Mic input not working

[Rockstarrob1]

Today I stopped getting sound from the mic input.  Yesterday, the mic input worked as it should. The mic does require phantom power and I made sure that it was on.  I checked cables, plugged the mic into a Focusrite to test and it is working fine. I reflashed the firmware on the Helix and still nothing.  I did create a support ticket on Line 6 website so I'm waiting to hear from them.  I'm wondering if the xlr for the mic input is bad. Any ideas/suggestions?

[duncann]

Could it be when editing a preset and moving the selection with the joystick, the joystick was accidentally turned while over the input, changing the input source?

[Rockstarrob1]

That is rather easy to do without noticing. I just created a new patch with nothing in the path just the mic as the input. Still nothing. I was also wondering if it could be a bug of some sort. Like even though the phantom power is selected in the global settings a glitc/bug is preventing power to the mic. I need to test a dynamic mic and start narrowing down the possibilities.

[Rockstarrob1]

I just found and plugged in a dynamic mic. I turned off the phantom power in the helix and still no sound coming from the mic input.

[Digital_Igloo]

Is the mic gain turned up? IIRC, pressing the knob may mute the signal (or turn it up, I forget—keep lending my Helix out on the weekends).

 

If it's not mic gain, CS should be able to suss this out for you.

[baldric]

I have exactly the same problem. This is the second day I have had fiddling on my new Helix/JTV59 and I plugged in my Rode NT1 and at first there was a very low signal then nothing. In the global settings on the ins/outs page both the mic in 48v and the mic gain dials make odd digital beeps while turning what's more the mic in jumps values 0db-9db-12db... (is this the norm?). I have also done a factory reset and no joy. Any clues?

[fukuri]

Did you get s resolution to this

It's just happened to me

[baldric]

No. I have been waiting since the 14th of January for some kind of solution from my dealer here in Spain but nothing seems to be happening. Must admit I feel pretty deflated at the moment I had opened two support tickets, one for the JTV59 which was randomly switching models but now seems to have settled down and one for the Helix mic problem, but I was told to contact dealer or a local service centre and not much else. Hope you have more luck. Apart from the negatives I must say that I love both the guitar and the Helix and hope that both Line 6 and my dealer get their heads together and resolve my frustration in the not too distant future.

[jaminjimlp]

I tried a new ribbon mic (made sure the phantom power was off because it will ruin a ribbon mic) the volume was super low... try using the template for mic's in the last preset bank.

[fukuri]

It worked fine I unplugged and replugged and now it doesn't

It smacks very much of a hardware fault

The mics and cables work fine every where else and the template I use works fine with other inputs

[baldric]

I have tried every configuration known to mankind and different cables/mics....but it is like the parrot from the Monty Python sketch.

[fukuri]

They reckon my mic amp has failed so it needs to go back to the repair centre

Not entirely sure why I'm picking up the courier bill for this. It's not me that made a product with a fault

10 days plus though so I need to schedule between gigs

It sucks but hopefully it's an easy fix

[baldric]

In my humble opinion that is totally unacceptable and to be honest slightly pathetic from Line6. It's clearly a manufacturing fault/Quality Control issue that they should deal with at absolutely no cost to you, the customer. We could and should probably accept and understand that with any new products there are always going to be certain teething problems, but the fact you are having to pick up the bill for something that clearly ought to rest in Line 6's hands is frankly shameful. I sincerely hope they don't try that on with me... that's if they ever get around to sorting mine out. Still no action after having reported the issue to both Line 6 and my dealer on the 14th of January. Not good enough.

[glideman]

Dang, line 6 sent UPS to pick mine up for free after I put in a trouble ticket for the scribble strip problem. Are you going through the dealer, fukuri?

[fukuri]

I have ... It has actually been a bit shoddy. Because I'm not the original purchase I can't go to Andertons so I was directed by Line 6 to their authorised repair centre

Some bloke answers the phone and tells me to stick it in a box and courier it to them and they'll fix it under warranty

Don't know how long it will take because it depends on the parts.

 

No RMA no ticket reference. I'm assuming I should write a description of what's wrong and put it in the box but there doesn't seem to be any tracking or any decent looking process

 

Maybe it will all work fine but I've got to say it's not filling me with confidence

[Joepeggio]

This thread scared me so I went and tested my mic input.  At first, I had such a low signal; dynamic and condenser with power on.

 

Then I found the Mic In Gain in the global next to phantom power, and voila! it works.  I know you guys probably already know this, but any info related to the mic may help someone.

[baldric]

My Helix has been at Line6 for a week now and it apparently needs a new input board to replace the faulty one. The dealer says that it could be a minimum of two weeks before I get it back, which may mean that I will get a fully working Helix four months after initially laying out my cash on one. What's more my brand new JTV59 has the dreaded toggle switch of death problem! Hurray for quality control.

[dvdthw]

Mine blew last week, my Helix is at line 6 right now getting repaired, I'll let you know how it goes.

[fukuri]

Do you mind telling us what happened?

[baldric]

Well guys and girls, I got mine back today. Which credit to line6 was a fairly quick turnaround. They put a new input PCB in, but I haven't tried it out yet as I want to get a new mic cable as I am extremely aprehesive about using the same one and something going wrong again. Although the cable and mic work perfectly well through my DAW I'd prefer to err on the side of caution rather than go through the pain of sending it off again. Time to get some playing done at last!!! On the down side the expression/wah wah pedal has developed a horrible squeak and a weird clunky click mid sweep and the phones volume knob came back slightly wonky but working as it should if a little stiffer. I should hopefully be able to get my hands on a mic cable tomorrow and will share the results with you and hopefully stop my moaning once and for all. Fingers crossed.

[baldric]

Oh by the way. I hope the other couple of guys on here with the same issue got theirs sorted just as swiftly and are giving it to the neighbours full on!

 

Cheers for the input and all the best.

[fukuri]

If mine comes back like that I won't be as charitable

[baldric]

I have opened a ticket on both issues and will let you all know how Line6 responds to this. But for now I just want to spend some time getting to know the unit before it has to go back to the service centre. Haha.

[baldric]

I have just spent about five hours annoying anyone and everyone within a 500m radius by sing along with my guitar. Then my eight year old grabbed the mic sang for a while, discovered the reverse delay and proceeded to learn "naughty" words backwards.

 

Yes, good people, I HAVE a fully working Helix, albeit with a wonky knob and an annoyingly squeaky wah wah pedal, but Nirvana is a mere squeak and a wobble away.

 

May God bless my poor, poor family, friends and some of my less hateful neighbours.

[fukuri]

Mine is still in the black hole of the service centre

No idea when it is coming back

Did they give you any indication what the problem is I.e are you confident it won't happen again

[baldric]

Fukuri sorry to hear you are still in limbo, hang in there it is worth the wait. I have had no contact with the Line6 service centre here (emailed them once to find out about status after a week of them having it but got no reply whatsoever), Everything was left in the hands of the dealer, which initially took nearly a month for them to address the problem (Spanish have two set speeds, slow and paralyzed) but in all fairness once it was at the service centre they were quite quick with the repair, which was the installation of a new input PCB board. On my last contact with the dealer they mentioned that I must not use a preamp (which I hadn't done) and to make sure my mic cable was not faulty (worked and still works with my DAW set up). I bought a new mic cable and was at first very worried about it all hitting the fan again. I connected everything up before powering up the Helix, then went into global settings and turned on the phantom power and then set up a basic patch and finally tweaked the mic gain up to +12db because it was on the quiet side and I have had no more problems so far (touch wood). So I'm sorted at long last .....just got to sort out the sqeaky wah wah, the wonky phones knob and the toggle switch on the JTV59!   

[fukuri]

I used to live in Madrid so soy familiar con el tiempo de espana ;)

[baldric]

Acabo de darme cuenta de qué quizás he ofendido un montón de gente ahora mismo.....Ooops. Pero me temo que es verdad, hay una parsimonia cojonuda aquí en España. Un día espabiláremos. How long were you living in Madrid? I'm up in Asturias and have been for some twenty-odd years or so. Hasta la próxima amigo.

[fukuri]

si pero tu tienes razon. I love Spain but it's not for people in a hurry...

I lived in Madrid in the early 90s. I was part of the resident band "A Glasgow Kiss" that played in a Tex Mex restaurant called Cactus Charlie just off Gran Via

And I used to play in L'Abotoria with Rafa Kas as  well as Y'asta and other venues

It was a crazy time :) 

[baldric]

Rafa Kas is from my neck of the woods, Gijón I believe. Well, I opened a ticket on the Helix and was told to the contact service centre to get the previously pefectly functioning wahwah and wonky knob sorted. I truly don't want to be without the Helix again for another 10 days or so. Has anybody dared to lube their own? Fukuri have you got yours back?

[fukuri]

I've got mine back and gigged it

All fine but I haven't actually had a chance to try the mic input yet (I'm almost scared to)

I've had flu

Last I heard Rafa had moved back there

I've not seen him for over 20 years but I'm pretty sure he'll remember us :)

I wouldn't be over stressed about lubing my own wah wah or bending the knob back but really you shouldn't have to

I would get a bit of nut sauce on the end of a guitar string and see if I couldn't do it that way

[jamhr001]

I just opened a ticket for the same issue. No Mic Input.  

 

It worked like a charm yesterday, which was the first time I'd used the mic input, after a few weeks of playing around with the guitar features.  The combination of mic and vocal sounded amazingly good. Today only the guitar input is working.

 

All the usual suspects have been checked - although nothing changed between yesterday (mic input working) and today (mic input dead). 48v is on.  Dynamic mic has same issue. Several known good cables tried. New patch, both signal paths tried.

 

I hear a normal popping sound when the condenser mic is plugged in. Nothing else. Very hopeful that your experiences have alerted Line 6 to a wider issue and they will be able to expedite warranty repair of this very expensive "pedal."

[ricksteruk]

Not sure how much of a precautionary tale this is but here goes...

 

"Never plug in or unplug a mic from an XLR socket while 48v phantom power is turned on.  You may blow up the mic preamp."

 

I can't remember where or when I heard those words of wisdom.. but perhaps this is what has happened to you folks?

You all seem to mention that 48v is on.

[amsdenj]

Perhaps a related issue. I thought my mic input wasn't working either, and sent the unit back only to have Line 6 tell me there was nothing wrong with it. Turns out I was trying it with a Rode NT5 condenser mic that I leave setup for recording acoustic guitar. That mic seems to somehow cause the mic input o distort badly for a little bit and then fail altogether. If I try another mic, condenser or not, the input no longer works at all. That's why I sent it back for repair. But it turns out that cycling the power and trying a different mic works fine.

 

Now I'm not sure if I plugged the mic in with phantom power on or not - likely it was since its on in global settings. My Beta87 seemed to plug in and out fine with phantom power on. But Helix doesn't seem to like that NT5.

[Lachdanan0121]

I remember reading in the 11rack manual that you are suppose to connect the Mic first, then turn on phantom power. And turn off phantom power before you disconnect the mic. This could be how some of your problems happened. However, I see most of the affected users have Rode mics. I hope the Helix doesnt have a problem with these mics as I use a Rode nt1. I hope Line 6 can look into this to verify.

[fukuri]

If this was indeed terminal to the mic input then it would be nice to have an indicator of state and perhaps a button for switching on and off which wasn't buried in global settings

[ricksteruk]

If this was indeed terminal to the mic input then it would be nice to have an indicator of state and perhaps a button for switching on and off which wasn't buried in global settings

 

 

It is ingrained in my head since I started using tech gear.. as a matter of course - you really should NEVER EVER make connections when 48v phantom power is switched on - with any gear.

 

A simple switch for 48v on Helix and an indicator would be useful - but as we don't have that if I were going to use phantom power on a mic on Helix I would go for a simple solution...

 

Only plug in or unplug the microphone if the Helix is totally powered OFF.

 

(Of course - the problem you guys had may be nothing do do with this - but it's good practice for the future!)

[jamhr001]

There is no obvious reason why we should not be able to "hot plug" a microphone while the 48v is on unless there is a short in the mic or cable, or, if there is an issue with the preamp itself.  

 

Even if powering down is a "best practice," and I'm not convinced it is, the likelihood that best practices won't always be followed in live situations is a virtual certainty, and for that reason professional equipment (or even consumer equipment, for that matter) should have built-in protections. Simply hot-plugging a working condenser mic should never be considered "risky."

 

--

 

Found this paragraph on a Gearslutz thread:

 

"Phantom power has the advantage that a dynamic or ribbon mic may
be plugged in to a phantom powered microphone input and operate
without damage, and a phantom powered mic can be plugged in to
the same input and receive power. The only hazard is that in case
of a shorted microphone cable, or certain old microphones having
a grounded center tap output, current can flow through the
microphone, damaging it. It's a good idea anyway to check cables
regularly to see that there are no shorts between any of the
pins, and the few ribbon or dynamic microphones with any circuit
connection to ground can be identified and not used with phantom
power."

This article is from the Audio Professional FAQ

[ricksteruk]

 

The only hazard is that in case

of a shorted microphone cable, 

 

Indeed.  It is very possible to short between the pins of a male xlr whilst it's disconnected from the mic.. for example on the metal body of the xlr cable - or maybe on the end of your guitar jack that's sitting on the floor next to it.   Boom

[jamhr001]

Thanks for your reply! That's true. Is it really very likely? The shell protects the pins from casual contact with any conductor, and most people disconnecting a live line would take some care with it, whether or not they were aware of the phantom voltage.

 

I've also read that phantom power circuits have built in protection if they are reasonably well designed.

 

Someone mentioned on the other thread that some of the top boards in the world have phantom on permanently - you can't shut it off. While you can't draw any absolute conclusions from that, it's reasonable enough to assume they're not going to power those boards down every time they plug in a microphone.