Topic: bad optical cable? (ua5 > jb3). Can anyone describe the sound?

[dean]

My Bettye Lavette recording from 10/19 is full of pops or crackles.  Sometimes sounds like slight pops on a record.  Sometimes, when the frequency of the noise is rapid, it sounds like a crunchy diginoise.  Not like blackberry noise, but approaching it.

 

TIA!

[Patrick]

One of the most horrific sounds ever.  Sounds like exactly what happened to you.  I have lost so many recordings to bad optical cables, so much so that I will never use them again.  They are just plain unreliable in the field.  Hooked up between rack mounted components is one thing, but constantly being plugged/unplugged and shoved into bags, they just break down so easily.

[yug du nord]

That to me, sounds like a bad opti cable.  Like a bowl of Rice Krispies...  snap crackle pop...  bummer.  But I'm no authority on the matter.

[612]

Hey Dean, sorry to hear about this. IMO it is likely time to replace your optical cable. For a while I would get maybe 1, 2 or 3 different spots on recordings that sounded like little record pops and some sounded like tiny a skip on a CD. This didn't happen consecutively, it was sporadic and only occurred on a few recordings. I swapped out cables and haven't noticed the problem since. *finds wood freakin' fast*

edit: some fellas beat me to it.

edit 2: about to sound ignorant but as Patrick mentioned I'm really not crazy about taping via an optical signal anymore. I've been wanting to use another digi-out from the UA-5. I believe the only other one is SPDIF, which for lack of better wording is similar to RCA but digital? I've read up on it some but am about to research some more...

[Patrick]

Actually to add onto my last post, it doesn't necessarily mean that your optical cable is shot.  It also could be an improperly seated optical cable, some dust particles in the jb3's jack, etc.  The optical medium is so touchy sometimes.  Do some tests with your rig before you go out and buy a new cable.

[chrisdavis]

have you reformatted your jb2 hard drive recently?

[rowjimmytour]

have you reformatted your jb2 hard drive recently?

I second this and how important it is to refromat after you master each show

[Gordon]

have you reformatted your jb2 hard drive recently?

I second this and how important it is to refromat after you master each show

yep.  I cleaned mine off after every show.  only time I had issues was when it hadn't been in a while.  lots of pops etc.

[dean]

I had a spare optical and used it yesterday.  Problem solved! 

I did record one other show after the Bettye LaVette mishap.  I didn't give it a close enough listen (I was in a noisy studio when I checked it out), so will need to double check, but the cursory listen shows no Rice Krispies on that recording.  Leads me to believe it was dust or an improper seating to in the jack.

I've been using that opti cable for 2 years and have never had a problem with it.  In any event, since I'm down to using my "spare", anyone got an old opti laying around that they want to sell me?  I'll be moving away from optical in the not too distant future, but just in case...

I've not reformatted the HD ever.  Any reason I really ought to?  Also, I assume I'll need an empty HD before doing so (must. transfer. 16. gigs. wavs. off. each. jb3).  Ugh.  I'm lazy....

[Gordon]

I've not reformatted the HD ever.  Any reason I really ought to?  Also, I assume I'll need an empty HD before doing so (must. transfer. 16. gigs. wavs. off. each. jb3).  Ugh.  I'm lazy....

think of it as defragmenting the drive.  all those shows over the years being deleted and not one cleaning.  like I said only time i had pops etc was do to this.  from then on I cleaned it before every show and never had another issue.

[chrisdavis]

i strongly recommend re formatting the drive.  im with gordon, the only problems i had with the jb3 (outside of user error) was when i had not reformatted.  i lifted this from the jb3 faq section under recording gear.  trust us, reformat.

[330] Do I need to do any regular maintenance?

It's probably a good idea to do a Format All regularly to ensure you don't run into problems like excessive fragmentation.  Instructions:

1. Remove the battery or press the reset button.
2. Either while reinserting the battery or after reset ensure that the stop button is held down.
3. As soon as the 'Creative' logo appears on the screen during the boot sequence, release the stop button. Immediately press and release the play button. The unit should boot to a diagnostics mode with several recovery options.

Those are:

      [a.] Clean Up (Performs a scan disk on the HDD)
      [b.] Format All (*WARNING* ALL contents will be lost, including pre-installed content)
      [c.] Reload OS (*WARNING* THIS IS AN ADVANCED OPTION. DO NOT choose this unless you are sure of what you are doing as you could render your player unusable. You must also have a suitable firmware file on your PC for reloading via USB)
      [d.] Reboot


As best I could find, Clean Up scans the disk for errors and rebuilds the songlist index but does not perform a defrag.  The Format All does just what it sounds like: formats the drive, negating the need for an actual defrag (and good thing as there doesn't appear to be a maintenance operation to do just the defrag while maintaining your data).  Reload OS is probably overkill and you shouldn't need to do it unless you're having serious problems.

[dean]

Thank you, gentlemen!!!

[EarlyMorningRain]

Dean

I'm not an opti cable user myself, so certainly have no authority on this by any means, but I'd go along with formatting that JB3 if I were you. Especially seeing as you've never done it before. It can't hurt anything for that matter!

As a side note, if this cable might work for you (for a spare), LMK
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,102261.0.html

edit to add that I'm more of a Frosted Flakes kind of guy, I like that sugery crunch.

[dean]

Dean

I'm not an opti cable user myself, so certainly have no authority on this by any means, but I'd go along with formatting that JB3 if I were you. Especially seeing as you've never done it before. It can't hurt anything for that matter!

As a side note, if this cable might work for you (for a spare), LMK
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,102261.0.html

edit to add that I'm more of a Frosted Flakes kind of guy, I like that sugery crunch.

Kick ass!  PM sent - thanks!