Modem squawking sound on my d8b

[Black Knight]

Hey all. I bought 2 d8b's last month. The better one has everything working that I can tell and I have a CPU with flash drive. The CPU fires up both d8bs but on the better d8b the only thing that is bothering me is a constant modem squawk coming out of the output plugs. I have a Probox coming but it would still be nice to fix this rogue noise.I have pulled all cards from the slots in the back so I know it isn't any of them. Any ideas?
Also, the second d8b has stuck fader issues, 6 of them, random, and v-pots that go crazy only when turned but no buzzing sound out of any of the outputs. I read somewhere on this forum about something that caused the crazy v-pot and fader issue but I cannot find it. I would love to get them both up and running but if I can get one good d8b out of the 2 that would be great too.

[arjepsen]

v-pots: I think they tend to get sort of dirty after time. Turning them a lot in each direction seem to help a bit.
Search the database for the suggestions.

Faders - try calibrating them, and see if that helps.

Have you tried reinstalling the OS?
If you have CF cards in the CPU, that should be easy.

You might also wanna try some contact cleaner on the Big Friggin Connector (BFC) going in to the desk from the cpu.

[Black Knight]

Thanks, I did a fader calibration for both d8b's and it solved the sticking fader problem on the first unit beautifully. The second unit is struggling. I have no world clock card on either unit and wondered if that might cause problems?
I'll try the cleaner on the Big connector, good idea. I'm pretty sure the install is good on the flash drive as it's the same drive I use for both units and, apart from the modem noise, everything on the first unit works fine, but bad pots and sticky faders on the second.

[arjepsen]

uhm - you mean there's no clock card in there at all??

[Phil.c]

[Black Knight]

No, no clock card at all. Which is why I got them so cheap. I want to mainly use them as Cubase/FL studio DAW controllers.

[Phil.c]

I believe you still need a card.

Is it me, but with all the facilities that the d8b has, what a waste to use it just as transport control, I have Logic which I could use the same but much better to get hold of an HDR, you can still use your DAW for extra tracks!

[Crash]

With no card at all, I am surprised it makes any sound at all.

[Y-my-R]

Are you sure you might not just have the stock clock card installed? If that's the case, there's a metal cover over the sync card slot, so you can't see if there's a card in there until you remove it. The stock card "disappears" inside the console, like the FX cards do.

If there's no clock card in your d8b, then it will not work as a mixer. So, I'm not sure what you were testing, when you say that one unit fully works but has that squawking sound.

The Monitoring section will pass audio, still - that's also why that section can be used with a ProBox, and without having a clock card (or any card for that matter) installed. Is that what you're planning to do with those desks? ProBox operation only, with the master section as a monitor controller? If so, yes - that's possible. I guess, then the misunderstanding was just about the desks "working" or not. As a mixer, they won't without a clock card. As a MIDI/MCU controller with a ProBox plus added monitor controller, they will.

Oh... and btw., if they both DO have the stock clock card, you can't use the two desks together as cascaded mixers, since there's then no way to clock them together. You'd need the Apogee Clock cards to combine the two desks into one "larger mixer", and one of the Apogee cards would have to be modded to remove termination (unless you use a master clock you'd clock them both off of).

To use two d8b's with two ProBoxes as a giant controller, you can still combine them, though. No clock cards needed. What I said above is only for mixer-operation with two cascaded d8bs.


Having said all of that, if you have the desk open, I'd look which board has the connectors for the monitoring section on it, and compare if you see something that is different between the squawking d8b and the one that passes clean sound through the monitoring section. Maybe there's some shielding missing or something, or you can find a fried component (look for burnt spots on the board). I haven't heard of this problem before, though, so I wouldn't be sure.

With old Windows computers, some cheap processors (e.g. a Cyrix MMX 200+ I had at some point) could sometimes introduce odd noises that correlated with the mouse movement, etc. Was the processor in the computer replaced with a non-original one, by any chance? But I think you say that you used the same d8b computer with both consoles, and one was squawking and the other wasn't right? If so, then this isn't it.

In fact, coming to think of it... it shouldn't have anything to do with the computer at all, if there's no clock card (not even the stock one that isn't visible from the outside) in the desks. The mixer portion won't even engage from what I understand, since no word clock is present and the whole thing does nothing (apart from the passive audio-pass-through in the monitor section).

Anyway... I guess this reads like a rambling. I hope it was still somewhat helpful.

Good luck!

[Black Knight]

Y-my-R, Crash and Phil, thanks so much for your inputs.
Yeah, I am only really looking to use the mixer as a daw controller, which they will do with No cards in the back, however, it would be nice to gradually get one of them at least fully working. The "Better" d8b DOES have a Digital 8 Bus sync card in the sync slot but there is no Apogee world clock. The unit shows -40db bar lit on the Master LEDS left and right caused by the "modem" sound(4 led bars a side) and -45db (two green led) lit from tracks 3 to 12 on the d8b mixer itself. Thats with or without any FX cards, digital I/Os or Analogue I/O's in the back. So I'm thinking the horrible "modem" sound is coming from a CB inside the mixer itself. The sound does interrupt for a tiny millisecond when I press any button on the d8b or twist a pot. I am thinking I will probably have to get in both d8b's side by side and compare as you suggested Y-my-R, I guess it could be the main d8b computer CB. I do have 4 FX cards, 1 UFX card, 2 analogue I/O's, two digital I/O's and 3 ADAT optical cards from both units so if I bought an Apogee clock card and fix the hum on the good d8b I think I might be in good shape. Thoughts?