Topic: V3 5dB Coarse Gain Adjustment Pot Noise

[dactylus]

Hello,

I ran an Oade ACM V3 for the first time last weekend > analog in to a sd722.  I wasn't sure of the ballpark where my level settings should have been on the V3 so I was running too hot initially for the first few secs.  I turned the Left / Right "5dB gain pot knobs" down two clicks each on the V3 and much to my chagrin there was a sound artifact (popping noise / click) introduced into the recording for each adjustment.  Is this normal for a V3?  I was not expecting the noise produced with these 5dB incremental, coarse gain adjustments.

Thanks

[shaggy]

Being stepped gain, I would think there would be some noise but I did it myself recently when a jam session started with sitar and transistioned to electronica/drum and bass.  I couldn't hear the transistion point other than an increase in gain.

[eric.B]

I could never actually "hear" the change in gain when stepping my old v3 up or down 5db except for the actual change in gain.  My unit didnt pop or click at all..

[audBall]

Is it possible that the 5db gain knob has been stationary for some period of time?  I know sometimes the gain knobs on certain equipment when 'left alone' and then moved after a while will create a temporary audible noise.  Generally the knob 'self-cleans' itself with a little movement.  

Just a thought...

I've never had this happen on my V3, though.  But the change in gain is certainly audible.

[Kyle]

I have a V2 with the same 5dB stepped pots and it does the same thing. Sometime you can hear it, sometimes you can't. I have had it since May 99 (first/only owner) and it has been like this since day one. I talked to Grace Design about it and they confirmed that this is completely normal behavior. They explained to me why this happens but I can't remember now. But it is normal. Annoying, but with the secondary 10dB gain pots (I only have attenuator pots) you should not have to worry much. Set it a taste low with the main pots and then fine tune with the secondary pots.

As much as I love my V2 I have thought about switching to a V3 just for those 10dB pots...

[dactylus]

Is it possible that the 5db gain knob has been stationary for some period of time?  I know sometimes the gain knobs on certain equipment when 'left alone' and then moved after a while will create a temporary audible noise.  Generally the knob 'self-cleans' itself with a little movement.  

Just a thought...

I've never had this happen on my V3, though.  But the change in gain is certainly audible.

Yes - the 5db gain knobs have been stationary for some period of time - about a year.  I will try "working the knobs" back & forth over the next few weeks and see if this eliminates the noise.  This "noise" is definitely NOT the gain change.

Thanks to all for your comments.  If the "noise" persists then the V3 will be off to Grace for a checkup.

[busterr]

I get a bit of a pop/click when I change my stepped gain as well, and I would lean to it being a slight click rather than a loud pop. It's something I haven't found a way to edit out cleanly, but at the same time it's not something I lose sleep over.

Keep in mind you said this was your first run with it, over time you will know in what type venue/show to have the stepped gain pre-set at, and 99% of the time it won't be an issue for you, as the trim knobs will be more than enough to keep your levels in a happy range. W/ my mics I know I never have to be above the 3rd step(un-amp'd acoustic aside), some venues/loud nat acts I know not to start above the 2nd step...way FOB/stage-lip I only start at 1 step up, my mics(mc930's) have a hotter output than other mics though, so your mileage will likely vary. The key IMO is do not start out too hot...if you start low you can always wait for that first break in the music to jump up a step or 2 if needed, and your editing will be much easier without having to deal with it in the middle of a song.

Like Kyle though, there have been times when I have made the stepped gain adjustment without a noticeable click, so there is likely something to the "moving them a bit, to clean em out" method. Good luck, it may be worth dropping a line to the grace boys just to see if they have any fresh thoughts on it, and if sending it in would help or not.

[nedstruzz]

It's something I haven't found a way to edit out cleanly, but at the same time it's not something I lose sleep over.

I have made a point to do one channel at a time and then copy and past a second or two from the clean channel over the stepped gain/noise.

[busterr]

It's something I haven't found a way to edit out cleanly, but at the same time it's not something I lose sleep over.

I have made a point to do one channel at a time and then copy and past a second or two from the clean channel over the stepped gain/noise.

There you go, nice idea...I'll have to give that a try sometime. Also I only say I don't lose any sleep because, the times it has happened haven't been "critical" recordings per-say, so I just noted it in the txt file and moved on to the next show, I can certainly see it being annoying or even costly for a more important gig.

[dactylus]

It's something I haven't found a way to edit out cleanly, but at the same time it's not something I lose sleep over.

I have made a point to do one channel at a time and then copy and past a second or two from the clean channel over the stepped gain/noise.

That is exactly what I did initially:   "made a point to do one channel at a time"

And this is how I will "fix it":

"and then copy and past a second or two from the clean channel over the stepped gain/noise"


Thanks again for the advice fellows - Yes, once I am familiar with the V3, I am reasonably sure that I will be able to anticipate where my stepped gain should be and this won't be a problem.

Thanks!!

[BC]

It's something I haven't found a way to edit out cleanly, but at the same time it's not something I lose sleep over.

I have made a point to do one channel at a time and then copy and past a second or two from the clean channel over the stepped gain/noise.

That's a good idea!

[Brian Skalinder]

I also occasionally heard a "click" when adjusting the stepped gain on my V3.  With very few exceptions, I found the "click" was not actually an audible artifact in and of itself, but simply the result of the jump in gain.  By zooming in to the precise moment I adjusted the step, I found I was able - in most cases - to remove the "click" by matching the gain both before and after the adjustment.  For example, if I started at +30 dB and stepped down to +25 dB at 00hh 01mm 23.456ss into the recording, I would apply -5 dB before, and precisely up to, 00hh 01mm 23.456ss into the recording.  Finding the precise moment sometimes proved challenging, but I found it worked in most cases.