3 Weeks Old And Mic Input On My Helix Rack Is Dead?

[GlennWilliam]

Hi All,

 

This is my first post as I'm new to the Helix, so hi to everyone.

 

I have had my Helix Rack now for about 3 weeks. I have been using the mic input for a few small solo gigs and it was working fine.

 

I tried it at my next job and nothing no matter what i have tried the mic input would not work.

 

Things I have tried so far:

 

My mic's I've been using - Shure beta 87a with phantom power on, and a Shure beta 58 - both these mic's work fine in my normal PA system.

 

Brand new mic cables  3 of them, nothing . All these cables work fine in my normal PA system.

 

I have re-flashed the firmware still nothing.

 

All the other inputs and out puts are working fine.

 

Is this a fault with the Helix as I have seen other posts with the same problem.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

 

[ricksteruk]

Oh sorry to hear your Helix has gone faulty  :(

 

There have been a few people reporting that their Mic input has suddenly stopped working and need to send their Helix off for repair.

 

It may just be coincidence - but I think pretty much every fault case that has been mentioned on the forum has been by people using the phantom power... now some people say that leaving phantom power on whilst unplugging / connecting mics cannot damage the mic preamp.. but I was always taught to make sure phantom was off just in case.

[MusicLaw]

Recheck these to be certain that the levels are adequately set (as they revert to factory defaults when reinstalling firmware):

 

Helix Global Settings > Mic Input

and

Helix Signal Path > Mic Input Block Settings

and

Helix Signal Path > Output Block Settings

 

If still no good, get back in touch with your vendor to see if you can exchange the unit for a new one. Otherwise, submit a Support Ticket with Line 6 to get them to service or replace the unit ASAP.

[jeremyn]

Oh sorry to hear your Helix has gone faulty :(

 

There have been a few people reporting that their Mic input has suddenly stopped working and need to send their Helix off for repair.

 

It may just be coincidence - but I think pretty much every fault case that has been mentioned on the forum has been by people using the phantom power... now some people say that leaving phantom power on whilst unplugging / connecting mics cannot damage the mic preamp.. but I was always taught to make sure phantom was off just in case.

If phantom power is on, plugging in a device can cause a huge current inrush as the coupling capacitors charge. This doesn't happen if the unit is off or the phantom power is off when plugging in. Some rack mount/powered gear with line outputs can cause huge surge currents, but even mics need to charge up their caps and will cause a higher than normal inrush. If the phantom powered input is not properly designed to deal with this, the opamp/IC on the channel input can be damaged.

 

This inrush is much slower and therefore more gentle when phantom power is powered up with the devices already connected. There is also not a big inrush problem when plugging out, although you might hear some loud noise through your speakers if you do this while everything is live.

 

Some circuit designs are designed to limit or are protected against this inrush and are ok to 'abuse' with live plug-in. However, both sides must be considered when making a call whether this will be safe. Things may seem ok, but the protection and circuits could degrade slowly and fail after a while if not designed to take it. I have not seen the Helix schematic and cannot make a call on its ability to withstand live plug-in with phantom active. This also applies to XLR outputs and the desk it's going into.

[ricksteruk]

^ yes that's what I was taught.

 

I think some people just get complacent these days.... because as you say circuits are often designed to protect against the surge.. so more often than not you could get away with "hot plugging" - whereas in times gone by it might be more a case of "instant fail".

 

Personally I always make sure phantom is off before making or breaking connections - especially with my own gear :)

[GlennWilliam]

Hi everyone thanks for the reply.

 

Yes I alway shut down all my gear before I unplug anything. As I said it was working and now it's not, very strange.

I have also check all the global settings after I re-flashed the firmware and everything seems to be correct but still nothing.

 

Anyway I'll contact the store where i brought it from and see if they will exchange it or if they want to send it for repair.

 

Thanks again.

[baldric]

I went through a similar scenario with mine using a Rode NT1 (no hot plugging involved). I opened a ticket and Line6 were extremely swift with the turn around. Trust me, you are in good hands. Hope you have the same experience with their CS, if not better. I have never played so much in my life after buying the Helix/JTV59 combo.....next on the list is an L3T then my wife and kids will never see me again.... unless they take up some kind of instument.

[GlennWilliam]

I went through a similar scenario with mine using a Rode NT1 (no hot plugging involved). I opened a ticket and Line6 were extremely swift with the turn around. Trust me, you are in good hands. Hope you have the same experience with their CS, if not better. I have never played so much in my life after buying the Helix/JTV59 combo.....next on the list is an L3T then my wife and kids will never see me again.... unless they take up some kind of instument.

 

 

Sounds good, I'm sure they will sort things out for me. I'm very happy with the helix other than that so hopefully things will workout in the long run.