MS-20 (Original) Oscillator Drift

Discussion relating to the Korg MS20 / MS20 Mini

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AbleArcher83
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2016 10:25 pm

MS-20 (Original) Oscillator Drift

Post by AbleArcher83 »

Hi all,

Just a quick question. I've owned a Korg MS20 & Korg MS10 for about 15 years now. They make a great double-act and have been fault free.

However, whenever a key (or trigger) is released on the MS-20, the pitch of both oscillators starts drifting up.
It's noticable with a long release time, and drones can't be done unless you keep a key taped down. It's like it needs to be constantly "reminded" of the note it's meant to be playing.
(I've checked pitch modulation settings, also adjusted the pitch envelope to compensate, but no joy).

I realise drift is a common issue on analogues, but this seems particularly severe, and it appears to be getting gradually worse over the years.

It's not a massive problem, as it plays shorter notes fine, but I'm just curious because in contrast, the MS-10 is steady as a rock.
Patch in a drone to the MS-10 and there's no drifting at all.

Is there anything that can be calibrated to correct it or is this "classic" MS-20 behaviour?
All seems well with key calibration etc.

I re-capped both synths last year, partly as a preventative measure while also hoping that this might correct the drift issue, but no luck.

Any advice would be much appreciated :)
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