ESI U46DJ works...not really as it should....

glitterbug · Post by **glitterbug** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:41 pm

Hey everyone,

i just got the U46DJ, and unfortunately i have some serious issues- i cant use it in absolute mode, just in relative, on channel 3/4.

Sadly ESI did not upload a new driver yet, so input channels 3/4 dont have a gain control, and in absolute mode, i get an error metric of 2,569220 etc. Channel 1/2 works just fine as it should.

I have the same problem with dj decks.

The problem is that i am touring right now, and i have a very crucial performance on friday.

Any ideas???

all the best, glitterbug

(btw: you will get the quicktime thing next weekend, dear pinkstah)

Post by **dlpinkstah** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:53 pm

Yes, the lack of gain control on input channels 3/4 of the U46DJ is very upsetting to Ms Pinky

How could ESI be so careless??????

Anyway-- the good news is that I'm still able to use inputs 3/4 quite well, even in absolute mode. I just use a lower-output phono cartridge so that it doesn't tend to overdrive as much (like the Stanton 505). The error metrics I'm seeing are typically in the range [0.25 .... 0.4] (25 parts in 100 up to 40 parts in 100), so the position information can still be decoded quite well.

And of course on channels 1/2 they are very much lower once I have reduced the input gain to the minimum allowed setting.

What cartridge are you using? Maybe it's output level is a little too high, or maybe your stylus is just a little dirty? I've also found that sometimes when a needle is quite worn it makes for distorted signals as well. But you know all that much better than I do..

Oh- another thing to double-check is those little 3-way switches on the front of the U46DJ -- "Hi-Z/Line/Phono". Maybe the one for channels 3/4 is in the "Hi-Z" position?

Looking forward to seeing some QT movies from you, glitterbug, so we can add you to the Pets & Friends page.

glitterbug · Post by **glitterbug** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 9:10 pm

oh pinkstah! who would have guessed to find you here...

as far as the picup cartridges go: i use the "ortofon concorde dj" pickups, and i never had any problems with them, and changing the needles to a set of super fresh ones did not change the results at all.

And sadly no, the switches are on "phono"... i wish it was that simple.

If look at the level meter of the input signal of 3/4, i more have the feeling that the gain is too low (compared to 1/2), and due to that the program cant read the timecode correctly. I set the gain for input 1/2 on minimum too, 3/4 should more likely be a little louder... i have no turntable in our apartment in Jerusalem where i am right now, so i will check it hopefully tomorrow in a friends house.

It also sucks (sorry for being so rude) that i cant adjust the levels on the front panel. Since they already build in little knobs... would have been quite easy.

Maybe i will experiment a little with a crapy leftover phono preamp that i found in our apartment, i hope that will do the (a) job.

And if worse comes worst, i will perform in relative mode.

Thanks for the quick response, hope you are doing well and bestest from Jerusalem- glitterbug

jriles · Post by **jriles** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 12:14 am

Is the conclusion that the U46DJ does not work very well, because I am looking for a sound card right now and am having trouble deciding.

freddy · Post by **freddy** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 10:41 am

remember to mute the monitor channels, to force audio through the patch (or if you want it to actually work, through DJdecks)

ESI U46DJ works...not really as it should....

Lack of gain control on channels 3/4

so..

u46dj fine