No Sound?

Elektron Gear Model:Cycles
#1

Hey everyone,

total newbie here inn the forum as well as with Elektron devices. I started around 2 years back with a midi keyboard and a Korg Volca samples. The possibilities of the M:C seem endless so I ordered one which finally arrived after 2 and a half weeks time.

I had to recognise that the audio out, as well as the hp out, are 6.3mm jacks (Korg is going with a 3.5mm hp out and I use regular RCA cables for my DDJ400). Gonna get some asap but with the lockdown in Ireland this can be a pain in the assā€¦

However, I have a 3.5 to 6.3mm jack adapter which I tried to use with my headphones on the M:C but for some reason I dont get any sound.

I googled and didnā€™t find anything, so sorry already for my lack of knowledge but I want to learn something :smile:

Thanks guys and have a great day!

#2

hi, welcome to the forumā€¦ does your headphone have a microphone? i had issues with adapters before, when the 3,5mm headphone jack has 4 polesā€¦ if so, try to wiggle it a little and do not stick it un the adapter completelyā€¦

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#3

Hey @308 , welcome to the community.

please check whether your headphones are TRS or TRRS. (Headset vs headphones)

It will only work with TRS.

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#4

Thanks for the kind words nionmu!

Yeah, those are Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless with a headset function included. They have the possibility to be used with a wire (3.5mm jack output) and I use them for DJing all the time. But you could be right with that, I will give it a try now and see if something changes. Also the adapters are cheap, maybe thatā€™s the reason but good to know that this can happen.

In general, if I go and buy 2 x 6.3mm Jack cables I should be able to connect them to my studio monitors, or wonā€™t I?

Thanks,
308

#5

Thanks mate, I guess that is my problemā€¦

#6

Checked it now and it is definitely a TRS on all my 3.5mms. Is it possible that the adapter is broken or simply not working? Any chance to test if there is an active sound output?

#7

Do you have a usb cable plugged in? You could check that the audio settings are correct:

12.4.2 INT OUT
Sets if Model:Cycles sends internal audio to the MAIN OUT and HEADPHONES OUT or not.
OFF sends no audio.
AUT sends audio unless you are sending and receiving audio over USB. If so, the Model:Cycles
detects this and sends no internal audio to MAIN OUT and HEADPHONES OUT.
ON sends audio.

and check the headphone level:

12.4.1 HP MAX
The parameter sets the limit of the Headphones volume. This setting is useful if you want to have different volume settings for MAIN out and HEADPHONES OUT, for example to protect your ears and your headphones if you want to turn up the MAIN OUT volume really loud. You can see the HP MAX setting as a little headphones symbol when you turn the MAIN VOLUME knob.

#8

Hi CompuNation and thanks for the assistance here.

I already checked the headphone volume and set it to max. I also checked on the INT OUT and went through OFF, AUT, and ON but without any actual output to the headphones. I checked the USB cable and connected it to my Mac, unfortunately I just run garageband on it and I canā€™t tell if there is really a compatibility between those 2. If I switch the mode to MIDI device, garageband recognises it but I am not able to do any recordings nor am I able to get any output through the computer at all.

I just unboxed the device, plugged it in and connected the headphones. Iā€™m not even sure if there is already something programmed but the sequencer runs through 1-16 when I press play with different tracks being highlighted.

I just hope it is my equipment and not the M:C that has an issueā€¦ Waited soooo long for it :confused:

#9

It ā€˜shouldā€™ be set to just work out of the box if I remember correctly.
If you press the record button so that it is lit permanently red (step record mode), some of the trig keys should be lit. If they arenā€™t then there isnā€™t anything programmed - just press a few of them and they should stay lit and something will have been programmed. Hope that makes sense!

Edit: sorry my manners must still be asleep hah! Hi and welcome : )

#10

No worries, thanks for welcoming me mate :smile:

I just had another look and went through the record function, it works pretty much the same way as the Korg Volca machines do, so I think this was not the problem :weary:

Just contacted some music stores in the neighbourhood to see if I can get my hands on some cables today.

Ever heard of a defect device being sent out? I would really not expect that from such a ā€œsmallā€ manufacturer but who knows, maybe it is just me being really stupid with the M:Cā€¦

Thank you
308

#11

another thing you could test:
press FUNC + T1 (T2 ā€¦ T6) to mute / unmute the track

#12

Yeah its standard behaviour. I wouldnā€™t worry as it is likely something simple and not the unit itself. Just need to use trial and error I guess. Do you have some other headphones or earphones to test with?

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#13

no mate, chill and first get the cables, i guess it will work with themā€¦ :slight_smile:

in the waiting time read the manual and watch some videos about this cool box

#14

I had to wait almost 3 weeks for the delivery, I watched so many videos that I just want to push buttons :smile: But you are right, manual is a good thing to study now!

#15

try to use your phone or tablet with your trrs headphone and see, if you can hear the usb audioā€¦

#16

Nope, at least none of them with a 6.3mm jackā€¦

One thing I recognised tho, when I touch the 3.5mm jack while it is plugged into my studio monitors, I hear that typical humming sound. When I use the adapter to 6.3mm, there is no sound when I touch the jack. So seems like that there is no proper connection between the mini jack and the adapter.

308

#17

Unfortunately not, but the more I think about it it must be the jack adapter.

Thanks anyways for the suggestion :ok_hand:

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#18

Havenā€™t tried that, gonna check it out now. Thanks!

#19

This does sound like the culprit! Whilst you wait for the lead, you can always try and get the usb audio to work.

#20

Ordered 4 of the cheapest jack adapters at Thomann last year to use with an external mini mixer. I already had problems back then with humming sounds and Thomann sent me a new mixer since they said it cannot be the jack adapters.

Now it all starts to make senseā€¦

USB Audio set up is apparently the way to go nowā€¦

Thanks for all your help guys, Iā€™ve been on many forums in the last years but this one just rocks!

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