Noisy voice problem

sunny pedaal · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:20 am Post subject:

make pictures of the a6 before and during packing
send emails to the person who will actually look after the repair
if expensive parts need to be made, first ask "permision, by mail, to do so
good luck, when everything is done it must be a relieve and great synth
by the way also try to get some new (spare ) osc and vcf chips , for future.

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 7:41 am Post subject:

Thanks for the advice on taking pictures before hand.I didnt think of that.

TSI goes ahead and does the repair if it is going to be less than $200.If the repairs will cost more than $200,they call and let you know first.So that is pretty cool.

I plan to get some extra OSC and VCF chips.Do you know how much they are each?

That 3rd party website that has andromeda parts has voice boards for listed for $895,but they dont offer just the voice chips.They charge way more than I think alesis would though...

sunny pedaal · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 8:31 am Post subject:

a whole voiceboard might easily set you back 600$ or more.
a single chip might be something like 35$
don't pin me on it, that's what i have in my memory, which is not photographic

zebastian21 · Joined: Jun 06, 2008 Posts: 36 Location: NYC

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:14 am Post subject:

Is it only on voice 2?

zebastian21 · Joined: Jun 06, 2008 Posts: 36 Location: NYC

sunny pedaal · Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:42 am Post subject:

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 6:17 pm Post subject:

So financial issues have kept me from sending my andromeda to TSI for repairs. I am afraid the place i bought it from wont reimburse me for the service fee. They said that reimbursement is not guaranteed if I dont use their specified service company.

I am a little weary about boxing up and shipping the entire synth. So I am thinking about just pulling out the voice board and sending that to TSI. This might possibly save me a little money as well. I could also just pull the voice board out,buy some OSC and filter chips and take it to someone who can do SMD reworking. Another option is buying a reflow station and some chips and doing the repair myself. I am getting good at soldering but I have not done any surface mount soldering yet so I would have to learn how to use the reflow station and do some practice stuff.

I guess I could send it in for the warranty repair. I am just afraid of sending my synth halfway across the country just for them to tell me there is nothing wrong. I am afraid of it being damaged in transit.

I bought it from a place called Woodwind and Brasswind. They use the same distribution warehouse as Guitar Center,Musicians Friend,Music 123 ect..So I assume all these places use the same service/repair company.

Advice,comments,experience with warranty repair or self repair are all welcome and appreciated.

sunny pedaal · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 1:34 am Post subject:

i would send him in !
i can solder a bit but, soldering those chips really is a different job for which real experience is needed.
when simply buying a new board you take the risk of replacing something unneeded.
maybe a good technician in your neighbourhood could try the job , so that you can bring and take him yourself.
otherwise sending might well be the best option

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:49 pm Post subject:

TSI and the place suggested by the retailer will most likely just replace the whole voice board. Which isn't necessarily bad but in your case sunny,you said your replacement voice board also had faulty chips. This scares me almost as much as them saying nothing is wrong.

I think my best option is to just buy some chips and take the voice board to someone local who can do surface mount soldering.

I need to know for sure if it is the VCO chips or the VCF chips. I would hate to have this work done only to find out I had the wrong chips replaced.

sunny,can you safely say that the problem on voice 2 is the VCO chip? And can you safely say that the problems with the other voices I mentioned are the VCF chips?

sunny pedaal · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:13 am Post subject:

if the voiceboard needs to be replaced, let it be replaced.
if you're afraid some bad chip might be on the new voiceboard ( understand these days the control has improved) simply ask them for 2 sparechips each and some spare pots and buttons. afcourse you might have to pay a little for the spares but at least most worries will be dealt with . succes !

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 12:28 pm Post subject:

I am only speculating about the voiceboard needing replacement. I say this because the 2 places i mentioned are not going to go through the trouble of replacing individual chips. I assume they will just replace the entire voice board.

sunny pedaal · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:00 pm Post subject:

when under warranty get the voiceboard, otherwise i don't know more then i already said , sorry

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:14 pm Post subject:

Thank you sunny! You have been really helpful and I truly appreciate it.

I guess now I am just asking for peoples experiences when sending in the andromeda for service. I would like to know how things went,if the problem was found and also if anyone has had any bad experiences with service places recommended by the retailer. I am hoping someone with experience will see this and chime in.

I am just in a decision stage now. I am trying to figure out the best route.

I am in an extended warranty I purchased from the retailer,not the original 1 year factory warranty. Otherwise I would have already sent it in considering Alesis uses TSI and TSI has experience with this particular problem.

seamonkey · Joined: Nov 26, 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Michigan

Hi apoptosis, I'm so sorry to hear about your problem with your Andromeda.

In reading through this whole thread, I was struck by what I consider your "intuition" when you called the authorized repair facility and the "gut feeling" you had regarding this facility.
In the process you learned of TSI and how they are experienced with the Andromeda.
Two things happened in this story, your initial inner feelings were telling you not to send your Andromeda there, the second is, you were directed to a place that you feel comfortable sending in your beloved Andromeda.
FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION!!!

Eat the cost to have it analyzed and fixed by a place you trust and who you believe know what they're doing.
Get it fixed and then you won't have to worry about whether it was done right or not, or whether you would have to send it back. The less times you have to ship it, the better chance your Andy has to survive.

Look at it this way, it would've been out of warranty anyway and you'd be paying the charges to have it fixed.

Who knows, it may be something simple and inexpensive.

Good luck, seamonkey

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:07 am Post subject:

Thank you so much for your input and taking the time to read this whole thread.

I would really like to send it to TSI so I may just hold out until I can pay for the repair.

The retailer said reimbursement is possible. So I may get lucky and get it repaired by the place I choose and still have it covered under warranty. The retailer has to agree on the price and review the repairs and so on,but its worth a shot.

TSI wont do any work without contacting me first,if the repair cost is over $200. So I should at least send it in for a diagnosis.

seamonkey · Joined: Nov 26, 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Michigan

I think that's a great idea, and in the meantime you can still enjoy your Andromeda until you have the funds for shipping, etc. Smile

good luck

andyval8088 · Joined: Nov 12, 2008 Posts: 29 Location: U.S.

I am frustrated as hell with alesis and TSI. I have sent my A6 out 3 times to TSI and they haven't fixed the problem. Their lead tech actually told me that I needed a moog or an arp, then asked me if I knew what a saw wave was. I was furious to say the least. I have sent alesis many .wav files documenting the problem.
Been messing with this for 5 months now. I'm thinking I should of bought something with better support.
Just sent it in again last week. Hopefully it comes back fixed this time.

andyval8088 · Joined: Nov 12, 2008 Posts: 29 Location: U.S.

I guess I should explain a little as Im sure someone will want to know what is wrong.
I get intermittent static/distortion type noise out of my headphone (left) and main outs (left). here is part of the documentation I sent alesis.

Hey Kevin,

So I had some time this weekend to record some more files. I recorded a few from the first 10 presets. One thing I noticed is that on some of the files are louder on the right side, but the static/distortion still appears on the left. Also the static is much louder on the presets vs a default patch.
The A6 will be powered up for 1 hour.
Preform auto tune.
Master volume is set at 60%
This recording was made using sound forge 6.0
The sound card in my computer is a M-audio Delta 24/96, 2 in 2 out.
The intermittent static/distortion seems to come out of the left line out and left headphone out.
I have tried Koss, Logitech, Plantronics, and Maudio headphones, all with same result.
I have also tried Roland KC500, stereo amplifier, computer speakers, all with same result.
I have tried 5 or 6 different 1/4 inch cables.

sunny pedaal · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:47 pm Post subject:

not nice,
does he also do it when he's the only one connected to the net currency and with the headphones connected straight in the a6 ? ( just to be sure, not meant insulting in anyway,fr.gr. sunny )

andyval8088 · Joined: Nov 12, 2008 Posts: 29 Location: U.S.

It does it anyway you want it. My A6 is unusable since this started. Unless you like static in your tracks.

sunny pedaal · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:03 pm Post subject:

i once had the outboard replaced after having problems with one side. that did the trick for me.
( the individual voices out perfomed ok then )

Perfect Day · Joined: May 21, 2009 Posts: 52 Location: UK

Hi . I have exactly the same problem ,only on different voices . very annoying . It sounds like a vca cal issue to me . the filters seem to be out of tune from one voice to the next on mine to . Not every voice, but 1 or 2 . Ive done all the power up options and its not worked . Once u know its there its horrible . Have u managed to remedy the problem yet . other than sending it back to alesis im not sure what to do

Perfect Day · Joined: May 21, 2009 Posts: 52 Location: UK

P.s. I didnt make myself very clear . I dont have the white noise problem in your first 2 audio samples . My problem is the distortion you have on some of your voices in the 3rd example

pinealapoptosis · Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 9:32 am Post subject:

dave, if I tune over and over again and calibrate the VCAs many times, I can sometimes remedy the distorted filter sounds. This doesnt last long though and it eventually starts getting more and more distorted.

The weird thing is that the voices that sound distorted also suffer from a strange sub-osc problem. If I turn the level of the sub-osc on either voice very low,less than 10, the sub-osc is louder on some voices and completely silent on others. This only effects the voices that have the scratchy,distorted sound. Plus I can change the pitch of the distorted sound by adjusting the sub-osc frequency.

After hearing Andyval's experience with TSI, I am very weary of sending it to them. I just dont get why the damn thing even comes with a warranty if the repair company contracted by Alesis has problems fixing the andromeda.

The tech at alesis even told me that he has heard of many people sending in their andromeda only to receive it back with the same problems.

I think I may just buy some vco and vcf voice chips and have someone local do the surface mount rework. All that has to be done is swap the suspect IC. Anyone with surface mount rework skills can do this.

On a side note. My andromeda is not a "he" sunny pedaal.