ADAT playback distortion

[MattC]

My friend's got an ADAT that has this problem: The light that says that the heads need to be cleaned stays on constantly, even though he's cleaned them, and the playback is distorted. I've been told that the heads might need a professional cleaning or possibly to be realigned. (aside from this little snafu and the high usage hours, the unit's in great shape) Does this sound like a possible diagnosis, and if so, how much would we be looking at playing for this service? A better question: he's a good friend, and he wants to sell this to me for only about $50 because he's upgrading. The price is nice, and money here's not a problem, I just don't want to be stuck with a non-functioning unit. Any recommendations?

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

The constant light on can mean a couple of things. 1. The idler wheel needs replacing. This is a real cheap part, but you may not be qualified to replace it yourself. 2. There was a software rev that had a problem like this. Best bet: talk to Alesis or their independent service folks and have the thing serviced and updated. It'll probably cost a couple hundred bucks, but like getting a car engine tuned, it's probably worth it. - Jeff

[Hippie]

You need to see Eddie 'the man' Caleti'. This site has given me the info. to service my ADAT's all by meself. Matt http://www.tangible-technology.com/machines.html

[DC]

Idlers are easy to replace. Just get the part and go in and find what looks exactly like it and then use comman sense. I'll agree that the absolutely best person to work on these guys for advanced problems is Eddie Ciletti. Check: [url=http://www.tangible-technology.com]www.tangible-technology.com[/url]