hello, I have a micro korg synth that i am using for some bass lines on some songs i have. I run it through a behringer xenyx 1202 fx mixer along with may fender jazz bass and a few other instuments into a carvin ps418(900 watt bass amp). a few times when i was playing it it cut out at random, just no noise, i was not clipping the board or the amp and had the low cut at 80 hz set. some one told me that I should be using a high pass filter or some type of crossover or somthing like that with my synth, so i dont damage my speakers. does anyone have any recomondations for signal processing when using a synth through a bass guitar amp, I really want to use the synth through my bass amp and hit some really low notes but i really dont want to damage my speakers or amp. does anyone have any idea why my synth might be cutting out, or any better ways to do this? any help would be greatly appriciated. Thank you!
When it cuts out, is it ONLY the synth? Or do the other things cut out as well?
If all of them do, then we look to the power amp, the speaker, the cords, the mixer. If it is ONLY the synth, then look to the synth itself, the cord to the mixer, the particular mixwer channel.
Unless you are cranking the absolute **** out of the thing, your low synth notes won;t hurt the speaker. Well, assuming the speaker is an appropriate choice with that power amp in the first place.
SO let's assume it is only the synth cutting out. First, unplug the synth cord from the mixer, and plug it into the next channel over. I don;t care if something else is there already, this is testing time, so remove that other thing for now. That will tell us if it is the one mixer input or if th synth acts up wherever it is plugged. Next, check the cord.
If you know your bass and the power amp work, plug the cord you use for the synth into the bass buitar and then directly to the input of the power amp. Does it work reliably? Not worried about tone or power at the moment, just whether or not it still cuts out. If not, the cord is OK.
Now plug the cord back into the synth and connect the other end still direct to the power amp. Does the synth come out of the power amp reliably now? Or still cut out?
Grasp the plug that is in the output jack on the synth. Push on it side to side and up and down, to put a little pressure on the jack. Does that make it cut in and out at all? Broken solder on synth output jacks is a pretty common problem.
Give teh end of the synth a sharp rap with your hand. Does that trigger a cutout? Looking for loose connections that way.
For that matter, when the synth cuts out, do all the lights and things remain on? Or does it do anything in addition to stop making sound?
If all of them do, then we look to the power amp, the speaker, the cords, the mixer. If it is ONLY the synth, then look to the synth itself, the cord to the mixer, the particular mixwer channel.
Unless you are cranking the absolute **** out of the thing, your low synth notes won;t hurt the speaker. Well, assuming the speaker is an appropriate choice with that power amp in the first place.
SO let's assume it is only the synth cutting out. First, unplug the synth cord from the mixer, and plug it into the next channel over. I don;t care if something else is there already, this is testing time, so remove that other thing for now. That will tell us if it is the one mixer input or if th synth acts up wherever it is plugged. Next, check the cord.
If you know your bass and the power amp work, plug the cord you use for the synth into the bass buitar and then directly to the input of the power amp. Does it work reliably? Not worried about tone or power at the moment, just whether or not it still cuts out. If not, the cord is OK.
Now plug the cord back into the synth and connect the other end still direct to the power amp. Does the synth come out of the power amp reliably now? Or still cut out?
Grasp the plug that is in the output jack on the synth. Push on it side to side and up and down, to put a little pressure on the jack. Does that make it cut in and out at all? Broken solder on synth output jacks is a pretty common problem.
Give teh end of the synth a sharp rap with your hand. Does that trigger a cutout? Looking for loose connections that way.
For that matter, when the synth cuts out, do all the lights and things remain on? Or does it do anything in addition to stop making sound?
Thank You! yea my bass and other things work fine. and all of the lights on the synth remain on, and just doesnt make any sound for a few minutes. i will try what you suggest next time hopefully i can figure this out. Thnak you!
If the tests prove it is the synth dropping out, and not the cables the mixer or the amp, check the age of the synth. At somewhere around 20 years, the electrolytic caps quit working. The higher power ones tend to be heated more and leak the water out first, so oddly enough, the output stage power supply cap is probably the stage that would go. But if you do one, do them all. They have minus in balls in a stripe on one lead. Mark the PCB for minus before you remove the old ones, if you get it backwards the new ones pop open and leak immediately.
I'd been blaming dropout of a channel of my hifi on my point to point mods to my power amp. I replaced it with a tube amp, which turned out to be doing the same thing, same channel. The root cause was a crimp terminal spade lug on the end of the speaker wire. The crimp worked fine for 30 years then oxygen won out, even at 1.5 VAC . Oxygen is what destroys the rubber seals in cheap electrolytic caps. (5000 hour life caps have better sealant than rubber).
I'd been blaming dropout of a channel of my hifi on my point to point mods to my power amp. I replaced it with a tube amp, which turned out to be doing the same thing, same channel. The root cause was a crimp terminal spade lug on the end of the speaker wire. The crimp worked fine for 30 years then oxygen won out, even at 1.5 VAC . Oxygen is what destroys the rubber seals in cheap electrolytic caps. (5000 hour life caps have better sealant than rubber).
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