Just to be clear, I love Yamaha. I hope you will understand my current pain and help stop me from despising the MG20XU I just bought. For context and entertainment, read the story, or jump to the PROBLEM and please let me know how you avoid/solve these problems.
BACKGROUND
A loyal customer since my first motorcycle Yamaha Enduro at age 18 in Lahore, Pakistan ~1982 to my 1989 Yamaha acoustic guitar (sill unused unlearned because of untalented me) in New York, Yamaha YB200 hobbyist 'synth', couple of 1990s Yamaha synth modules, to several Yamaha Aventage A3020 (and soon A8A) receivers, to my 2012 YZ-R6 in Long Island 30 years after my first bike, to my 2016 WaveRunner SVHO (which did have its annoyances).
Back to the music front, I added the MOXF8, then HS8 studio monitors, and the MODX8+ when it came out, and now the MD20XU mixer with USB. Not "showing off" as the list is shared only to illustrate my brand loyalty). ONLY the MG20XU appears to be the single worst decision I made.
Previously I had everything working perfectly with my previous MacBook Pro totally dedicated to Logic Pro and connected to all my newer stuff with USB, acting also as a mixer and sound output device to the studio monitors. Not once did I have a problem with anything not sounding perfect. (The instruments sound perfect, my "music" is a whole other story.![:-)]( "Smile")
).
Being one of those untalented people![:-)]( "Smile")
who thinks if I buy enough books I will somehow get to read them all and get smarter, I also am a sucker for thinking, oh, adding this or that gear will make things perfect and create time on my calendar that I have not had in 30 years to spend. ![:-)]( "Smile")
PURCHASE
Kidding aside, I suckered myself into believing that instead of using the MacBook Pro as my mixer and audio interface I should spend nearly a thousand dollars (counting all the crap I have had to get in addition to the MG20XU) so all both the Yamaha synths MOXF8 and MODX8+ can go through that to the studio monitors and let the Mac only be the Logic Pro DAW.
PROBLEMS
No sooner had I set up everything and I heard the world's worst sets of ground loop noises just by sending audio from one or both synths to the MG20XU (even without connecting the USB cable from it to the Mac). Not once in YEARS had I heard the synths send that kind of noise to the speakers as the MG20XU seems to have been created just to create in my life.
I did ALL the things I could find online (except the one solution someone in this forum must have found) to try to get rid of the noise. I tried all kinds of different audio cables going from the synths to the mixer. I tried every different type of USB cables on ALL of the devices. (That is why I was talking about the $1000 bill for the mixer in total).
I even invested in the flimsy and expensive orange iFi USB ground loop isolator for $60. I tried various combinations with and without USB-C hubs to separate the devices even on the same power strip, on different power strips connected to different outlets. The gadget works on reducing noice in one device but as soon as the other Yamaha synth is connected the noise starts again.
Even then plugging any of my HDMI cables to use the external monitor with the MacBook Pro brings up a different sound/pattern of noise. Surely someone using a $700 mixer is not required to buy $720 worth of isolators for all the USB equipped devices to feed its 20 inputs and not use a monitor on their laptops?!
Is the MG20XU the opposite of a "dreamcatcher"... a device created exclusively as a "nightmare catcher" to find and send EVERY possible noise to the speakers. And this is with a Yamaha synth(s) -> Yamaha mixer -> Yamaha speakers set up. HELP!
Imran
BACKGROUND
A loyal customer since my first motorcycle Yamaha Enduro at age 18 in Lahore, Pakistan ~1982 to my 1989 Yamaha acoustic guitar (sill unused unlearned because of untalented me) in New York, Yamaha YB200 hobbyist 'synth', couple of 1990s Yamaha synth modules, to several Yamaha Aventage A3020 (and soon A8A) receivers, to my 2012 YZ-R6 in Long Island 30 years after my first bike, to my 2016 WaveRunner SVHO (which did have its annoyances).
Back to the music front, I added the MOXF8, then HS8 studio monitors, and the MODX8+ when it came out, and now the MD20XU mixer with USB. Not "showing off" as the list is shared only to illustrate my brand loyalty). ONLY the MG20XU appears to be the single worst decision I made.
Previously I had everything working perfectly with my previous MacBook Pro totally dedicated to Logic Pro and connected to all my newer stuff with USB, acting also as a mixer and sound output device to the studio monitors. Not once did I have a problem with anything not sounding perfect. (The instruments sound perfect, my "music" is a whole other story.
).Being one of those untalented people
who thinks if I buy enough books I will somehow get to read them all and get smarter, I also am a sucker for thinking, oh, adding this or that gear will make things perfect and create time on my calendar that I have not had in 30 years to spend. PURCHASE
Kidding aside, I suckered myself into believing that instead of using the MacBook Pro as my mixer and audio interface I should spend nearly a thousand dollars (counting all the crap I have had to get in addition to the MG20XU) so all both the Yamaha synths MOXF8 and MODX8+ can go through that to the studio monitors and let the Mac only be the Logic Pro DAW.
PROBLEMS
No sooner had I set up everything and I heard the world's worst sets of ground loop noises just by sending audio from one or both synths to the MG20XU (even without connecting the USB cable from it to the Mac). Not once in YEARS had I heard the synths send that kind of noise to the speakers as the MG20XU seems to have been created just to create in my life.
I did ALL the things I could find online (except the one solution someone in this forum must have found) to try to get rid of the noise. I tried all kinds of different audio cables going from the synths to the mixer. I tried every different type of USB cables on ALL of the devices. (That is why I was talking about the $1000 bill for the mixer in total).
I even invested in the flimsy and expensive orange iFi USB ground loop isolator for $60. I tried various combinations with and without USB-C hubs to separate the devices even on the same power strip, on different power strips connected to different outlets. The gadget works on reducing noice in one device but as soon as the other Yamaha synth is connected the noise starts again.
Even then plugging any of my HDMI cables to use the external monitor with the MacBook Pro brings up a different sound/pattern of noise. Surely someone using a $700 mixer is not required to buy $720 worth of isolators for all the USB equipped devices to feed its 20 inputs and not use a monitor on their laptops?!
Is the MG20XU the opposite of a "dreamcatcher"... a device created exclusively as a "nightmare catcher" to find and send EVERY possible noise to the speakers. And this is with a Yamaha synth(s) -> Yamaha mixer -> Yamaha speakers set up. HELP!
Imran
Statistics: Posted by imran — Sat Jun 22, 2024 4:42 am