Zero 8 Hiss/Hum

splurt · Post by **splurt** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:54 am

Sounds like when you turn an old TDK cassette really loud, all the time.

This is bad.

I read somewhere korg is working on a fix, but tech support wasnt of any help last time, maybe i can get a senior technician on the line

JZ

splurt · Post by **splurt** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:47 pm

I spoke with korg technical support today.

I will keep everyone updated as to why my mixer is hissing This is the second unit. I am not ruling out that its something here in my studio, although my experience is that its the mixer itself.

I will take it to a repair shop and see what they suggest.

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 6:15 pm

I have loud hiss in the background on both the master and booth outputs.

The hiss is NOT from my electrical wiring in the home. When I hook up my Mackie powered monitors and turn them on, there is always a very minor noise floor. When I plug in the XLR cable from the Zero8, the hiss comes in bigtime. This is not ground loop noise. It is something different, and it happens with or without my Firewire connected to the computer.

splurt · Post by **splurt** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:12 pm

its exactly what i have, why is it that we are the only ones? korg told me they have never heard of this issue?

automatic · Post by **automatic** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:08 am

i have the same hiss problem.

splurt · Post by **splurt** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:12 pm

hi, korg says no one has this problem, so id like to get all of us together and try to fix this problem, this is the noisiest mixer i have ever owned, its noiser then a 50 radio shack dj mixer. this was 1899 , thats a LOT of money. I cannot tolerate this hiss.

Please both of you call korg ASAP in the usa and let them know of this problem, this is the only way it can get fixed!

they told me i was the only issue ever with this problem. please call korg

Post by **Sharp** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:42 pm

Hi Guys.

KORG know of this forum very well, so by all means send them an email linking to this post.
It may help resolve the issue knowing that this is not a unique case.

The information you post could be important to them in solving your problems.

Regards.
Sharp.

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 1:59 pm

I e-mailed Korg support about this weeks ago.
They said to return it, or take it in for repair. Probably a bad master bus.

splurt · Post by **splurt** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 11:44 pm

thats kind of what korg was telling me, but they actually told me nobody has complained about it. So i returned one unit, got a replacement, same HISS. Its not a useable mixer yet.

Major problems with my mixer are:

1. Clicking headphone rotary knob at from positions 11:00 to 1:00 (makes a clicking sound in headphones)

2.Major hiss

3. VU meters dont do anything

4. Low output volume through firewire

5. Low inputs on 1/4 jacks

korg will fix some of these in the new os i hope

but this hiss is crazy, for a 1899 mixer?

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 4:40 pm

My VU meters don't do anything, either.

Unless I crank the master volume to max, and then crank my channel gains up way high.

bildeaux · Post by **bildeaux** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:42 pm

Same here on the meters.

We ever gonna hear from Korg on here?

b.

splurt · Post by **splurt** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:25 am

hi bildeaux

can you please tell us if you have the hiss. crank up your monitors and turn your zero 8 on, levels dont matter, volume can be all the way down... just plug it into your monitors and crank up your monitors,

do you hear a hiss

Korg did tell me they will fix vu meters... they know about this

but the hiss is a mystery and id like to know if you have it or not?

jurij.es.a.szakkor · Post by **jurij.es.a.szakkor** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:53 pm

splurt wrote:3. VU meters dont do anything

hello early zero8 adopters,

we've sold a unit to a local customer and we're suffering the same issue.
the vu meters seems getting the initial spike during power on/off,
the backlight is on all the time, however the vu meter seems to be dead,
it does not act as it should be.

just to spare time and logisitics in between the korg service centre,
and un-necessary service and labor cost, could anyone shed light
on this issue please? is this a hardware or most probably a software issue?

the unit is from the 8xx s/n range, i would not call the first batch.
in the meantime, we're contacting the official sources aswell,
in case of any news will come back here and post an update on the subject.

thanks in advance,
jurij.es.a.szakkor

audioworks hangtechnika
szekesfehervar / hungary

jurij.es.a.szakkor · Post by **jurij.es.a.szakkor** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:59 pm

perhaps a good idea to compare/match the s/n's...
there might be a pattern amongst them which could help to nail down the issue to a certain production batch.

grrrant · Post by **grrrant** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:30 pm

I read a response from KORG that went something like this:

"It turns out that the Line inputs (on Jacks) are intended for connection of +4dB devices.
The RCA inputs are intended for -10dB devices.

Almost 95% of gear people have (including even the highest end of Korg synths run at -10dB) so, although not ideal, are best connected to the RCA inputs.

This is the reason for the hiss - if the customer is connecting devices by the Jack inputs which are -10dB devices then they will overcompensate on the channel's input gain control and thus raising the noise floor which results in a noisey overall output."

This is COD s**t, and a smoke screen IMO. KORG should already know that we're talking about constant hiss on the master, and not give us a 101 on gain structure.

I have a brand new pair of Yamaha HS80M's with their gain set to 12 o'clock, and my Zero8 creates hiss via XLR with all of it's channels set to MIDI - for clarity, Korg, That's "Zero" devices connected, no channels active.