at all.



So I'm working on the idea that while UA5>analog>671 may not sound quite as good as using the coax, it will certainly be more robust in the field. Which brings me to the 75+ pages of 671 In The Field threads I read last night. I read a whollllle lot, and am still confused about running analog out of the UA5 to the 671 properly.



Questions:

1) Should the monitor button be on or off?

My guess- off, based on that little blurb at the very end of the FAQ. Personal testing confirmed turning on the monitor button made it sound sloppy.

2)Where should I set the output volume?

My guess is 100%, but this is probably the stage I'm least sure of.

3)Where should I set the attenuation on the 671?

I ran analog out for the 1st time in Amsterdam a couple weeks back, and though the monitor button was on, the levels all seemed good. I was running the UA5 with the peak light coming on fairly frequently, and the 671 attenuator dial at about 3.5, though, and I noticed people saying it should be run as close to wide open as possible, so as not to degrade the signal....which I found strange. I would've been blowing the levels out of the water if I opened up the 671. Oh yeah, all of this is with the -20db pad ON.


So I guess my main question is do I open up the 671 to 10, and run the UA5 accordingly to get levels on the 671, or do I run the UA5 normally (peaking at the loudest points of the set), and   run the 671 @ about 3.5? I'm guessing the later is the correct, but I'm really not sure!


OK, thanks in advance for any help on either half of my problem. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna sell the UA5 & get the 671 ACM'd in a couple weeks after this Biscuits tour, so I really want to make sure it's got a clean bill of health before getting rid of it. I'll send it to Doug if necessary, but he hasn't responded to my email as of yet.
 

[SmokinJoe]

first the easy one... yes monitor button off.

When you run digi into the 671, are you using 44.1, 48, 96khz?  I would think lower bitrates might sync better.
Do you connect the two, power up the UA-5, then power up the 671?

Here is what I would do....  You've got 3 analog gains here... and they all need a little of each, but not too much.
- The mic gains on the UA-5 (by the XLR inputs) run those up so you just get a flicker on the red light once in a while like you said... that's good.
- set the 671 to "most of the way down" on the gain.  I thought the 20db pad only effects the mics, not the line-in, although I might be wrong on that.  I don't own one, so I'm just repeating what I think I read.
- use the little headphone volume control as the main tweaker for your levels.  If that's too touchy (small knob), then find a happy position for that using the above settings on the 671, and fine tune with the 671 gain.
rationale... the UA-5 works best if it's preamp is a little below clipping.  The T+ UA-5 has a clean analog out.  The stock 671 input will have some hiss if run high, so turn that down most of the way, and make up any needed gain with the UA-5.

My 2 cents worth, and that's probably all it's worth.

[Nick's Picks]

well, with inflation and everything Joe, it reads more like $.03 worth.

[Matt Quinn]

thanks Joe. That's what I figure, minus using the UA5's output as my main control- I think I'll leave it cranked & dial in the levels on the 671.

Ought to be interesting.........tonight was supposed to be the 1st trial, but looks like it will have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest.

Anyone else? Suggestions?