New Drive RackPA fails first time out

I'm my own roadie

So, here to for, I've used a dbx166, 223 xover, and dbx 31 band eq. I decided to plunge into the drive rack for A: less stuff in the rack, and B: the lure of RTA equing....so now I discover this forum and read posts that's its not a magic bullet...but that's ok and C: the ability to delay the mains when we use the folded horn subs for outdoor events.

I'm no sound man, I'm a musician in a small band that plays on weekends. So I get the drive rack, read through the manual, adjust everything until it sounds good, RTA auto-eq my practice room, adjust the compressors etc..it's a piece of cake! Super easy to do and our modest PA never sounded so good! It really sounded awesome. I was very very impressed.

We had a couple practices with the full indoor PA (Peavey SP2xs, JBL 418s, Yamaha P7000s, Yamaha mixer) and it was far and away the best sound we every got out of our rig!!!! The bass and kick were lean and mean but not boomy etc, the vocals were clear and not raspy...everything was great.

I get to the show Saturday night, we set up, I power up the amps and go out front to listen to the drums...NOTHING. I see output on the mixer meters, but nothing on the driverack meters, I change programs to another one on the driverack, I see the meters on the driverack move but nothing is making it to the amps, I swap cables between driverack to the amps, still nada...I couldn't get it to work so I went straight out of the mixers into the Yamahas (fortunately I can cross them over with the controls on the back) so we made it through sans compression/limiting/eq.

I set everything up this morning and still nothing. I did a soft reset (holding down the utility button while restarting) and it all came back!?

WTF over? anyone else experienced this? At least I now know one trouble shooting tool.

Maybe I was just lucky,but this RTA auto eq thing is pretty cool at least for my room, and I'm was hoping it gives me a baseline to go into clubs.

Now I'm wondering if I should just dial up my old EQ to match what the auto eq told me and go from there, send this driverack back? I think my old dbx gear could take bullet strikes and keep working....

Sorry guys, just a little frustrated...

Gadget

-Dear frustrated...

I feel your pain...I cannot however associate my experience with yours and the Driverack. The first 260 has been in operation with out the slightest hickup 5 nights a week, 52 weeks a year for nearly 7 years now...thats one thousand eight hundred and twenty successive nights without a single problem of ANY type...(I did upgrade to the newest system in order to avoid the \"checksum error\" that plagued the first software. My second 260 has also never missed a beat with the same type of rigorous schedule. My DRPA has shown the proclivity for display failure due to the ribbon cable/display failure that is common to that platform but never has the DRPA failed to preform in the nearly 1000 nights that it has been asked to provide service... In the 7 or so years I have been here answering questions and helping people I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen this type of failure...The platform is stable and has a tremendous track record for an \"software\" driven \"hardware\" device... Seems the software developed a glitch as software does for unknown reasons. I am not trying to minimize your experience in any way, but the level of failure I have seen in this forum would tend to indicate that the platforms failure rate is FAR below the industry standard...this in no way diminishes the problem you have experienced, and we appreciate the heads up that things can happen and I applaud your resourcefulness in being able to complete the task no matter the challenges placed before you.. I would hire you as a sound technician any day based solely on your ability to think on your feet and get the job done no matter what.

If that unit is in fact new a \"HARD\" reset is in order and a rigorous pounding before the unit is placed into a \"field\" situation again...

WARNING to all DRPA users...The DRPA does NOT do well in a heavy vibration setting... If you place the unit ON or abutting a subwoofer or device of large vibration, it may shut down momentarily from time to time...Save yourself the embarrassment and set the DRPA on a vibration free surface...if at all possible...

Much future success.. you will do well no matter the incongruity...

My respects...
Gary

I'm my own roadie

Thanks for the quick reply Gary. I'm really glad to hear my experience is the exception (well, sort of! ).

Like I said, I've always bought DBX stuff due to it's rep and my experience with it.

Roger that on the reset (although I'm a bit scared, I'll lose the magic of what I got dialed up and I don't recall what I set up with the wizard for my mains since my SP2s weren't in the data base, is there a way to find that out?).

What does the hard reset do? I realize I lose my presets etc, but will it reset other things that the soft reset doesn't?

I actually feel a lot better after reading your response. Thanks man....:D

Joe

Oh and roger that about the vib thing too.

Dra

Before doing the hard reset go into every module and write down everything. Then just punch it back in after the reset.

If the unit is in fact new and you can return it, consider the upgrade to the 260. The $200 is worth it. Right Gadget?

DRA

Gadget

Mr. Dra you are correct! It is in fact worth the extra just to be able to update, and save the presets and run the unit from the computer...The added delay, More PEQ's and insertable options, GUI interface and all the rest make it FAR superior to the DRPA.

The hard reset returns the DRPA to factory preset. re-initializing the software, but eliminating the user modified programs...
G

I'm my own roadie

Thanks fellas!

kpippen

As luck would have it...the hard reset will probably work!...

I'm my own roadie

Guys, just wanted to post an update. I hard reset it, still didn't work properly.

I sent it back for a replacement unit.

Well, several practices and 2 gigs later the new one is perfect. I've never had so many compliments about the PA, from other guys like me that bring their own gear to shows, and random audience members and friends too.

Last night we clustered 4 folded sub horns (stacked, laid down in a V config, I'm sure there's a proper name for that but I don't know it!) and sticked 2 newer Peavey SP2s. We ran 2 Yamaha P7000s and a QSC RMX 1850 dedicated to the sub horns. Anyway, it was clear as a bell in the 300 seat club we were at. Our average volume wasn't super high but we had plenty of reserve horsepower to cover the dynamics. And the drive rack was stupendous!!!! I was not quite sure what to make of the eq results of pinking the system, and I drew down a couple of the more radical boosts, but man, for a guy that doesn't know what he's doing, the driverack made me sound like I did! The kick and the bass were solid and not boomy, the vocals were natural sounding...wow.

Anyway, all's well that ends well in my book. I love the Driverack and I appreciate your replies, and I gotta say, the Customer Service at DBX is first rate...I got quick replys to all my emails and a new PCB update for my display etc...very, very, cool.

Thanks guys.