Monomachine buggy

Hey people,

My Monomachine is buggy very often.

Most of the time I’m assuming user error at first, but after trying to figure it out unsuccesfully i sometimes just turn it off and back on again, and then it works.

Is that normal? Has anyone similar experiences? And how could i fix this? Would re-loading the firmware help?

Thank you.

Can you provide a specific example?

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For example not responding to External Clock, but letting it through…

So it doesn’t sync to clock until you restart the device?

Does it stop responding to transport or tempo changes mid-jam?

Do you have Temp Sync set to Ext MIDI Clk?

FWIW, my MnM has been extremely solid since I bought it in new in late 2014.

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Yes, Temp Sync was set to Ext MIDI Clk the whole time.

@thermionic Usually it starts/stops the pattern and sets the BPM to external like it should, but yesterday i had to restart the device… I’ll have to check if it’s responding to transport or tempo changes the next time it behaves like that. But i can imagine that it won’t because the BPM was not showing “external”…

I will post other bugs, which might happen in the future here aswell.

Thank you very much!

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is the MIDI clock coming from one device and going straight into the MM or is it coming from chained machines or is the machine sending the clock, sending only clock and doing it properly? maybe there’s something else causing the issue…

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Clock/Start/Stop is coming from Ableton through the Octatrack into the Mono, out of the Mono into the Machinedrum. Don’t know if it’s really something else, cause hitting the spacebar starts ableton, the ocatrack and the Machinedrum as well…

this thread is much less about a VW Beetle converted for beat making and beach driving than I had hoped.

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lol feeling kinda bad now

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If you have the tools and are comfortable working with static-sensitive devices you could try opening up the MnM and gently and carefully reseating all ribbon cables. That often fixes “flakey” digital synth problems.

Patience is required to gently remove all the screws, keep track of them, and put them back in place. Avoid carpet & synthetic clothing to keep the static down. If you have a friend who has successfully built a lot of PCs or repairs phones, offer them a six pack of their favorite beer or a few fancy espresso drinks and they may do it for you.

Edit: if you need help, let your friend know that the MnM is worth $3500 or so, and isn’t some weird old thrift store find. :innocent:

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As with any of these problems, the next step of isolation is to go direct to the MnM and see if this goes away and we can progress :slight_smile:

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It went already away after i turned it off and back on again - but i will check if it’s going to happen again :slight_smile:

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Thanks, i will - if it is acting weird in the future.

And yeah, haha, i will make sure that the person knows the price of the MnM! :smiley:

So, re-loading the firmware wouldn’t help in any case?

Thanks y’all!

I would worry about the flakiness interrupting your firmware update. If your firmware worked well in the past it should still be good today. Code doesn’t go bad without an underlying hardware problem. Flash memory made in the last 30 years should be extremely reliable. Electrical problems could be caused by bad electrical connections between PCBs or dying capacitors. Reseating cables is an easy fix that requires minimal skill / tooling. Recapping the PCBs requires significantly more skill and effort. Another possibility is that the battery needs replacement.

I would prioritize:

  1. follow @thermionic’s testing advice for now, removing other devices from the chain to narrow the problem down
  2. Reseat internal cables
  3. Before you do the cables, find out what kind of battery the MnM has and have one on hand so you can replace it when it is open for the cable reseat
  4. If all else fails, hire a tech who can evaluate and replace capacitors
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okay, thank you very much!

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Another thing: If the Mono is set to ext midi clk and i’m using the delay i get artefacts like crazyyy.
Same thing wether clock is coming from ableton or the OT. That also happens when the mono is set to ext midi clk but i start it via pressing the playbutton on it anyway (instead of pressing the spacebar or play on the OT).

Have someone else experienced this? I know that an unstable midi clk could be the reason for this and it seems like clock is sent anyway, even if ableton/OT is paused?

Does that mean that the MIDI clock of the OT is unstable too? Or is it another bug of (my?) MnM?
Or is the Monomachine unable to receive clock if i want to use the delay (and do not want to have crazy artefacts) or is the clock from the octatrack shitty like the clock from ableton is?!

Weird. My MnM is always following the clock from Live and I haven’t noticed any artifacts. Can you post an example?

damn. i’m happy for you, but it seems more and more that my MnM is damaged in some way and i don’t know how to find out what it is and how to fix it and that fucks my up big time.

i also don’t know anyone who is able to open it and reseat all ribbon cables or something like @obscurerobot suggested

Don’t know if an example is necessary actually, if you say that you haven’t noticed any artefacts it’s clear that mine is acting weird. If i set it to internal clock the delay is running as it should, if i set it to external midi clk there are hearable artefacs immediatly…

Can you give example of the patch with “normal delay”, and another with the same patch externally clocked?

Clock from Ableton shouldn’t be that bad with any reasonable interface, not for interacting with just one device and recording into a channel that’s not being previewed at the time.