TOPIC:

Hi

I have a quite "old" Umik1, I have the calibrations files

I now have a MacBook Air M1, OS X Big Sur

I use REW (last "beta" version)

I have some troubles:

• Everything or nothing works from time time: I have to disconnect/reconnect UMIK1
• UMIK1 changes from 18 dB gain to 30 dB gain when this happens, next day it is back to 18 dB gain
• I did not succeed to open the back of Umik1 to check the dips. It seems impossible to open it without destroying it
• When I succeeded to make measurements, they are OK
• I do not know if my Umik1 is defective or if this a side effect of M1 chip/Big Sur
• I do not have any other computer to check UMIK1.

I have bought a UMIK2: no problem at all.

Any clue?

Thanks
Thierry

@Thierry

This is very odd indeed.. Not sure what it could be as we tested with M1 fine here all products/plugins. 
This being said, how about using the UMIK-1 on another platform (e.g. PC) to see if it's a hardware issue? That would be the easiest I think. 

Have you tried to install an older REW version? Latest beta maybe has some issues? 

Feel free to start a support ticket if you have some hardware issues. That's the official support channel (support.minidsp.com) 

DevTeam

Hi

Yes this is quite odd.

I do not have a PC to make some tests. I will be able to make some tests with a colleague on older MacBooks, but not before several weeks.

REW "beta" is mandatory for Big Sur, and "regular" version is 3 years old.

If you have some advice to open UMIK1, it seems it would be the first thing to do. I already read some threads about it, but I did not succeed to open it, and Ialready made some heavy scratches.

Do I need to open a support ticket to get advices about opening UMIK1?

Best regards
Thierry

Not sure what it could be in this case knowing that we use the UMIK-1/2 on our M1 fine.. Most likely something to be investigate together under a support ticket. 

Pls open a support ticket. That's the official mean of support as stated before.

Devteam

These forums are odd and I don’t know when this was originally posted, but I’m having a similar issue.
Using REW, I was getting a lot of resonance at 60hz. It was odd at first because I have an oblique mode around 60 so I actually treated my room more, like a noob, before it dawned on me that it could be ground hum. Since it was just below 50db I thought I just wasn’t hearing it.
The waterfall plot had a pretty straight line out to over 1000ms after the normal decay and that’s when I facepalmed and realized I was a dummy. Listening to it directly confirmed there is quite a bit of noise, although moving it around would attenuate and amplify depending where it was pointed.
I know the calibration file is required for accurate measurements, but it’s not like it shouldn’t be like any other mic when listening directly, correct?
I’m using an M1 MacBook Pro (2020) on the latest Big Sur, and because it just has USB-C, I’ve been using a hub, which I would imagine is the culprit, as cheap hubs are known to pick up interference from time to time, and I think it’s more interference than ground loop because it even happens with the MacBook unplugged from power and my interface, and all other electronics in the room switched off.
However, as the noise would change more with the position of the mic than the position of the hub (albeit still not much), I’m still not sure.
Going to give it a try on a PC next, and also see if I can find a direct adapter.
I read somewhere that there are DIP switches in the UMIK. Is this true? And would they even help in this situation?
Could other frequencies of my original SPL measurements be off because of this? (Obviously the waterfall plot will be)

Feedback: this forum could use more features, although maybe I’m just not seeing where the time stamps are supposed to be?