Volume Pedal fluctuating makes POD Go unusable - Venue Specific/Electrical issue?

[cvmiller39]

Hello all,

 

I'm writing about an odd and frustrating phenomenon that makes my POD Go unusable.  I have never experienced this issue anywhere except one particular venue.  This leads me to believe that there is something going on with the electrical situation.  

 

I plug all of my gear into various Furman 6-spot outlets, which in turn all get plugged into one Furman power conditioner.  That conditioner is plugged into the wall at the venue.  This is how I run every show, no matter where.  The only difference would be when I'm at home making sounds in POD Go Edit and I don't need to use the power conditioner.  

 

So back to the issue that I encounter at this venue.  Upon powering on the POD Go and testing guitar signal - it might be okay for a minute or so.  But then the signal starts to cut out.  Upon inspecting the Volume Pedal block, I have noticed that the volume percent keeps fluctuating out of control.  I wish I had a video to share what I mean.  I've got the guitar strapped to me, bent over to look at the screen - and the % indicator is jumping from 0 to 85 to 40 to 100 to 18, etc.  When I move the actual pedal, it has no effect on the %.  This part is ridiculous to me, but sometimes I can get the signal to come through when I am standing in a particular spot or I have one leg in the air.  

 

Has anyone ever experienced things like this before?  I've tried using multiple power supplies and powering the POD Go by itself right from the conditioner (bypassing the 6 spot).  No success.  None of my other gear has issues.  I had to use a backup MFX unit because of this issue and it really detracted from the performance. 

 

Would love to see if anyone has input they can share.  

 

Thanks,

Andrew

[fkgisler]

Hey Andrew--

Having been in the show production business for many years, I can tell you that I have seen and experienced enough bad power issues in venues to shock an electrician! It's a wonder some of these places haven't burned down! (Actually, come to think of it, some have....)

 

If it's only one venue where you experience this, it stands to reason there are power problems there. There are many kinds of power issues that a "power conditioner" can't fix. I use the air-quotes because power conditioners do some good, but there are a lot of power issues they can do nothing about.

 

In this case, I would be concerned about:

1. Are the hot and neutral reversed? 

2. Is there a major appliance (especially refrigeration or heating element) on the same branch circuit?

3. Is there an open neutral on that power leg?

4. Is receptacle wired correctly?

5. What's the voltage at the receptacle? Is it stable?

(There are more, but this is a start)

 

Because the PG's pedal is a digital encoder and it's essentially unshielded, it is susceptible to interference. Bad power issues in venues throw out a LOT of EMI and that can cause a lot of problems. 

 

I have a wireless rig that I cannot use at one of the venues we play. It works great everywhere else but there. I suspect it's because of the EMI and other crap all the fans they have are throwing out. But--I just need to be cabled at that venue.

 

Anyway, good luck with all that. If it is bad power at the venue, the people there either won't know about it, won't care about it, and/or won't do anything about it. At least not until it burns out the beer cooler or burns the place down.

 

Cheers! 

[cain29671]

Have you tried an isolation transformer?  

 

I had an odd issue happen yesterday with the expression pedal at a friend's home studio.   I typically use my expression pedal for volume control but a song I was playing required a wah-wah sound.  I switched the pedal to WAH; however, no Wah sound yet the Position indicator was fluctuating as expected.  So I switched back to Volume thinking there was something not set properly for that preset . Later, when selecting another preset the Volume pedal stopped working and was stuck on 100%.  When switching to Wah, the Wah sound worked.  I tried turning the unit off then on but it was stuck in this mode. Today at home everything seems to be functioning properly.  I can switch back and forth between Volume and Wah and they both work. 

 

I don't know if the venue had anything to do with it or not but it was a strange behavior for sure. When I go back I may take my on power conditioner or try an isolation transformer.

Hope this helps!