Cleaning Scratchy Pots and Faders Mackie ProFX12 Mixer

[@derekwooden4406]

Dude, get yourself a cupcake tin and you have 12 cups to hold your various little pieces. Place them in order of removal then reverse the process for reassembly. You won’t lose things or get them mixed up. Lastly, great video, very helpful. Cheers.

[@mattwaters6987]

Excellent idea! 👍😊

[@sweetbloodsmusic8279]

great idea

[@drinkinslim]

Then after you've finished cleaning all the contacts, you can make cupcakes.

[@robertvasquez5962]

I bought this exact mixer used off a friend and several of the gain knobs were jacked up. Crunchy, weak signal, or no signal being sent through. After acquiring all the sprays from home depot (less than $15 ) and getting all the tools ready it only took me 1hr 45mins to take it fully apart, clean, lube, and re-assemble the mixer. It went very smooth with using a cupcake tin to hold the hardware and a dry eraser marker to tag where everything came from directly on the tin. I will say this, the contact cleaner does what it is suppose to do and it strips the dirt, dust, and grime, but it definitely removes the factory grease. The knobs that are treated will feel less smooth when turning even after applying the C 2-26 lube, I found that working them a lot while they dry for the recommended 6 hours did help a bit. For this reason I only treated the pots that were proven to be problematic. Of course this is a small price to pay for getting good clear audio back but it was noteworthy IMO. Also, there are some pointers I have that aren't given in this video. 1) You do not need to remove both of the plastic side pieces from the outside of the mixer, just 1 will give you enough room to get the circuit board out just fine. 2) You will need to detach 2 identical ribbon cables off the back to the circuit board when you go to pull it out, having a dry erase marker to mark which one goes where is a good idea. They are not the snap in kind you can just slip them out and will only go back in one way so you can't put them in backwards. 3) When putting the circuit board back in after cleaning it I found it was very helpful to have the outer chassis on its side and then slowly line it back up and push gently on the back of the board till it got nice and snug and then fasten 2 of the small allen key screws to hold the circuit board from shifting out of place, keeping it sideways will also keep the washers from falling off the 1/4 jacks that go on the inside of the case. After attaching those 2 allen screws, take advantage of having plenty of access and re attach the rear USB and Main XLR outs BEFORE you put the bottom back on. 4) Use some latex or nitrite gloves, when ever you handle a circuit board its good to keep your finger prints/oils from getting on it. Keeping the cleaner and c 2-26 off your skin is certainly a plus as well. GOOD LUCK!

[@DavidSayen]

I kept delaying because I was afraid. Finally half of the trim pots were cutting out and I took the plunge. I did it! Thank you!

[@genemcgarry572]

Good video - Also good idea - take pictures as you go along- makes it easier to put things back together the way they should go, always bag or box and label parts, screws etc. as you go along, after turning the pots leave them in the all the way up position to dry- sometimes residual gunk inside can redeposit in the spot where the pot was left- all the way up is probably a position that will never be used so any residual gunk should stay there and not cause further problems

[@georgemuraya6936]

True!!

[@henrys3138]

I use dollar store ice cube trays to organize the knobs, washers, and screws.

[@mattwaters6987]

​@Primusux😂😂😂

[@kidritalin1]

I have a MACKIE Micro Series 1202 VLZ. It looks like it might be a little older than this, and has Gain knobs at the bottom (instead of volume sliders). I was unsuccessful at getting to the top of the green circuit board to access the pots directly and want to share what ultimately worked for my situation.After removing all the screws, nuts, washers top bottom and sides, the top would only loosen and NOT drop away completely from the circuit board. So I cut a short (1-1/2") straw that just fit over the potentiometer stems and set it over each pot stem and gave each a small shot of the De-Ox. Then cleaning any excess immediately from the board with a dry paper towel and then Pledge Multi-Surface cleaner (not the anti-bacterial stuff), and twisted the knob stems along the way. Every one of them immediately loosened up. I replaced all the hardware and everything now works as intended. I suspect that this straw truck would have also worked ,not taking the board apart at all, but by all means, if you can get your board apart, disassembly would ultimately be much better. I used DeoxIT Gold G5 (for gold surfaces (because it's all I had on hand), and Pledge Multisurface (NOT the anti-bacterial). Thank you for this video.

[@garybruno5152]

I used the information in your video to clean my "totally dead mixer". Alive and kicking! Sounds like new, no joking. Thank You!

[@ncironjohn4336]

You have to be extremely careful with the compressed air. It can freeze components leading to a cracked solder joint. Move quickly and don’t let it linger on any one spot.

[@Sicbay138]

@Primus I'm sure its mostly just if you have shaken the can accidentally, or are trying to spray at an odd angle. I've never heard anybody say it happened to them though.

[@johnsuggs3952]

@@Sicbay138 That's correct. It only freezes when you spray it while shaking the can. I don't know how you even shake a can while spraying it in a fader

[@richsouthward4029]

Just finished putting my console back together. Thank you for the video! I would not have attempted this without watching you do it first. My console works like new for $22, and I was ready to throw it away

[@brwLWScctv]

Now that I've seen it being done, I want to do it on my own Mackie mixing board. I inherited this big piece of equipment from someone else who I don't think ever cleaned the pots as there is some scratching and cutting out. Thank you!

[@gambitshotshadow1643]

I’ve got a Mackie pro 12v2 that had this same problem. After watching this vid, I did the repair. Gotta say, my mixer is like new! For the win!

[@plso3717]

Wouldnt it be an idea to first use the electronics cleaner and THEN the compressed air? And then lubricate if needed lastly?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

i figure the compressed air gets rid of a lot of the dust that are in and around the electronics, and then use the electronics cleaner. If you want to do the cleaner first, no issues, but to me it makes more sense to do the compressed air first. And yes, lubricate last. You want it as clean as possible before adding lubricant, which is what I do in this video.

[@marksantora1168]

Thank you for this. I've been having massive issues with my Gain control and you described exactly what's going on with it. I guess I'll be dissembling it this weekend!

[@alexnewberry8074]

That is EXACTLY the problem at the place I work. It's embarrassing to have the monitors making that crunchy sound. Yup, and we never cover the board. Thank you. I think you just saved us $2K for a new board. For $100, I'll have her clean. Good old KZbin. An answer for everything, and a way to get 'er done.

[@marstar6262]

I don’t want to have to do this again. Music retailers want $20 for a dust cover. I repurposed an old windbreaker jacket. Should do the trick.

[@buddhistsympathizer1136]

Thanks for the video - I have exactly the same issue with an Alto LIVE 1202 mixer - Scratchy gain pots on the first four channels. I'll be going in to the case do some cleaning in a few days. All the best from the UK

[@schoenkind]

When I repaired my Mackie mixer your advice with the toothbrush helped me solving the problem :) Thank you

[@josegalicia9912]

thank you for this video i fix my scratchy pots and slider ... now its fully functional again ...

[@johnsuggs3952]

You don't need to spray a lubricant into faders and pots. Especially if it leaves a oil residue. Oil resedue can trap dirt and debris over time that can lead to damaging the fader or pot. I've used DeoxIT Fader and the Contact cleaner from home depot that he uses in the video. But I never spray lubricant in the faders or pots. Outside of that, he does an excellent job. Correct about using a small amount. I've seen in other videos where people spray until it's dripping out of the part. NEVER DO THAT.

[@deejayleo510]

You forgot to mention how difficult it is putting this thing back together.

[@RegisBladeStudios]

This is EXACTLY what i needed to see, thanks so much!

[@wallmartkiller]

Same.

[@WilliamBreen-sv9xp]

Good video,but id try something before i took it apart,i used a hoover and put it over every socket and every fader including the eq,then i removed the gain knobs and because of the shape of the amp theres an incline from the top so i sprayed the contact cleaner into top of each gain toggle and gave them a twirl and removed any excess cleaner with a paper towel,then sprayed each fader including eq, gave it another hoover and put the gain knobs back on and voila all problems solved,mine were very scratchy and even had signal cut out etc,so this was the lazy man’s approach and it worked,but thank you great video

[@goodrusty4148]

great simple tutorial for a modern mixer. I have a mackie, & most tutorials are about guitar amps! also, the sprays are not expensive like others.

[@allaboutjones]

Very helpful. Thanks. I remember cleaning my mixer as a teen. A lot of this knowledge came back to me. Your tips certainly added on to what I knew. I had to ask myself, “how did we learn these things before KZbin?” Lol. Thanks.

[@DJJazzyDwight]

Very nice! I've a few Mackie boards that need this work done. I've got a bit of work ahead of me now.

[@TheMightyLordismySheperd]

Great video thanks for sharing! I’ve my neither old nor cheap Allen&Heath ZED14FX and all faders are either scratchy or plain dead and I was about to get rid of it for peanuts on eBay and get a new mixer but I’ll give it a chance after watching this.

[@chuckkern5538]

I have the mackie 1202vlz4 and did the same thing with the deoxit d5.. letting to dry up a few days befor i re assemble.. thanks for the advice on how to clean and lubracate those knobs.. all 69 of them hehe

[@ddsstudiosymphony8269]

Really a nice video and am excited to do it for my mixer. Could any one let me know the hex wrench size please, i dont have the tiny little one yet! Thanks in advance.

[@voicetube]

I have a question (this would be for people watching the video as much as the creator of this video, Dave). As an alternative to doing all that, could one possibly get away with simply spraying each pot as best one can with out taking the mixer apart with a contact cleaner I have found to be excellent for my mixers which is "WD-40 contact cleaner" (NOTE: this is NOT WD-40 but made by the same company - WD-40 is a particular type of lubricant that I probably wouldn't spray electrical parts with but this WD-40 CONTACT CLEANER is a different animal and as I say, seems to work pretty well). So, if one had a similar situation but only, as I say, simply sprayed the pots from the top (into the crevice between the knob and the mixing board without taking off even one screw) could one accomplish pretty much the same thing? I realize it wouldn't be as thorough but if it did the job at least until one were to purchase a newer mixer, I'm wondering if that might be sufficient.

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

As you already noted, it won't be as thorough. It might get you by as a short term fix, but it certainly won't last nearly as long as a good cleaning. If you have time, do the whole cleaning job. If you have to play tomorrow night, and the board works "well enough', don't do anything right before a gig unless you have a backup board. If you have a week, you can try to do your minimalist solution, and worst case scenario, you have a week to go get a new board. Best case, it sounds a little better at least until you can take them time to do it right.

[@voicetube]

@@DaveGoodrumMusic okay, got it; thanks! Definitely makes sense. I was just about to buy a used version of this mixer (the original version of the Mackie Pro FX12 Circa 2014-2016) and then just in time, I was made aware of the fact that there was a "V2" and NEWER "V3" version of this basic same model mixer (the V2& V3 being newer iterations since the original) and so, decided to probably pay a bit more money and will probably now get a more lightly used V3. Now, one thing you have helped me do is probably greatly lengthen the time between my purchase and when I will have to clean it (as I had never thought about protecting the parts from dust and such) is your suggestion of putting a cover of some sort over the mixer between uses!! Dude, that is BRILLIANT (and I suppose possibly one of the main takeaways that I got out of this video). When/if the day comes that I do need to tear the machine apart, I now feel confident I can do so, after having viewed your video :-)

[@rohwayne]

That was super easy to do for my Mackie Profx8. Thanks for the info on the right stuff to get. I'll let you know how it sounds on my next gig.

[@darwinmontesa2866]

Good day, Just want to ask what size of Allen key you us. Thanks and god bless you

[@royalblue5246]

Is it normal if your slider is easier to move up and down then the other sliders the channel 1 & 2 I used the most that easy can move up & down I need to clean my power mixer thanks for the information and what to use I also didn't cover mine up and I live in a old farm house that I'm fixing up

[@Good_Dave]

Good question. I'm guessing that the ones you don't use as much have some extra friction from either dust or maybe has more lubrication or electrical grease or something in there. If it's really hard to move them, it could be anything. If it's minor, I wouldn't worry about it. I really don't know the answer to this question. Opening it up will find the answer probably!

[@royalblue5246]

What lubricant do I use and what I use to clean the mother board with its so dusty I've heard if you use the wrong percentage it could damage the motherboard components ect

[@jamestheradioman]

Wow! Painstaking work! Impressive. I have a Mackie ProFX12v3 and the USB channel 11/12 fader left channel drops out and crackles. I have to pot it up to full max to get both channels to read on the VU meters. And sometimes I get levels when it's potted all the way down 🤔. At times I can just tap on the fader knob and audio jumps on with the fader completely down. It's really wonky and I'm not a super tech like the guy in this video. I was thinking I may need to just clean it out with compressed air or one of those computer air blowers. Any suggestion from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

[@charliesmith9528]

Have a rockville rpm 109 that i love but the slide switch that controls main left and right monitors has a short ,when i wiggle it both sides will play for ashort time..how cani fix this

[@CarsPaint]

Lol I'm panicking just watching you do this 🤣🤣🤣

[@Luxdg]

Hello! I have a lot of scratchy problem and i have the same exact model of mixer, i think this video will help me a lot to solve the issues. Thank you for this video i appreciate so much.

[@levipatterson4698]

How do you recommend cleaning the 1/4 inch jack input/outputs?

[@happylittlesynth]

Is there an equivalent for CRC 2-26 multi purpose lubricant? In canada the stores are saying its discontinued ....

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

I just checked amazon and you can buy it there. the CRC website says it is not discontinued. Maybe they just don't sell it in Canada eh?

[@happylittlesynth]

@@DaveGoodrumMusic Eh, you're probably right! ;)

[@laidbackmedia]

What would cause a channel to intermittently only output a signal to either the left or right?

[@WesternPromise5831]

I have a Mackie ProFX8 V2 Mixer. It has a Scratchy pot on Channel 1 High Gain knob. Question is could I not just try spraying contact cleaner straight into the mixer without removing the covers ect as my mixer is a bit mote complicated. I'm being lazy but safe with this question.

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Great question... give it a shot and let us know how it goes! What's the worst that can happen?!?!?

[@podsanddocs2302]

@@DaveGoodrumMusic Amazingly it worked. I just removed the Pot Plastic Switch and squirted in plenty of contact cleaner. After half and hour leaving it to dry I tested it and it seemed fine. I wouldn't recommend it as a full service but if its just one Scratchy pot then it's worth trying.

[@williampercival3472]

Do you know how to reset a audiopro yorkville 1216 powered mixer

[@synthiak]

My mixer is as good as new. Thx!

[@petebull8233]

I bought a mackie mixer 2 years ago used a few times but recently went to use it with a pair of powered speakers...I do Karaoke and wanted to go with minimal eqipt. any how after set up I found I had the same problem as you. and will do this to clean my board thanks for confirming the problem

[@ClaudioParraGonzalez]

Man, I would have love to see a good picture from both sides of the circuit board. If you could please share them, it would be awesome.

[@raylandolfi9440]

i have a proFX12 that would intermittently lose a channel......moving the sliders or knobs didn't help but a quick smack fixed it...i only assume it was a bad soldier jount so bought a new V2 cause repair was just as much as new....now I wanna go clean it and maybe it can be my backup unit it this works.... Thanx

[@davidpietz9346]

This is a problem on my mixer as well. It's disappointing I've had this mixer for only 3 years and the scratchiness and lost channels are causing serious trouble.

[@oki_music]

good video. but what about the scratchy buttons?

[@richardmountz3865]

I have a two year old Peavey that's been covered and it's so bad. I have mixers four times as old and their fine. I don't think they lube at the factory...

[@madmattchicago]

My friend broke one of the knobs off along with the black thing underneath it. How can I replace those?

[@marianogermain3326]

Hello this video is really quite helpful! I happen to have the very same issue with the gain scratch, but with model profx12 V2. They look quité the same, would i need to take some special care while disasembling? Thanks a lot. Mariano

[@ToniJXN]

Did you clean the faders only with the duster air? Or also with the contact spray

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

contact spray on everything and then lubrication also

[@djpacman7232]

I need this done to mine, so I have to open it up in order to clean it out

[@RobertDavisAdman]

Good job... thanks for cutting to the chase and not making the viewer slave through loquacious chatter. ;)

[@bakerbakerbaker305]

does this solve a squeaky pot my mids are howling when I turn them wtf I’m on a analog mg yahamha mixer

[@kikomi888]

Sometimes my gain cut off and had a scratchy sound while turning it :( I hope this would fix my problem thanks... And sometimes my fx button cut off and scratchy sound while turning....

[@darthvader5701]

Pro tip, I washed mine in the bathtub. Really clean and super silent.

[@lukewyn-harris5628]

Darth Vader I mean with a Mackie it probably would still work.

[@fredbo3009]

Great video !! but i ask what Allen key size ??

[@jimsutton1179]

My Mackie ProFX8 requires a 5/64 standard Allen wrench.

[@Samuel.mulinge]

I have a similar mackie with the same problem. Thank you

[@lucaguitarplayer]

the best video that i saw in argument. i suggest for the cleaning of the case, using a vacum with boar bristles extension

[@TheCrystalGlow]

Gianluca Caliendo not good to do. Vacuum cleaners have negative air pressure which will build up static electricity and could cause ESD and also death to the board. It’s why vacuum cleaners are a HUGE no no on computers.

[@ddsstudiosymphony8269]

what about if i use the blower end to blow air instead of the suction end?

[@zlatkofrlic5204]

Is it possible to get the good result with just removing the gain pots?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

if only your gain pots are causing scratchiness, sure. But, if you go through all the trouble to take it apart, you may as well do them all.

[@TheDavidJohnson]

Thanks! My ProFX8 was almost useless, and now it's working perfectly again!! (It's nearly identical in just about every possible way, except I have 5 sets of faders & knobs instead of 8.) Appreciate it!

[@scottyslade]

You didn't spray cleaner and lube into the inputs correct? Just on knobs and sliders? Just want to be sure!

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Just knobs and sliders. But you could spray canned air into the inputs as they can also collect dust if you are not covering your board up.

[@scottyslade]

@@DaveGoodrumMusic Thx!

[@dave11222]

A bit of advice. Vacuum it first. Why? Do I really have to tell you?

[@mattavalon]

Hi there I've taken all the bolts hex and knobs off mackie 1402 vlz but how do i detach the board to clean? seems stuck to the top input area, do the gain knobs have to come off too? thanks Matt

[@TheSouthdownband]

great job, this is not a job for the adhd people but every board needs it at somepoint, even boards that are kept in roadcases get scratchy pots and sliders, 1 thing i did not see you do tho that you should have was the mute buttons, every board i have had to do this to has sticky mute buttons where they dont open once pushed , but atleast you can pull the mute buttons out without having to take the hole board apart and spray them pretty good, i was taught by a older gentleman that was in his 70s to use Wd40 on the sliders and stuff, but never felt it was the right thing to use so i ended up buying a can of electronics lub and seems you will never run out of it, 1 can goes so far you end up having to toss it after a few years because it seems to lose pressure before you run out :) great video! just a reminder take a few pictures of the knobs if you want to put them back on in the right color order haha!

[@amamdani15]

Thank you for the video, i picked up an old mackie mixer for something light to take to smaller events and some of the knobs were a little tight because of prior use. I followed your video and used a small stiff brush to clean as i went along and everything works amazing now.

[@Bubunya]

Nice and helpful video, thanks a bunch :) Question... I have a same board, switching from almost 20 yo old VLZ and noticed that all new models comes without crossfader dust sleeves. As a result this new boards are dust collectors :( Have you even think to install felt or rubber sleeves? DIY or third companies one? Too bad there is no way to cover EQ sliders, not enough space for any kind of sleeve...

[@DiegoFernandez-uo4hz]

did it hoold well afeter this years? I was thinking about buying the Deoxit D100 Spray, but seems that CRC 2-26 can make the trick at lower price, can anyone confirm?

[@egogreen2045]

Beautiful!

[@SirMillz]

what do I do about scratchy input jacks? can I spray clean those also? Thanks

[@marstar6262]

Thanks for this! I just ordered the products at Home Depot. I have a 5 year old ProFX12 that really needs this treatment. Would it be better to gently vacuum the inside of the open unit instead of using compressed air? From the comments below, it seems that can cause problems. Is it necessary to use the compressed air?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Don't hold the compressed air on any one area. Move your hand back and forth, spraying quickly and in short bursts. You can use a vacuum, but unless you have a very strong vacuum, with a tiny suction hose, you'll never get the pressure that you get from canned air.

[@marstar6262]

@@DaveGoodrumMusic Thanks! This worked out great.

[@parachuteman4]

Great video. Is that the only access to spray cleaner into those pots ?

[@miicar204]

What do you think you would charge someone to do this for them?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Great question. You can buy a new ProFX12v3 for about $360. So, at some point, fixing it may not be worth it if you have to pay somebody. For somebody who is doing it on their own for the first time, this probably would take 2-3 hours. But, this is probably a one hour job for somebody who knows what they are doing. What's a good hourly rate for a skilled audio technician? $100/hour? 200/hour? For the FX12, it might not be worth it. But, what if you had a larger mixer like a FX22 that runs almost $800? Maybe $200 or $300 would be worth it for the higher priced models.

[@EMU-sc1zi]

How long will it last until you have to do it over again? I have a Mackie 1604 Onyx-i which I used to love, but the preamps are now to the point of being completely unusable. I just dread going through all this... seems like it would take an entire day or more to accomplish

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Your Mackie should be like new after you do this. So, how long did it take for it get messed up? This fix should last that long. Maybe longer if you take more precautions to keep the mixer covered to protect from dust.

[@rduch6594]

Just received mine yesterday and this video will be helpful in the future... but it's in a home studio and I always put a plastic cover over all my electronic components when not using.

[@omgsolikevalleygirl]

I have a 1604i where especially the preamps are shot like that as well. May I ask: How long would your repair last before you have to do it again? My mixer is only 5 years old, so I was a little shocked to find it deteriorate so fast.

[@SellingLoudounCounty]

it all depends on how much it's used and how it's stored. the issue is dust. So, in a dusty environment, out in the open, uncovered all the time, it can deteriorate quite quickly. This one was 2 years old. 5 years is pretty good if you're using it a lot. If it's kept in the box all the time, it should last forever!

[@omgsolikevalleygirl]

thanks for the reply! I am usually covering it against dust but I have it mounted vertically so maybe that is why esp. the preamt pots are so bad at this point. Good to know there is hope though, I was almost feeling like throwing it out completely

[@bluelifemedia]

Did this also reduce noise and humming?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

If you have a constant hum or buzz, that's likely some sort of electrical interference or a transistor or capacitor going bad. First, determine if the buzz is from the board or from something plugged into the board. If you have a buzz or hum with NO inputs, then the buzz is caused by the board. If the buzz only happens when something is plugged in, does it happen on every input, with every device? Go through the process of elimination to isolate the problem. You could also try a different power source to see if it makes a difference. Try a completely different electrical circuit in the house or buy a power conditioner strip like the Furman Power Conditioner strip. If you still have the buzz, then you have serious issues and a cleaning won't help.

[@bluelifemedia]

@@DaveGoodrumMusic I will try all of the above and let you know. Thanks for the advice.

[@jeremyleonard923]

I did this on a Berhringer Mixer worked perfect. Thanks. :)

[@telumatramenti7250]

Thanks for the video. Question: It's not just the pots themselves that I find sound dirty when you turn them, but the actual channels. I think (but not entirely sure) that the problem is with +4/-10 Decibel buttons on each stereo channel. Before what used to happen is either left or right channel would go quieter and I would have to toggle those buttons to get adequate L/R Balance again. But now one of my stereo channels (11/12 - the one I use for beats incidentally) always sounds dirty. Could that little switch be the reason? Mine is by far not as easy to open as yours, so I would rather get an opinion first, before I proceed. I was suggested using rubbing alcohol for cleaning, do you think this will work? Also: I have the means to mount the board vertically, would this be enough to protect it against dust in the future? Another thing is: my FX just completely stopped working. The LED light goes on but the sound isn't altered. Is it related or I'm out of luck. Sorry for too many questions and thanks in advance.

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

It's really impossible to know for sure. All you can do is try and hope cleaning it fixes things. Dust does cause all kinds of issues. And yes, mounting vertically will definitely help. There is already a slope on the board, so mounting vertically you should end up with a negative slope now, which will definitely help keep dust out!

[@eartraffic]

yes those little buttons cause the problem you mention. Hard to fix that as there is no way it seems, to open those up.

[@FeeneyAaron]

I'm taking apart a CFX 16, and the hex screws are being super difficult to get off! I have a 1.5 Allen key, but it seems just a little bit too small. Does anyone else have this problem? Should I be using a rounded end Allen key?

[@jimsutton1179]

My Mackie ProFX8 requires a 5/64 standard Allen wrench.

[@devonbrown8877]

How can I fix my Mackie profx12 the crossfaders and it lifts the left side of each is not working what do you think is the problem

[@georgethottam9328]

what size screw driver to use to remove the small screws?

[@subdude1234]

A ten foot diameter would probably fit just right?

[@mattwaters6987]

It's a good thing replacing the main fuse is only removing 12-14 screws from the bottom. Whew!

[@wallmartkiller]

Didn't even bother to take my Mackie apart. Used the cleaner on my scratchy gain pot and it was better than new.

[@JohnnyX50]

I came here while looking to fix my Alesis Multimix 8 USB mixer. My Main Mix pot is scratchy and cuts audio randomly and the 3 '2 tlk to' push buttons have scratch on them, its so annoying as it affects the output when recording. Thank you for showing how you did this, I am getting straight to work on mine. I will be using a tiny amount of ordinary WD40 and hopefully it will cure it. On a side note I have noticed when using USB from my PC as audio IN there is no noise in the signal, however if I try to record via USB there is that awful electronic noise you get from USB devices, even though my motherboard has Clean DAC Power USB Audio technology built in so not sure whats going on there unless there is a ground issue somewhere.

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

make sure you use a shielded USB cable and with a ferrite noise suppressor.

[@624radicalham]

Never use WD40 as it creates a film which dust sticks to and eventually ruins the potentiometers ... that's a big no no brother. Think long term. use DE-OXIT or Contact Cleaner only

[@bmusician08]

Hi, Can one by cleaning it this way get rid of hissing from mixer? I have a fairly old mixer. Even iff all the gains are all the way down with faders, I hear hiss sound from speakers that I don't hear when I have my Yamaha brand new mixer! Do I need to sent to a professional for a service?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Hiss could be from a lot of different things. Usually I associate hiss with 1/4" vs XLR to the speakers. Always try to use XLR when possible. Cleaning your mixer using this video probably will NOT help you with constant hiss.

[@hanny4697]

Old question - but if the hiss is there even when turned all the way down - you may have a blown capacitor on the board. Generally those are like a $.35 fix and most of the time a constant hiss or hum is *not* caused by dusty pots.

[@SEVENISTHEMAN7]

Isn't contact cleaner a temporary fix? Thanks for the vid

[@SellingLoudounCounty]

Once you clean and lubricate the board, it will be practically brand new. It WILL get scratchy again if you don't take care of it though. The reason they get scratchy in the first place is because of a buildup of dust usually. At the end I recommend using a towel or rag to cover your mixer after use to keep dust out. If you keep the dust out it will last a lot longer. If you don't, then in two years, you'll be repeating this video.

[@SEVENISTHEMAN7]

@@SellingLoudounCounty My consoles get vacuumed constantly I have an 8 bus 32 Channel and an 8 Bus 24 Channel custom linked together by my dad's old Pals from A&R Recording-Joe Finelli who's a really wonderful, wonderful tech and a great friend too. I've been blessed to have some of his friends as my own. Beautiful people.

[@robertocaesar]

I think that if the resistance is intact (not worn badly) this maintenence would leave your pots like new. If the resistance material is badly damaged it would mean that even with this treatment it wouldn't get a smooth linear response. And if that's the case you'd need to replace the part. But have in mind that these pots are well built from factory, so you have to give it a shot for the cost

[@quantumeseboy]

Mine mainly has issues with those little buttons, did you clean them?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Not really. Those don't usually seem to have the same problems, but you can always spray contact cleaner in there to see if it helps.

[@RepublicBroadcastingNetwork]

but MY WHOLE MIX BOARD IS SCRATCHING while i TRY TO listen TO THIS VIDEO!!!1! just kidding looks like you know what you're doing and 'get it' nice vid

[@maxheadrom3088]

Thanks for the video! Did you use just D5 or did you use Fader Lube? If I use fader lube, how long after the D5 I should wait? Thanks! (I'll be repairing my 820i today).

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

After using compressed air, and then contact cleaner, I used CRC 2-26 multipurpose lubricant. no need to wait after lubrication

[@brushcl]

@@DaveGoodrumMusic I know I’m late to this party - but I thought Mackie was against using contact cleaner? That their pots are sealed and can’t make use of it? I was at the factory in woodinville a few years ago and was told that. Thoughts?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

@@brushcl if they are sealed then you should not have scratchy pots, correct? If your pots are scratchy, this is the fix. Absolutely worked for me and others seem to have had the same positive experience.

[@patricklechuga3228]

Your video is an awesome one!!!

[@HDBoy]

Thanks for the nice tutorial

[@trevoratt]

contact cleaner washes out the essential lubrication in the pots. it works for a while though. don't forget to relube...2-26 goes highly recommended.

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Yup, that's why I used lube at the 6:24 mark.

[@DevonDassaw]

You HOPE this was helpful? From the looks of things this is PRETTY FREAKIN HELPFUL. Like download this video and save it offline kind of helpful. Good stuff man. Good stuff.

[@kiddrum99]

How long has the repair worked, is it still working?

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

I actually sold it. But, it should stay working for as long as the lubrication stays clean...which is totally related to keeping dust out.

[@bwd1963]

A person smoking or smoking venues or such is so hard on electronincs , the particles in the seem to be magnetly drawn in . I just bought a used system i will be doing this , im happy its a smaller amp😀

[@spivvo]

thanks , this helped me. you need a magnetic tray!

[@TheCrystalGlow]

A word of caution to users: don’t use the canned air indoors without proper ventilation. HFC152 (canned air) is still toxic is large quantities to breathe and could cause major breathing issues.

[@Drinkyoghurt]

Actually, pots don't go bad because you didn't cover them up. They usually go bad because they're not being moved most of the time. I just got a Mackie Onyx 1220 that had been sitting in a closet for 10+ years and has scratchy pots, but only on the ones that had something plugged into them without actually moving them.

[@DaveGoodrumMusic]

Cleaning the board won’t fix a bad pot. But dust getting in will cause scratchiness. If you have scratchy pots, it is probably dust. The pot probably hasnt gone bad, it just needs to be cleaned.

[@Twobeers1]

I have cleaned mine about 10 times now. It still has scratchy spots & lots of dead spots. I think I am going to have to scrap it. My grandson spilt coffee, orange juice & Coca Cola all over it. I think that using soap water would be a bad idea & most likely lead to other problems. Damn.

[@SellingLoudounCounty]

Two Beers liquids and electronics dont mix as you have found out! You may have a circuit that is shorted at this point.

[@Twobeers1]

I tried Deoxit D5 & F5. I tried WD40. I tried alcohol. I tried varsol, I tried brake cleaner. I tried using the air compressor. Finally I settled on my Eureka steamer, finalized by proteas amounts of alcohol, blown out with the air compressor & finished off with Deoxit D5. Works great again. The gunk was so hard I couldn't even scrape it off from around the sliders with a screw driver tip.

[@izy5200]

I had bought three profx12 V2 mixers for rehearsal rooms and after only 1.5 years the gain pots already cracked with the sound disappearing as a result ?? . Mackie would not give a guarantee on this. Their explanation, used too heavily? they were attached to the wall, never moved and no smoking dry area! You are warned when you buy this. Two of them also needed a repair on the powersupply within the year that Mackie took in to guarantee. Gr.

[@ribside]

Superb thank you

[@parachuteman4]

great tutorial thank y ou