Nord changing settings by itself at random!

[Gus1990]

What a handy forum!

I'm having trouble with my electro 3 73. It's started changing various settings of its own accord when I'm playing. The actual instrument doesn't change, but the effect 1 will randomly turn itself on, and the octave shift will activate. The other strange thing that happens is that some of the drawbars light up momentarily.

I can't think what might be causing this. I've tried updating the OS and restoring to factory settings. There's been no damage (liquid or otherwise), and It's really starting to annoy me! Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Many thanks,
Gus

[Ecaroh]

I am afraid it's about those mechanical buttons or knobs. If those are broken they may send "random" messages. I haven't had this with Nords but with other synths yes. I am not trying scare you, but once I had to cancel the whole deal of some synth module which behaved like this. And it was new one straight from the box. I assume that your electro isn't brand new, so maybe it's broken or just dirty. In latter case cleaning might help: With some encoders, there's some special cleaning spray wich I have used with especially with Roland EV-pedals. With those pedals this spray helps to fix them as long as it's about dirt. When encoder gets broken spray won't help of course....

[mjbrands]

It seems to me there's more going on that just a problem with one or two buttons (or encoders). I have no idea what however.

Btw. I can't remember having seen a post from someone with clear encoder problems on a Nord. I might be mistaken, but it seems the Nords are much less prone to these encoder problems than some other synths (older Dave Smith Instruments synths, Waldorf Blofeld, etc).

[Cute James]

Are you sure you're not accidentally catching the effect, octave shift, and drawbar buttons (which will light up momentarily when the organ section is not selected) by accident?

This occasionally happens to me when trying to go 'all-out' during a solo...I'll accidentally turn on the phaser or something during an acoustic piano tune. It can be a little embarrassing when something like that happens, but can usually be remedied before most folks can even notice.

James
x

[Gus1990]

Thanks for all you responses. I'm definitely not catching any of the effects or draw bar buttons - it does it even when I'm not playing anything. (I know how easy that is to do though, and have had a few embarrassing phaser moments myself!)

I suppose a clean with some compressed air might help. Its strange though. It's been kept in a flight case all its life when not being played. Also, its not like it started with one button and then got worse with more buttons being effected. Who knows. I think I might need to take it into the shop and just pay the bill!

[pterm]

Gus,
Another possibility is a stuck button-switch. I looked at a schematic of the Electro 2. It shows a key matrix - that is, each button resides between intersections of "row" signal and a "column" signal. The processor "scans" the rows and columns in sequence to determine the location of the pressed button. I expect the Electro 3 re-uses this design.

For this kind of design, if a button gets stuck (always on), it might (depending on the software) create confusion in the processor. One behaviour I have seen (on similar non-Nord designs) : The stuck key behaviour occurs when you press any other key connected to the same row.

This could explain the behaviour you see.

Sometimes a button gets stuck against the chassis opening and doesn't spring back. - Easy fix if you can locate it.

Sometimes the spring inside the switch wears out and cannot open the electrical connection. If you locate this you could hold the button up by fingertips or with a tool to see if the bad behaviour disappears. The switch must be replaced.

Sometimes the button's switch contacts fail in a "closed" position. This is harder to diagnose. The button might feel different from others when pressed. - Requires replacement.

If you suspect a failed switch, a technician (or you) should verify your diagnosis with a multimeter before replacing.

Good luck.

[pianokey88]

Compressed air may also make things worse by driving grit farther into a control.
David

[Zipthunk]

So, same thing happened with me. I just bought the Electro 4 SW73. I absolutely love it ... But, the down model key appears to change without me touching it. I've realized that its just incredibly sensitive. Even when I brush against it, it starts changing the model. My question is: should I send it back? Should I call nord? My first thought was compressed air but could I hurt it more.
Also, there's something rattling around in my keyboard. Not affecting the performance but ... I spent some $$$ on this thing.

[Zipthunk]

Problems with new instruments should be reported to the dealer from which you made your purchase ASAP. For those in Canada and the USA, I'd appreciate receiving a note, too. I will be happy to do what I can to assist/advise.

Can't say this strongly enough: THINGS RATTLING AROUND INSIDE IS NOT GOOD! If these things are non-conductive, it may not be an emergency situation, but IF THEY ARE CONDUCTIVE, CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE IS EASILY POSSIBLE! Most guitar picks, no problem. Small metal coins, BIG problem. The instrument should be seen by someone who knows what they are doing, opened up and examined to learn what the rattling thing is before the Nord blows up.

Apart from any and all other considerations, burnt electronics usually produce some real foul odors and you don't want to offend your olefactory senses needlessly.

Bless,

Pablo

[Zipthunk]

Whatever is rattling has been in there since I took it out of the box earlier this week. It came from the manufacturer. ... Which brings me to a second question. The first Nord Electro 4 SW73 that I bought (2 weeks ago) wouldn't even power up. I returned it to the store and they ordered me a new one. What's going on here? Aren't these supposed to be top of the line. I've had a Roland for 10 years. Travelling and gigging with it. Had to fix a broken key once. Here, I've been thru 2 in 2 weeks. Should I be worried about the quality of Nord?