Fan noise

sirCombatWombat · Post by **sirCombatWombat** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:18 am

Hello everyone,

The fan noise from my OASYS has bothered me for a long time, and now my studio requirements have upped a notch and I no longer can ignore it.
Does anyone know the specs of how much physical noise the OASYS should make, I can't find it on the manual or the Korg site?
I'm measuring 49dB(C) from my OASYS, the fan is at least visually ok and not in contact with anything it shouldn't be.

curvebender · Post by **curvebender** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:18 am

I'm measuring 49dB(C) from my OASYS

From what distance? Is it direct, or from where you sit and work?

sirCombatWombat · Post by **sirCombatWombat** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:03 pm

Measured from the position of my head during normal performance, about 60cm.

kenackr · Post by **kenackr** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:48 pm

I assume you are getting mic bleed thru on recording? Is it only fan noise you hear in the recording?

Did you take a reading at ambient (nothing powered on) and then another with everything powered up except the O? What's the change from from either of those?

How many hours on the O?

If it is only fan noise and you are recording close to the O you may have to isolate the mic in another room. Remember that sound volume follows the inverse square rule, so the farther away the mic is the less you'll hear the fan. Of course, you get even better blocking if you throw some walls in between too.

Another approach is to use at least a cardioid if not a hyper cardioid mic. Omnidirectional mics should only be used when you want sound coming from all directions to be recorded.

Ken

Post by **Sharp** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:14 pm

Are you 100% sure ?.
49dB is freaking loud. Those types of fans run at about 28dB when running flat out at top speed.

My PC is like a helicopter compared to the noise my OASYS makes

Regards.
Sharp.

Kevin Nolan · Post by **Kevin Nolan** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:18 pm

My OASYS produces nothing like 49dB worth of fan noise. If this is the correct reading, yours is faulty.

Kevin.

tritex4 · Post by **tritex4** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 1:45 am

I don't know if the mobo has any thermal sensors.
But if it does, the fan will go from normal to a higher speed once the OASYS gets hot inside.
That's only if the mobo is configured to use a thermal sensor.
The OASYS has good ventilation inside and is configured so that the fan will pull air in from the side vents.

If the fan comes on at a higher speed as you turn on the OASYS, then it could be a faulty fan or for some reason
the fan is getting an extra boost of power.

I agree, 49dB is pretty loud.
The fan should be relatively quiet.

sirCombatWombat · Post by **sirCombatWombat** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:04 pm

The level meter I used is an IEC651 Type II. After reading your reaction I decided to test it and it appears to give some odd readings. I then compared one of my case fans rated for 45dBA at full speed to the OASYS and the fan was louder, so the 49dBC I measured was an error.

Yet my OASYS is louder than my PC, and the noise is distracting. I'm still wondering if my OASYS is ok, and if this should prove to be normal

, what could be done to quiet it down?

mwiik · Post by **mwiik** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 5:55 pm

If you know how to do, you could open your Oasys and check that there is no dust on the system fan. Also make sure that both sides of your Oasys are clean and free from dust. Be sure that the air can flow free on both sides, otherwise the system fan will increase its speed because the heat. It is very important that you keep the sides clear because that's where your Oasys breathes.

The Oasys is, in my opinion veeery quiet, so there must be some strange going on with yours. My PC is also veery quiet, but in comparison to my Oasys, it's a jet-plane.

Don't hesitate to contact your Oasys-dealer if you don't want to open your Oasys yourself. Maybe the system fan is broken (worn bearings), and it that case it should be replaced.

Good Luck !
Best regards
M Wiik

sirCombatWombat · Post by **sirCombatWombat** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:21 pm

The O is clean and it is not too old, I acquired it about six months a go. The fan sounds very slightly scratchy, and I remember it being like that from the beginning.

The fan type is peculiar, it has a larger hub than a normal PC fan which makes me think it could be more efficient. I am thinking of replacing the fan with a modern aerodynamical model and isolating it from the chassis with a rubber holder, but have not found one with matching specs. (0.45A)

I have also toyed with an idea to build a liquid cooling to the OASYS with an external passive radiator, and ghosting the hdd to a solid state drive to make it completely quiet. But that just might be going a bit too far.

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 7:08 pm

The liquid cooling would be not easy to transport with, but the solid state drive is a good idea. I think technically it will be possible (or already is). I hope/guess Korg is researching.
I know we can't change the HD ourselves (to a bigger one for example), but a similar size cloned device should be working, not?
Good luck with your OASYS. The fan should be quiet normally.

sirCombatWombat · Post by **sirCombatWombat** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:37 am

The liquid cooling would be not easy to transport with,

That is a good point, and I think that the modern silent fan design is really enough. I would be willing to test identical replacement to the fan also, but I can't find one anywhere.
The reason I am not talking with my local Korg dealer here is that the closest repair facility is out of country, and the turnaround time would be unacceptable.