SiWatts69

Sort of see where you're coming from, BUT the subs have the transit wheels built in, unlike the tops, so a complete wraparound cover is less feasible: the transit wheels would need to be spaced further out (larger diameter wheels) and subsequently the feet would need to be taller to accommodate the thickness of the cover. My only small niggle with the L3s covers is that the bottom edge drags on the ground when you are wheeling the sub around with the cover on. I've now reached a point where I store the L3s's with their covers on, but transport them with covers off. The extra couple of inches I gain is worth the low risk to the subs in transit! Need every square inch! The tops do however get transported in their bags.

And a second seconder... All mine are Sommer AES/EBU with Neutrik gold plated xlr's that I hand soldered myself. http://www.thomann.de/gb/sommer_cable_binary_234_aesebu_mkii_gr.htm Cost wise, an AES/EBU cable per meter is only around 20% more than a good quality mic cable and if you are capable of soldering, it's easiest and cheapest to make your own up. UK cost wise, a 10m (33 feet) AES cable using the above sommer cable is around £20 to self build, (about $35) and about £27 ($43) for 15m (50') Perhaps best note is that an AES/EBU XLRF to XLRM CAN be used as a mic cable without any issues. I bought 50m of sommer and made up the following lengths: 1 x 10m (~33ft) 6 x 5m (~16.5ft) 4 x 2.5m (~8ft) I have 2x L3s, 2x L3m and 2x L2m plus the M20d and the above cables have yet to be insufficient for a venue we've played or a gig where I've done hire of my system for another band. Moreover I have had zero issues with speakers dropping in/out.

Specifically: Boss FS6 (set to momentary action) Boss FS5U Indeed ANY momentary type (unlatching) footswitch should work. If there is a possibility that you have understood the footswitch to be an FX loop/insert, your understanding is incorrect. The footswitch jacks are for remote control of up to two functions (FX Mute, Scene, Media Player or Quick Capture) only. There is NO option for an external FX loop. <edited to correct my own errors!>

I run mine with the bottom of whichever speaker (L3 or L2) at my chin level, which is approx. 5'2 from ground (as I'm 6'2). The deeper the room, the higher I go up to a max of about 6'6 from ground. My aim is to get the horn ABOVE head height for the majority, ie the mid driver at ear height and for the highs to reach the back of the room unobstructed. I have a set of K&M poles http://produkte.k-m.de/en/Speakerlighting-and-monitor-stands-and-holders/Distance-and-extension-rods/21367-Distance-rod-Ring-Lock-black for when I'm running both subs, lay the subs flat then over mount tops on the K&M's, typically on their second notch (approx. 1.2m pole length) When I'm stand mounting them, I have these: http://produkte.k-m.de/en/Speakerlighting-and-monitor-stands-and-holders/Speaker-stands/21467-SPEAKER-STAND-RING-LOCK-black which I run on either their first or second notch CAVEAT: when using poles, please adhere to the Line6 guidance which states: L3s sub with one L2t speaker (on floor or low stage) Use one long speaker pole (not included); never use any pole longer than 24-3/4†(626 mm) in this configuration ;) (this is incidentally for the sub in its upright position, NOT laid flat. I have a pair of Line6 long poles which I use *if* I need to mount with the sub upright).

Rick... what mic(s) is your sax player using?

For the quiet singer(s) I typically roll out a Beta58a. It's got around 3db more headroom than an SM58 which are fine for strong voices. Our girl singer tends to stand off the mic more than our guy singer. He uses his SM58 and she uses one of my Beta58's. He also tends to hand hold his mic more than her so we get more consistent proximity and thus the levels remain fairly constant. Her's not so but the added headroom on the beta seems to do a reasonable job. I've also found the beta58's reject more from behind the mic so create less feedback, enabling them to run that bit hotter, so long as you position the monitors well. Alternatively, I've had good success with AKG D5's though they don't (IMHO) sound a sweet as the betas and are more prone to feedback.

Alternatively, do as I do... I have two standalone phantom power units, each with 2 channels. A Canford one and a Palmer. So, mics that need phantom go to the outboard supplies before going to the desk. No phantom needs turning on on the M20.

It's worth adding that *some* of your problem *may* have been created by the joining of two cables together rather than specifically the length of cable run. The cable recommendations are: AES/EBU cable 50' point to point max Single run (ie not joined) 50' is approx. 15m (not 20m!!!)

First thing I'd be checking is that the outputs are not set to HiGain. Set them to the lowest output possible.

Have you previously used an SD card in the unit successfully and recorded to it?

m20dev_API I have to agree. Ideascale is horrendous. I've visited it twice and given up. Hopelessly organised, hopelessly full of irrelevant similar ideas that are almost always single user ideas (ie they benefit just the one person posting the idea). As a result, the majority of good ideas just get "lost" in the noise. Users (and it's partly "our" fault) don't search for the ideas having been presented already, but to give them their dues, there's no way of adequately searching and coming up with sensible results anyway. Far simpler would be a moderated board within this forum. Similar ideas "merged". Good ideas will generate more conversation, bad ideas will simply float off the back end. I'd hazard a guess that almost everyone who owns this great piece of kit (the M20d) has something they would like to see as a new feature or something they feel could be improved. Ideascale just doesn't cut it for me.

I think what scotterp was referring to is that once you've created your recording folder, each start/stop process generates a new sub-folder automatically. So, if you've created a folder "ourgig" and have a soundcheck where you record, then set 1 and set 2 recorded, stopping the recording in-between, you end up with: SD > ourgig > Recording 1 [soundcheck] SD > ourgig > Recording 2 [set1] SD > ourgig > Recording 3 [set2] Each folder then contains the numbered and named wav files that match to your inputs (if enabled), plus the MainOut.wav mix (if enabled)

Err, I'd be tempted to simply insert via a "line" input, ie use a balanced TRS insert on 1-16 then autotrim should do it's thing.

Pah, you lot ;-) They call me the speaker monster as I throw them around like confetti!!! It's a nickname I've had for over 20 years within the bands I've played in! There's an art to lifting and once you know how to manipulate the boxes, they're pretty easy to move around.

In which case, it's time to stop asking here and take the unit back to your dealer. As has been said, it's impossible to diagnose everything that might be wrong remotely and the only way to gain a certain resoltution is for the unit to be returned for servicing/inspection. A PITA obviously, but I can't see you getting anything other than more frustrated pursuing assistance here. Sounds like you've done all the idiot checks already. Time to take it in :-)

If it helps, the wheels are approx. 8cm diameter roller blade style wheels, almost identical to those you'd find on most suitcases. There have been reports of people breaking them, but IIRC most reports involve someone other than the "owner" dragging them along. I know that my band members treat my gear a little more roughly than I do! The bags are pretty well padded, with walls that are about 8-10mm thick. There's a little more spare space in the L3 bags than there is in the L2 bags. So far, aside from a scuffed bottom corner (canvas corner near a wheel, my bags are holding up very well, but we don't gig as often as I'd like so it's not like they've been in and out of venues 2-3 nights a week for the past year! More like once a week.

Further to don... Save your current "setup". Start a completely new blank setup with no tweaks aside from a basic preset for one channel. Set trim and raise gain on channel, apply to all four monitor channels and raise master outs. Are the six outputs still dead?

I've a full set of covers/bags for my 2x L3s, 2x L3m, 2x L2m and the M20d, all Line6 and all so far working out really well. Having the wheels on the bags makes them much easier to move, though be cautious of going round corners too quick as the L3 in particular tends to over/off balance on its wheels. Are they worth it? How do you quantify whether anything is worth it. I know how I do and, IMHO yes, they're worth it.

Realise this sounds like a dumb question, but you don't have the "Mute All" button depressed do you?

Refer to section 4.8 of the StageScape manual: Streaming The M20d will stream 20 channels of audio to your computer via USB, and receive a stereo return stream back from your computer. The use case for this would be when you’d like to record M20d unprocessed channels for editing in your DAW. Whenever a USB cable is connected to the M20d PC port, the following alert will be displayed in the Multitrack Recording window: “Multitrack recording to SD/USB storage is not available while connected to a computer.†Input Streaming Configuration The M20d streams 20 inputs to your computer and a stereo stream back to the M20d as follows: • Channels 1-16: M20d Mic/Line Inputs 1-16, pre-processing / pre fader • Channels 17-18: M20d stereo Aux Input, pre-processing / pre-fader • Channels 19-20: M20d stereo Main Outs, post-processing / post-fader USB Stereo Return Stream: The stereo return is streamed to the M20d’s stereo Aux Input (channels 17/18). Note: In order to hear the stereo return, a Stage Icon Preset must be assigned to the Aux Input using the M20d touchscreen UI. The Laptop preset is ideally suited for this purpose, and can be found in the Stage Icon Gallery. For USB audio streaming, you must download and install the Line 6 StageScape M20d Driver at http://line6.com/software. On that page you will find 3 drop down menus. On the All Products drop down menu select StageScape M20d. On the All Software drop down menu select Drivers. Select the OS of the computer you wish to use with your M20d. Once the download has completed, find and run the StageScape M20d Drivers Installer, following the onscreen instructions. In your DAW you will need to change your audio interface to ASIO StageScape M20d. Then create new audio tracks in your DAW with inputs that correspond to the inputs on the M20d. Note: If you are using the StageScape DX/MME driver, make sure that StageScape is selected as the default audio device in Windows. Also, know that you will only get audio from inputs 1-2 if you are recording with DX/MME. The Windows StageScape M20d USB 2.0 audio driver uses WDM and ASIO, supported on 32 and 64 bit OS configurations. The Mac OS X StageScape M20d USB 2.0 audio driver uses Core Audio, supported on 32 and 64 bit OS configurations.

N You are perhaps misunderstanding the recording options of the mixer: You can record all 18 RAW inputs, unprocessed to individual WAV files. These are designed for later mixing and mastering in a DAW. You can record the stereo main out MIX. You can record inputs only, main outs only OR both You cannot however use the 18 raw input recordings and record a finished mix in the M20d; you'd need to do the mix on the M20 and record via a recording device directly attached to the M20 main outputs.

Yep, I'd forgotten about the QSC The only benefit I can see (for me) would be the extra 4 mic pre's. Everything else though is simply comparable or lesser than the stagescape. With the time to studfy what Line6 came out with, you'd have perhaps expected more of the oomph like multi-track recordings etc to make their way into the stageclones, but instead, the *only* thing that seems better is the number of xlr inputs. Certainly not a game changer for me. However, I WOULD consider a version 2 stagescape that offered me 20 distinct XLR inputs, all with full mic pre's and full DSP, since, if you're gonna need more, you might as well have a belt and braces approach!

Falling prices on tec is nothing new. Sometimes the price drop signals the imminent release of a newer model, other times it is to reflect changes in the whole marketplace. When the M20d launched it was pretty unique. Now, over 2 years on and Mackie have released, Behringer are about to release and all of a sudden the marketplace is more competitive. I certainly don't begrudge the price I paid for mine this time last year despite it being £400 cheaper now than then... I've had flawless use out of it for that year with no grumbles at all.

I'd be tempted to try again with an alternative cable, BUT one which is TRS (as least at the M20d end) with no connection to the ring. Depending upon the internal wiring of the TS output on your zoom, it's possible a balanced TRS cable will insert into the zoom without causing issue (you can always peer into it with a light to see if it has three cross bar connects inside or just two). The way a balanced input works, the ring (balance -ve) should not be connected to ground/shield. In case you didn't know (or for anyone else reading) the balance line (ring in a TRS cable and pin 3 in an XLR) carries no level of it's own. As the signal passes through the +ve signal line in the cable, any interference is generated almost identically in the balance wire. At the end of the line, the +ve and -ve lines are passed through a process during which the equal interference generated in the +ve and -ve lines cancel each other out leaving just the original source signal. Connecting the shield/ground to the -ve can create significant problems.

Surely the SEND jack on the back of your marshall is for an FX loop, ie you come out of the marshall SEND jack to the INPUT of your HD500 then from the output of the HD500 you return to the RETURN jack on the marshall. PS, you'll likely get more replies (not to mention more appropriate ones) by posting in the POD discussion area: http://line6.com/support/forum/18-pod-hd/