Static noise problem

Elektron Gear Machinedrum
#1

Hi all-

I picked up a MD UW+ (used) about a month or so ago, and up until now it’s worked and sounded great. However, a few days ago I started hearing a loud static type sound coming from what appears to be all of the outputs - it sounds like a vinyl crackling almost. The sound comes in and out and seems to get quieter when not playing a track (i.e., the MD is just sitting idle with nothing playing).

I was wondering if anyone else had ever run into this type of issue with their machinedrum, and if so what was the issue?

I’ve tried soft, hard resets, test mode passed all tests. Moved power adapter to a different outlet, same issue.

I put in a help ticket w/ Elektron but it has been 5 days with no reply so I’m hoping someone else here may be able to shed some light.

Thanks!

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#2

Maybe an obvious thing but also sometimes overlooked, are you running through a compressor of some sort?

#3

Thanks for the reply jeffe, but unfortunately this is coming straight out of the headphone jack (and main l/r jacks).

Also, to correct my earlier statement, I meant to say that it gets louder when nothing is playing, not quieter. The sound level also increases with the main volume knob going up and down. It’s definitely not a subtle noise, it is loud and makes the machinedrum unusable :disappointed:

I’ve scoured the web to see if anyone else has had this problem and turned nothing up.

#4

Hi Jonny,

From memory, the output of the MK1 UW models did have some issue.
When I had one, the left and right outputs were at different gain levels and there was a bit of noise when turning the volume pot.

It might be the volume pot.

Have you tried assigning the sounds, to the external outs, and seeing if they are making noise?

Thanks,

  • Justin
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#5

Are you running balanced or unbalanced cables?

#6

@JustinValer I forgot to mention this is a MkII model. Strangely enough, I powered it on yesterday and it was clean as a whistle for about 2-3 minutes before the crackling started. Seems to be happening on the external outs as well.

@dimi3 I was using balanced cables in my testing (I tried all the outs using an 8 channel balanced snake)

Thanks for your help folks.

#7

Hold down Function when you turn on the Machinedrum and do a Diagnostic Test to check that the hardware is okay.

Next I would try a different power supply if you have access to one.

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#8

Hey ,
I guess it may be the PSU as Justin mentioned or the output board inside having problems

But it may be only plugging the MD into another power outlet as too many electrical devices in the same outlet or power circuit may cause interference (I’ve had this problem several times in my studio but plugging the computer into its own outlet including monitor solved it)

I hope this helps :slight_smile:

Btw I service my MD myself (ordering parts from elektron but doing the repair myself)
So if you need any help or pictures of the inserts of a MD I could help :slight_smile:

#9

Holy crap, I moved the machinedrum to a different outlet and it is working fine again! Thanks for the tip!

I feel like such a noob for not trying this already, I guess I never would have thought those 2 things would be related, especially since it had been working in this configuration for awhile without any issues.

Either way, I’m happy to be up and running again with no repairs necessary. Thanks again for everyone’s help, I really appreciate it.

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#10

I will add, I had tried on a different outlet in my studio space, but it was also loaded up with equipment and right next to the one originally giving me trouble. I actually moved it to another room on an outlet with nothing else connected and it worked fine. I will play around later with the configuration of gear on each outlet and see if it makes a difference. Hopefully there isn’t an electrical issue in my house.

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#11

I’ve has this problem with other pieces of gear before my advice is spacing wall wart psus and external supplies so they are not too close to each other and thus don’t interfere too much.

Well no problem I’m glad I could help :slight_smile:

#12

Well, looks like I got excited a little prematurely. I took the machinedrum back into the studio and tested on multiple outlets and got the static sound no matter where it was connected. Then I took it back out to the outlet in another room I had tested it on before and got the static sound as well. I guess it was just coincidence that it intermittently started working again long enough to make me think it was an outlet issue.

I went ahead and ordered a new power supply from the elektron site, we’ll see how it goes. Elektron support still seems to be AWOL btw.

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#13

Have you tried gently twisting and bending the power supply cable to see if there is a broken/loose connection?

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#14

A new power supply may be the best option to test if it is not an internal problem .
Since two weeks the support seems to be up and running again, Got answers quickly.
Still waiting for my mainboard to arrive (one week from today)
I would’ve suggested you search for a psu at a music store near you (faster) but as you can still start up your MD I think you have no hurry :wink:

Anyhow try measuring the voltages of your new psu and your old one to find out if it may be unstable or has a high voltage variation

#15

Hey, yes I did try twisting/moving the cable going into the machinedrum, didn’t seem to make any difference. I wiggled the entire cable all the way to the outlet in case there was a short somewhere but had no effect. It does seem to make a weird click when I connect it to the power in-board, but nothing looks physically damaged.

We will see when the new power supply arrives, I will measure the voltages to see if there is any difference.

Thanks again folks.

#16

Hey man,
I’m sorry to hear about that. That’s really $hitty. Hopefully your new power supply works. For me, I get static on all my gear intermittently with the exception of my machinedrum. The machinedrum is the rock in my studio. I just wished the INP machines were a little cleaner, so I could do away with my mixer.

#17

Post a sample of the noise? Maybe someone will hear something familiar.

Also, try a soft reset - hold down function, power on machine, and reset.

Worth a shot.

#18

Thanks for the support folks. I’ve uploaded a few samples so you can hear what it sounds like, hopefully it gives someone a clue. I’m still awaiting the power supply, I’ll definitely update when I receive it, however I’m a bit skeptical at this point.

jeffe - I did go through all the resets, no luck.

Interesting side note, however. I connected it yesterday to record the samples, and it actually worked fine for about 30 minutes before the sound started. I went through and twisted knobs/moved the power cable around to see if I could correlate the noise to anything, and go nothing.

I was recording the sound out of the main A/B outs, and in the course of testing I took a 1/4" cable (not connected to anything) and thought I would just plug it into the various outs to see if it changed anything. Strangely enough, when I connected the cable to output C, the crackling sound started and then persisted even after I removed the cable. Not sure if this was just coincidental or if there may be some kind of strange short in the output board that was triggered when I inserted this cable.


#19

Yea that is like something I have not heard, I do not hear it changing though based on when you play or not - it sounds pretty consistent.

I think part of your hardware is fried. :
Good luck with the power supply.

#20

Yeah, the power supply did not resolve the issue. Bummer.

Also, on a side note, the snails pace that Elektron’s support team responds is a major turn off and is really putting me off from buying Elektron gear in the future. I can understand they are busy with new products/etc, but really there is no excuse for such slow response times. If you’re so slammed that it takes 2 weeks to even respond to an email, hire another employee. It just seems really unprofessional and disorganized. I can’t imagine how long a repair might take if I ever get to the point where I’m actually able to send it in.

Kinda thinking I just want to ditch this thing at this point, anyone interested in buying this for parts? Shoot me a reasonable offer and I’ll probably go for it.

Thanks to everyone who helped me!

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