Korg Kross Editor - Overwhelming PC Noise

[Dusk Dave]

Hello all, my first post here.

I recently bought a Kross 2 as a long-awaited successor to my Technics KN800... Yes I buy a new keyboard every quarter of a century or so...

Anyway my issue is with the editor DAW. It channels a lot of noise from my PC through the USB cable to the Kross and subsequently to the amplifier. I can hear background noise when the PC is idle and it becomes much worse when I use the mouse pad or perform any PC activity.

Strangely, I do not get any of this noise through the headphones connected to the Kross but I'd rather not have to use the headphone socket as a line-out.

Has anyone else experienced this or have any ideas how it can be solved?

[Biggles]

Welcome Dave.

Are you feeding the Kross directly into your PC?

If you are you may want to look at feeding the Kross MIDI through an interface then connect said interface up to your PC via a good quality USB lead.

I use a cheapish Behringer UMC204 which works OK for me but other more expensive ones like a Tascam or Focusright may serve you better.

Generally noise is coming from the soundcard in a PC and these devices essentially bypass the soundcard

[Dusk Dave]

Thanks, Biggles, but the problem is with the Kross 2 (specifically the line outs) else it wouldn't be sounding OK through the headphone socket.

On top of that I am reluctant to go out and buy extra equipment to compensate for a problem that is not of my making. The spec suggests it can be connected directly to a PC so that's what it should do.

I'll leave this post up for a few days to see if it's a known issue and then raise a support request and possibly send it back for a replacement.

Thanks again

[Biggles]

Stupid question it may well be but with the PC disconnected and the Kross connected to your Amp, is the sound from your Amp that you hear OK and hiss free?

[Dusk Dave]

Hold everything - It's not the Kross after all (phew!)

The issue is something to do with my laptop's charger unit.

I realised I'd have to try the USB in a different PC to eliminate that from the investigation so I tried it in the one upstairs. I got some noise but nowhere near as bad. Then I took the laptop up and - running on battery - there was no noise at all.

Some difference between the Kross' headphone out and line out serves to suppress the noise and I also know that headphones - even USB-powered ones - work fine in the laptop even when charging.

This article seems to have some relevance and the 'power switching' explanation does sound like the fluttering sound I was getting.

https://superuser.com/questions/533653/ ... plugged-in
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[Biggles]

A couple of suggestions.

If your power supply lead does not have a ferrite core coil fitted then one may help.

As will supplying both the keyboard and laptop via a mains suppressor/transient filter.

[Dusk Dave]

If by 'ferrite core' you mean those little cylinders near the end of the leads then the power supply has one near the DC in and the USB cable has one at each end.

Anyhow this is clearly not a Kross issue anymore so I'll try to pinpoint whether it's the laptop or the charger that is producing the noise. Lenovo suggest the power-in connector could need replacing which shouldn't break the bank. Meantime I'll just run on battery.

Thanks again for your advice, Biggles.

[Biggles]

Cheers.

Good luck getting it sorted.

[Dusk Dave]

Yep. Got a new laptop charger and the noise has gone

[Biggles]

Yep. Got a new laptop charger and the noise has gone

Glad you are sorted and noise free