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Just when I'm starting to really like my VoiceWorks Plus rack unit it starts to act up. On powerup the unit has started giving the message 'DSP won't boot...' followed by 'Trying to reset...'. These messages just alternate continuously.
If I power down then power on I get the message 'Shutting down. Please Wait...' with a counter continuously incrementing. Even after 24 hours it still says 'Shutting down'.
I finally pulled the main power cable and re-attached it and the unit booted. However, it isn't reliable. Sometimes it works sometimes it won't.
Does anyone have any ideas?
The most disappointing thing is I can't get into the TC helicon support system. When I try to submit a request for help their system tells me my e-mail is in use but it won't accept any password I've ever used. When I try the 'get new password' system I never get an e-mail from them.
I hate companies that treat customers as if they are nothing more than an annoyance. Thank you PGM for not doing the same.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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when you get it to boot, have you tried return to factory settings?
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when you get it to boot, have you tried return to factory settings?
No I haven't tried that. There's no 'Return to factory settings' in the Main setup menu. I'll have to see if I can find that in the users manual. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to boot at all last night. I'll try again tonight. I'm also going to try isolating it from my other rack equipment and the midi input/output. Thanks for the suggestion and I'll report back when I give it a try.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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when you get it to boot, have you tried return to factory settings?
I just checked the manual and there is a 'restore defaults' menu command. If I can get it to boot I will try this tonight. The other thing I was thinking is the firmware. However, it seems like the unit shipped with the latest version so that is not likely going to be the cure.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Suspect the power supply first, from your reports of the malfunction.
--Mac
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Suspect the power supply first, from your reports of the malfunction.
--Mac Do you mean the internal power supply (VW+ connects to mains) or do you mean my mains supply? I'm going to try it on a different outlet in a different room tonight so that'll eliminate the mains. However, the internal power supply would require service and I can't even get hold of TC Helicon so I hope that's not the case.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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I have a TC Helicon VoiceLive Play GTX and love it. I haven't had nary a problem with it but when I have needed help, I go to the Voicecouncil forum. Great people there and I would give that a try if you haven't already. http://voicecouncil.com/forum/forum/41/voicelive-rack/
Todd
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I have a TC Helicon VoiceLive Play GTX and love it. I haven't had nary a problem with it but when I have needed help, I go to the Voicecouncil forum. Great people there and I would give that a try if you haven't already. http://voicecouncil.com/forum/forum/41/voicelive-rack/ I'll give that a try if I don't have any luck with the unit tonight. I did do a quick search on the forum and there's nothing already posted about the issue I'm having. I must say though that that forum looks good for help using the VW+ when/if I get it running again.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Do you mean the internal power supply (VW+ connects to mains) or do you mean my mains supply?
Sorry, to me a power supply is a power supply is a power supply, does not matter if its external or internal. Was talking with my Repair Technician Hat on. I would suspect a PS problem first if presented with the unit on my testbench. But if I checked things with the meter and the 'scope and did not find a power issue, of course then it would move on to looking at things like the bootup routine, which is often performed by separate small digital logic chips, these can fail sometimes in devices of this nature and cause thoase kind of problems as well. Bottom line is that if you aren't test bench qualified in this kind of electronics, your best bet is to find the factory authorized repair for your area as they are best suited and equipped with service data, experience and backing from the parent company to handle this sort of thing. That goes double, no, triple, if the thing is still under warranty. --Mac
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The most disappointing thing is I can't get into the TC helicon support system. When I try to submit a request for help their system tells me my e-mail is in use but it won't accept any password I've ever used. When I try the 'get new password' system I never get an e-mail from them.
when first faced with this issue i created another email acct for just this purpose now when i have this problem i create a new account on the site in question and use that email acct i've sometimes had success by searching my main email for responses from the company and terms like password welcome username etc.
Last edited by pghboemike; 06/21/13 06:47 PM.
M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem M3 MacBook Air 16GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
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Seems they are just slow. I finally got an e-mail saying I can log on and leave a request for help. Estimate is 4 or 5 days for a reply.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Suspect the power supply first, from your reports of the malfunction.
--Mac You may be right Mac. I tried the unit Friday night and it wouldn't boot. So I took it out of the rack and tried it on my work bench. Still no go. Then I tilted the unit to see the fromt panel better and all of a sudden it booted. It worked through maybe 30 on/off cycles before I put it back in the rack. Soon after that it wouldn't boot again. So I found an old Fuhrman power conditioner for $100 and put that in the rack. The VW+ has only failed to boot once since and then it only took a couple of tries to get it working. So it's either the VW+ doesn't like my mains supply or there's something loose in the box. Now since I'm six weeks out of warranty (yeah that sucks) I'll open the box and try to re-seat all the chips if it starts failing again.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Don't accept the 6 week warranty expiration, pitch a you-know-what if necessary.
At my part time job repairing stuff under warranty, we often have to contact the mfr and get permission to go ahead and do the warranty repair in cases close to the expiration like youra. Can't guarantee that the company will authorize, but it is certainly worth the shot for you.
**From your update description of symptoms, I now suspect something even simpler, like possibly a dirty or dry power switch. A wee shot of Deoxit in the switch may cure this.**
--Mac
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Don't accept the 6 week warranty expiration, pitch a you-know-what if necessary. You, again, make some good points Mac. I will hold off doing anything that would invalidate a warranty until I hear from TC Helicon. Maybe they'll be reasonable about warranty service. **From your update description of symptoms, I now suspect something even simpler, like possibly a dirty or dry power switch. A wee shot of Deoxit in the switch may cure this.** That, of course, is another possibility. A detailed web search turned up several cases that sounded similar to mine. Most seemed to report a poorly seated DSP chip or a defective power cord. So I think it's probably one of those 3 things. I hope TCH will step up though. It'd be much nicer to have a profesional fix than for me to get my grubby little hands in the box. hahaha
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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I recently got a totally smashed (bloody touring) TC VoiceDoubler on my workbench, with very similar circuitry inside. After re-adjusting all metal panels and replacing screws I tried booting it up but constantly was given "DSP won't boot" and "Trying to reset..."
I also suspected the PSU, but after measuring all outputs from the PSU-card all voltages seemed to be correct. The issue lies in the DSP-chip (duh!) which is, in the VoiceDoubler at least, labeled with a white sticker. I gently pulled it out of the socket, cleaned the legs on the chip and the socket VERY gently with a q-tip and some isopropane, then pushed it back and made sure it was in place. Around 50+ reboots later there's no sign of DSP error and all patches are working properly.
So if you're still experiencing these issues, try pulling the DSP-chip and putting it back in, making sure it's firmly in place.
/Chris
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