VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

imaginator · Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 8:57 am Post subject: MACKIE 1402-VLZ GOES ROGUE

...please pardon if this is not the right place to post. I am evidently in need of someone who's an expert with Mackie boards.

for reasons I have been unable to uncover, and after years of perfect operation, my 1402-vlz is giving me fits. no matter how I try to route the patch cords, sound now keeps feeding back from and to either computer I try to use it with. sometimes it causes a kind of phase cancellation, sometimes it just overloads. and often, the sound will diminish or cut in-and-out from either the mic or a playback source until a burst of loud sound (like a handclap or boosting the levels up full for a second) acts to sort of "clear the pipeline".

should I just assume the equipment has reached the end of its life? I've had the board for a number of years. any direction would be appreciated. rg
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Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

The bad news is, your board is toast.

The good news is, the new VLZ4 line is amazing, and relatively inexpensive.
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Leslie Humble · Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:31 pm Post subject:

I think Lance is right. This board wears out and the expense of repairing it is not worth it. Mackie is good with great routing options when it works. Sounds like yours is indeed toast though. And a new one is at the low end of the Mackie price range.
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imaginator · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:35 am Post subject:

...thank you for the disappointing-but-honest response, gents. any other input is welcome, but I guess I'd better start saving for the newer model.
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Quicksilver · Been Here Awhile Joined: 29 Oct 2012 Posts: 217

On the upside you now have an excuse to get some shiny new gear!

jasbart · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:30 am Post subject:

I've owned two Mackie mixers. The first was a 1604 purchased new in the mid-90s; the second is an 802-VLZ3 I purchased used maybe five years ago. Interestingly they both eventually exhibited the same bug: the right Out began cutting in and out (just like imaginator described). Everything else, of course, works fine.

I realize I can get a new 802-VLZ3 or 4 for $200, but it's pretty depressing to know that Mackie has parts in their equipment that wear out so quickly, almost like planned obsolescence.

Of course I'm only using this little board for monitoring purposes. Maybe I should consider buying something even less expensive? Thanks,

Jim
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