A&H Zed R16 Firewire Mixer

[daveg62]

Originally Posted by Qmzn

Thanks, I'll tell him that.

I feel the same way about this. I can't troubleshoot my way out of a physical hardware issue.

In a way I wish it had never worked from the get-go. I think the spotty connection I got before the firmware update has him believing I broke it. I'm going to push him a bit to open it up. It might just liberate me from being blamed, give me back some credibility, and lead into a warranty repair. I hope he kept receipts and such.

I'll probably show him this thread as well. I could use some backup.

Mine worked great for awhile, then I started having connection issues similar to what you describe. Opened it up and sure enough had the resistor problem. At the time I was a little upset, but in hind-sight it really wasn't a big deal. I found a local repair center, made an appointment and had it back in a couple days. Not a problem since.

[antilog]

I had mine in the shop for the bad firewire card grounding issue, took a while to get back. When I hooked it up, the fan rattles, sounds loud. A&H support said to take it back in for warranty repair, but I couldn't let it sit in repair for another long stretch of time. I finally got around to opening it up, and found that the last repair job stripped most of the screws to the point of me having to drill them out to get the cover open. I replaced the fan, and it is back to normal, and works great. The support has been really shoddy though. The US customer support rep I talked to was very unprofessional, and the repair shop they sent me to did not do good work. I am disappointed in the delivery and support of the product, but very happy with the functionality and sound quality. Hopefully they get their overseas QC issues worked out, and their US customer support tightened up.

[Qmzn]

Pressed the issue and opened it up a few hours ago. Sure enough, the resistors and one of the grounding straps are missing.

I also find out today that my friend purchased the board from a classified ad, received no documentation, and that the original owner purchased it when it came out in 2008. So... no warranty.

I think it's time to write A&H Support, see what they recommend. Maybe it'll be an out-of-warranty repair at a competent shop. If that falls through, I am fairly competent at soldering PCBs. Then it'll come down to how much trust exists between friends.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll likely post again as things progress.

[Freak of Nature]

Hi guys, first time on here, thanx for all the info and help. Lovin the forum.
Is anyone heading to the Plasa expo this month?
Be cool to get someones first hand experiences and opinions on the GS-R24 at the Plasa expo in a couple of days. Eagerly awaiting on the GS R24 and how it "WILL" change the recording world.
A&H have done a fine job with the Zed R16 but they would absolutely nail it with a GS-R16 version. Please Mike put me outta my misery and tell me the GS-R16 is coming soon. Havent been this excited about a product since .....until the next cool product comes out haha

[Maspro]

I cannot make the transport buttons on my ZED R16 to work as they should in Logic 9.
Examples:
After pressing STOP and press PLAY again the song always start from the first bar of my project.
Pressing FW makes the song advance not 1 bar but 2, the same with RW.
is there anybody doing well with ZED R16 transport and Logic 9?
Any help Mike or anybody?
Thanks

[AlienHealth]

Originally Posted by Qmzn

Pressed the issue and opened it up a few hours ago. Sure enough, the resistors and one of the grounding straps are missing.

I also find out today that my friend purchased the board from a classified ad, received no documentation, and that the original owner purchased it when it came out in 2008. So... no warranty.

I think it's time to write A&H Support, see what they recommend. Maybe it'll be an out-of-warranty repair at a competent shop. If that falls through, I am fairly competent at soldering PCBs. Then it'll come down to how much trust exists between friends.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll likely post again as things progress.

Hi Q,

Attached is a document for checking/soldering the FireWire bus ground links. If you have the unit open already and are able to use a soldering iron it's quite straightforward.
Let me know if you need more...

Cheers,
Mike.

[AlienHealth]

Originally Posted by antilog

I had mine in the shop for the bad firewire card grounding issue, took a while to get back. When I hooked it up, the fan rattles, sounds loud. A&H support said to take it back in for warranty repair, but I couldn't let it sit in repair for another long stretch of time. I finally got around to opening it up, and found that the last repair job stripped most of the screws to the point of me having to drill them out to get the cover open. I replaced the fan, and it is back to normal, and works great. The support has been really shoddy though. The US customer support rep I talked to was very unprofessional, and the repair shop they sent me to did not do good work. I am disappointed in the delivery and support of the product, but very happy with the functionality and sound quality. Hopefully they get their overseas QC issues worked out, and their US customer support tightened up.

Sorry for your bad experience in the US. I'll feed this back to Tech Support in the UK. I don't understand about the fan though - there is no fan fitted to the ZED-R16. Maybe it was retro-fitted....

Kind Regards,
Mike.

[AlienHealth]

Originally Posted by Freak of Nature

Hi guys, first time on here, thanx for all the info and help. Lovin the forum.
Is anyone heading to the Plasa expo this month?
Be cool to get someones first hand experiences and opinions on the GS-R24 at the Plasa expo in a couple of days. Eagerly awaiting on the GS R24 and how it "WILL" change the recording world.
A&H have done a fine job with the Zed R16 but they would absolutely nail it with a GS-R16 version. Please Mike put me outta my misery and tell me the GS-R16 is coming soon. Havent been this excited about a product since .....until the next cool product comes out haha

Hi FoN,
Thanks for the comments! The R24 has my full attention at the mo, but yes - contemplating where to go next with the R16....
Cheers,
Mike.

[AlienHealth]

Originally Posted by gilbo

I cannot make the transport buttons on my ZED R16 to work as they should in Logic 9.
Examples:
After pressing STOP and press PLAY again the song always start from the first bar of my project.
Pressing FW makes the song advance not 1 bar but 2, the same with RW.
is there anybody doing well with ZED R16 transport and Logic 9?
Any help Mike or anybody?
Thanks

Hi Gilbo,
sounds like the settings in Logic - most DAWs have the option of "Rewind on Stop" or not. Let me know if you have trouble finding the settings and we'll look into it here - we have Logic Express...
Cheers,
Mike.

[djmukilteo]

Originally Posted by AlienHealth

Hi FoN,
Thanks for the comments! The R24 has my full attention at the mo, but yes - contemplating where to go next with the R16....
Cheers,
Mike.

I would definitely love to buy a meter bridge option for the R16!

[Maspro]

Originally Posted by djmukilteo

I would definitely love to buy a meter bridge option for the R16!

Me too!!!

[Maspro]

Originally Posted by AlienHealth

Hi Gilbo,
sounds like the settings in Logic - most DAWs have the option of "Rewind on Stop" or not. Let me know if you have trouble finding the settings and we'll look into it here - we have Logic Express...
Cheers,
Mike.

Hi Mike
When Logic is listening to the MMC input, there's nothing you can change on the transport settings. I can program the rest of the buttons on the R16 as I want but transport is locked (as far as I know)
I'd love to use the transport on the R16.
I'll keep working on it.
Thanks.

[Maspro]

Originally Posted by AlienHealth

Hi Gilbo,
sounds like the settings in Logic - most DAWs have the option of "Rewind on Stop" or not. Let me know if you have trouble finding the settings and we'll look into it here - we have Logic Express...
Cheers,
Mike.

Hello again,
Confirmed!, on Logic 9 there's any parameter you could change on the MMC input. So the problem must be the ZED R16 itself.
"REWIND" and "FORWARD" rewinds or forwards 2 bars instead of 1
"STOP" stops the song at the place you hit the button but when PLAY again stars from the 1st bar, even
When "PLAY" you get a double star of the song, I mean repeats the first 1.1.1.1 then the project continues.
Mike, maybe you could give a test on your Logic Express and let me know if you get the same problem or it is just mine.
Thanks

[Northernrock]

Thanks to everyone for a great forum.
I decided to upgrade to Cubase 5, Windows 7 (32-bit), and Zed R-16 drivers/firmware (3.5.0.0). I found that Windows 7 had some serious issues with Zed on my computer, so I went back to XP, which has been rock solid before.

After a reinstall of XP (SP3 – with the hotfix) Cubase 5, zed drivers/firmware, I’m experiencing random dropouts when recording. Neither the CPU- monitor or latency tool shows any peaks during these hiccups , but the ASIO Time Overload meter in Cubase 5 peaks. I have tried to create/provoke these dropouts by 16 track recordings with compressors and vst synths. Sometimes dropouts occur, sometimes they don’t. Other times I get dropouts while recording a single guitar.

The buffer size at 516. (Normal mode. Recording at 24 bit. 44.1khz.) The latency checker runs mostly between 6 and 14 us, but occasionally peaks up to 120us. I have no other PCI-cards installed, and have disabled screensavers, unused ports, power management and done all recommended XP-tweaks.

What can it be, doctors? It used to run so smoothly before..

- Windows XP Professional SP3
- Cubase 5.5.0 (32-bit)
- MSI 865pe neo2-pfs mainboard
- CPU Intel Pentium 4 dual 3,20GHz
- RAM 4 GB
- Nvidia GForce FX5200 (AGP)
- VIA OHCI Firewire card
- M-Audio UNO Midisport USB Interface

[Qmzn]

Well, I joined R923 and R924 with solder like the guide recommended. I bridged 'em just like in the picture. Tested continuity with a multimeter. And It didn't change a thing. ASIO still drops out in a steady rhythm. I also tried the WDM side of the driver... turns out a similar rhythmic dropout is happening there too.

I don't feel like adding the P900 ground strap is going to change a thing. Yeah, could be wrong, but in order to add it correctly, I'd have to remove the firewire board. My gut feeling is to just say the firewire board is old and malfunctioning, and move on with professional repairs.

On a related note, the back of the board was mysteriously and horribly difficult to screw back on this time... the holes wouldn't line up unless I put certain screws in first to put tension on the sheet metal.

So I think it's time to visit the repair shop. I've been quoted anywhere from $40 to upwards of $300, and knowing my luck, I'll probably need a new firewire board, and the cost will hit the high range. Shame I couldn't fix it for $0.

Hope this all ends up being worth it.

[djmukilteo]

Originally Posted by Qmzn

Well, I joined R923 and R924 with solder like the guide recommended. I bridged 'em just like in the picture. Tested continuity with a multimeter. And It didn't change a thing. ASIO still drops out in a steady rhythm. I also tried the WDM side of the driver... turns out a similar rhythmic dropout is happening there too.

I don't feel like adding the P900 ground strap is going to change a thing. Yeah, could be wrong, but in order to add it correctly, I'd have to remove the firewire board. My gut feeling is to just say the firewire board is old and malfunctioning, and move on with professional repairs.

On a related note, the back of the board was mysteriously and horribly difficult to screw back on this time... the holes wouldn't line up unless I put certain screws in first to put tension on the sheet metal.

So I think it's time to visit the repair shop. I've been quoted anywhere from $40 to upwards of $300, and knowing my luck, I'll probably need a new firewire board, and the cost will hit the high range. Shame I couldn't fix it for $0.

Hope this all ends up being worth it.

If your unit was also missing the two green grounding wires shown in the attached FW Ground Issue...AND the two jumpers (zero ohm "resistors") and you only bridged the two pads....you didn't fix anything.
You also need those two ground wires installed if they were missing to fix the FW issue...If I were you I would open it back up and solder two wires to the boards and ground them to the chassis as shown in the photos....this shouldn't involve lifting the circuit board...be sure to clean (scuff up) the chassis area where you bond the two wires...

[redrum]

I`m new here but i have been following this thread for a while
I got my r16 back when it was launched and it has served me very well,it`s such a great board
I haven`t checked it for the grounding issue yet but i`ve been having some problems lately. The dig master button does have some leakage when unpressed , when touching it in a unpressed state it seems to affect the amount
of leakage . I`m having the same problems with the talkback and i am starting to think this may be related to the grounding issues instead of just being bad pots. What do you think ?
If it ends up being bad pots , is there anything i can do to fix it myself ?

Best

[kkonkkrete]

Just got a new MBP with a 5400 rpm hard drive. Does anyone know if this is fast enough to record from all tracks on the Zed R16 simultaneously at 44.1kHz / 24bit ? Or do I need a faster hard drive?

Thanks!

[malfunction]

i would recommend an external HD that spins at 7'200 rpm...i recorded 3 gigs in two nights a month back, 18 tracks simultaneously, Zed R16 to Pro Fire Lightbridge to PTLE through my i7 MBP without a hiccup.

Grant

[kkonkkrete]

Originally Posted by malfunction

i would recommend an external HD that spins at 7'200 rpm...i recorded 3 gigs in two nights a month back, 18 tracks simultaneously, Zed R16 to Pro Fire Lightbridge to PTLE through my i7 MBP without a hiccup.

Grant

Thanks a lot for the quick reply! I only have one Firewire socket on the MBP so I don't know if I could connect Lightbridge and an external hard drive at the same time. Or are you suggesting daisy-chaining the devices?

[malfunction]

yes, that's what i do...MBP > external HD > Lightbridge (fw400 to 800 cable)

[kkonkkrete]

Great thanks. Cool to know that works.

[redrum]

Originally Posted by redrum

I`m new here but i have been following this thread for a while
I got my r16 back when it was launched and it has served me very well,it`s such a great board
I haven`t checked it for the grounding issue yet but i`ve been having some problems lately. The dig master button does have some leakage when unpressed , when touching it in a unpressed state it seems to affect the amount
of leakage . I`m having the same problems with the talkback and i am starting to think this may be related to the grounding issues instead of just being bad pots. What do you think ?
If it ends up being bad pots , is there anything i can do to fix it myself ?

Best

Update : I`ve checked the fw board and there is one green lead missing (p900) , the R923 & R924 need to be fixed aswell .
Anyone else with malfunction potmeters and knobs ?

[djmukilteo]

Originally Posted by redrum

Update : I`ve checked the fw board and there is one green lead missing (p900) , the R923 & R924 need to be fixed aswell .
Anyone else with malfunction potmeters and knobs ?

I would certainly fix the ground wire and pads first and then while you still have the back off, take a look at the DIG Master leakage issue and see if that fixes the problem...if it's still there, I would check any capacitors around the switch and pots...that might be an easy thing or require a schematic and a little troubleshooting. If it isn't easy and is still in warranty I would contact A&H support and start a service ticket...I'm sure they will help even if it's out of warranty...

[thebaron]

Originally Posted by malfunction

i would recommend an external HD that spins at 7'200 rpm...i recorded 3 gigs in two nights a month back, 18 tracks simultaneously, Zed R16 to Pro Fire Lightbridge to PTLE through my i7 MBP without a hiccup.

Grant

I'm a little late to this thread and have read a lot but I'm curious about your set up. How are you utilizing 16 tracks of the zed with ptle? Aren't you limited to 8 in adat and an 003 or 002? Can you run 8 in adat plus 2 channels into spdif? Sounds like you've worked out a great system and I'm dying to know the secret. It might justify me getting one of these someday.

[Benmrx]

Wait a minute... have these ALWAYS been $2K, or was there a price drop at some point?

[redrum]

Originally Posted by djmukilteo

I would certainly fix the ground wire and pads first and then while you still have the back off, take a look at the DIG Master leakage issue and see if that fixes the problem...if it's still there, I would check any capacitors around the switch and pots...that might be an easy thing or require a schematic and a little troubleshooting. If it isn't easy and is still in warranty I would contact A&H support and start a service ticket...I'm sure they will help even if it's out of warranty...

I`ll try the fw board fix and see if it helps I`m not sure if it`s still in warranty but i trust A&H to give me the help / parts i`ll need , though
I really liked what i saw inside the board mixer , really solid and very seviceable

[djmukilteo]

Originally Posted by redrum

I`ll try the fw board fix and see if it helps I`m not sure if it`s still in warranty but i trust A&H to give me the help / parts i`ll need , though
I really liked what i saw inside the board mixer , really solid and very seviceable

I'm thinking if you're hearing faint bleed over from that Dig Master, proper grounding of the board overall would be one of the things to consider.
So fixing and bonding those ground wires properly to a clean chassis point on the board frame will more than likely fix that problem....improper grounding inside the board are typically the cause of those kinds of things...good luck!

[Qmzn]

Originally Posted by djmukilteo

If your unit was also missing the two green grounding wires shown in the attached FW Ground Issue...AND the two jumpers (zero ohm "resistors") and you only bridged the two pads....you didn't fix anything.

Like most of the boards missing the jumpers, it's only missing P900. As I said in an earlier post, the other grounding strap (P1300/SGND) is factory connected.

I find it hard to believe, in my experience, that one more wire grounding the board to chassis is going to isolate the FW ground enough to clear up my connection issues. They are much worse than occasional dropouts or popping noises. I would like a better explanation than "you didn't fix anything", which seems a bit condescending. If I am mistaken, prove it, and I'll certainly own up to it.

Also, the image I have shows the P900 strap going through the PCB the same way as SGND. If P900 is going to make a difference, I would rather it match SGND, by threading through the PCB and mounting it securely.

[djmukilteo]

Originally Posted by Qmzn

Like most of the boards missing the jumpers, it's only missing P900. As I said in an earlier post, the other grounding strap (P1300/SGND) is factory connected.

I find it hard to believe, in my experience, that one more wire grounding the board to chassis is going to isolate the FW ground enough to clear up my connection issues. They are much worse than occasional dropouts or popping noises. I would like a better explanation than "you didn't fix anything", which seems a bit condescending. If I am mistaken, prove it, and I'll certainly own up to it.

Also, the image I have shows the P900 strap going through the PCB the same way as SGND. If P900 is going to make a difference, I would rather it match SGND, by threading through the PCB and mounting it securely.

Sorry didn't mean to sound condescending..I apologize for putting it that way...If you have more experience and knowledge on the ground straps and don't believe it will help your dropout problem that's fine by me...it's your unit...I would contact A&H support and see if they have a solution for your issue...