R3: Ongoing troubles with one channel missing.

TomSwirly · Post by **TomSwirly** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 2:09 am

Hello. I've had the R3 for about four months and I've had a strange issue with the stereo out of the box.

The problems have been various. I just factory-reset.

I plug both cables in. Only the right output gets sound. But if I unplug the right output, all the sound appears in the left output.

Now, if I go into any patch and pan it all towards the left, I actually get signals on both left and right - and they're different signals. The left is still about 3dB lower than the right.

Headphones you only hear the right channel.

What's interesting is that I had this problem out of the box, but then in each session the machine would eventually work fine after I'd been doing some synthesis.

I assumed always that I'd been doing something wrong, but I realized that it was consistent, and worse, in the last few weeks it's always been the same.

I really don't want to go and edit each patch to be hard-panned left, particularly if the problem really is intermittent and suddenly everything might jump just to the left channel.

Let me know, this has more or less ruined the device for me. I haven't had the time to ship it for repairs, if that's even what it needs (it feels like a software issue to me, because I can get a perfect good signal in each channel individually, but then what do I know?)

Any ideas you could give me would be very much appreciated.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:51 am

I think you would've saved yourself a lot of trouble investigating the problem and return it four months ago when you bought it. The longer you wait, the fewer options you're going to have. It should still be under warantee.

It sounds like your left channel is not working. You have two main outputs: L/Mono and R. When you only have one cable hooked up to L/Mono, you will get the summed output of the L+R channels. When you have both cables hooked up, the L/Mono output will only have the Left channel and the R output only the right output. It is normal to hear the right channel out of the L/Mono output when only one cable is hooked to that output.

When you pan a patch all the way to the left, that may overcome a weak amplifier on the left channel and allow the signal to go through. In any case, get it fixed while you can do it under warantee.

collias · Post by **collias** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:40 am

I actually have what seems to be this same issue, only it just started popping up. Sometimes only the left channel will work, sometimes only the right. I have no idea why. Yet, other times, I'll turn the R3 on and it will be totally fine. It is pretty random for me, but I am heavily considering sending it off to get it fixed.

danx · Post by **danx** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:42 pm

Hi
I have a second hand R3 and when i turned it on the first time i had the same trouble,just one channel working,the second time i turned on everything was working perfect even the headphones.
Could it be some operative system issue?
I´m not having any trouble now but i´m afraid it gonna fail.
Btw anyone knows where i can find the txt for Cubase 5?

Cheers

ihisert · Post by **ihisert** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 4:23 pm

Wow! I was just looking to see if anyone else had this problem, and it looks like the answer is yes.

I've had my R3 for about 9 months, and have had no problems with it. Just last week I noticed that I had problems with the left channel in the headphones - volume is barely there and sound is muffled/distorted. I checked multiple pairs of headphones with R3 and other keyboards - it's definitely the R3. I've not checked the combined left and right out yet (Left Mono works fine) - I'll need to check that tonight.

I'm hoping that maybe it's something a firmware update can fix (does such a thing exist for the R3)? I really don't want to send it off for repairs if I don't have too.

ihisert · Post by **ihisert** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:12 am

Like the posters above me, the problem is apparently intermittent / random, as now I get a full stereo signal in the heaphones again. It would still be good to know what is causing this problem though (as I'd prefer not to hold by breath to see when the left channel is going to go out again).

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:33 am

as with any hardware problem, the best solution (unless you consider yourself a professional electronics engineer, in possession of all the schematics, etc) is always to contact KORG and get it to your nearest qualified service centre or contact the place you bought it from and get them to sort it or a replacement for you.

it is incredibly unlikely to be a software/firmware problem, or that it would manifest itself in such a way, most firmware problems are usually quite fatal, resulting in the device not starting up.
particularly, intermittent problems and those involving unusual behaviour of knobs, or other controls, or outputs, is most likely to be a hardware issue.

jpq · Post by **jpq** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 11:13 pm

i also this is hardware. becouse this type software problems are very rare i think. and some synths at least headphones uses dirrent amplifier section which is reason why haadphones can still work when line outs dont. sorry bad english. ps. i currently own r3/radias but like them. based this what i heared.

danx · Post by **danx** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:02 am

Well both channels still working but now the FX section makes a terrible click noise,removing all FX eliminate this random noise.

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R3: Ongoing troubles with one channel missing.

R3: Ongoing troubles with one channel missing.

Same Problem with R3 Left Channel