Tuning problem - Oscillators out of tune with each other

synth_77 · Post by **synth_77** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:13 am

Hi all

I bought a brand new Voyager about 3 months ago - it came installed with OS 3.1.

I've been loving my new Moog, however, over the last couple of weeks I've noticed that Osc 2 and Osc 3 (when both are set to 0), whilst in tune with each other, are out of tune with Osc 1. I need to turn both Osc 2 and Osc 3 to about -4 in order to get them in unison with Osc 1.

I know that oscillators on analog synths can never be perfectly in unison, however, I had thought that on a brand new Voyager they'd be pretty close!

My main difficulty with all of this is that it causes many of my presets (particularly ones that are tuned in intervals or that are not intentionally programmed to have the 'beating' effect) to sound really out of tune.

It may be that this has been happening since I installed OS 3.2, however, I'm not certain that it wasn't happening before then. In any event, I've tried re-installing OS 3.2 and 3.1, and it hasn't fixed my problem. I've also tried doing a factory reset and also resetting pot mapping functions, as suggested on earlier forum posts.

Could anyone please offer me some advice? I'm really getting concerned that there could be something wrong with my Voyager. Hopefully, there is a simple fix for this and I won't need to send my Voyager back to Moog (which is a long way from Sydney, Australia).

Please help!! Any assistance would be immensely appreciated.

Best regards

bosonob · Post by **bosonob** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:16 pm

I would recommend checking the pitch bend range via the procedure in the OS 2.1 pdf found in the software section of the performance edition. The procedure as follows:

Pitch Bend Zero Adjust.
A change has been made to the scanning of the controls, which may result in an offset in your Pitch Bend Zero value. This means you may hear a change in pitch as the PitchBend Amount is increased. There is a simple solution to fix this. It requires an adjustment to a trimmer under the Left Hand Controller (referred to below as LHC). This will not void your warranty AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE. It requires only a #2 phillips head and a small (1/8”) flat head screwdriver.

1) Go to Master Mode and choose “Software Version” press ENTER. Press the CURSOR
switch. You will see a display showing the Voltages from the Wheels.
2) Note the Value for the Pitch Bend Wheel. Normally it reads Zero – after installing
Version 2.1 – this may read 0 to +5. If this value is Zero you do not need to make any adjustments. If it is greater than Zero, proceed.
3) Remove the two screws on the front plate of the LHC. Place them some place safe.
4) Remove the Wood Spacer that is under the front of the LHC. Place it with the two
screws you removed.
5) CAREFULLY lift the front of the LHC, pulling slowly away from the Voyager. The corners may be sharp – so be careful not to drop it....Note that the back of the LHC panel rests on a shelf at the back of the LHC cavity. Don’t make any sudden “jerking” movements that would pull on the cabling – the LHC is attached to the cabling going to the main chassis, and the keyboard.
6) You will see a circuit board underneath with three small Trimmers (potentiometers).
They are labeled “PITCH”, “ZERO”, and “MOD”. DO NOT TOUCH THE ZERO or MOD
TRIMMERS OR OTHER PARTS INSIDE THE LHC!!! THIS MAY VOID YOUR WARRANTY!!!
7) After you have located the PITCH trimmer, with your small flat head screwdriver turn
the trimmer slowly counterclockwise while looking at the display. The Pitch Wheel Value should decrease. Decrease until you see –1, then, with the lightest touch, turn the trimmer a tiny bit clockwise until you see the –1 change back to Zero.
8 ) Carefully Lower the LHC back down making sure that the back of the LHC is
engaged on its shelf when the LHC is at rest.
9) Replace the Wood Spacer and thread the screws back in. Ensure that the LHC
chassis is as close to the side of the Voyager as possible before fully tightening the two screws.
10) That’s it! If you experience any problems or have questions before trying this,
contact [email protected].

Give that a shot,

Stefan

MarkM · Post by **MarkM** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 5:18 pm

Update to 3.2 and the problem should disappear. I had the same problem. Whenever I used a cursor button Osc. 1 would be about 4 tones off until I moved the pitch wheel. When I upgraded everything was fine.

synth_77 · Post by **synth_77** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 8:25 am

Guys, thanks for your prompt replies.

I have checked my pitch bend value and it reads "zero" (so I didn't need to perform the trimmer adjustment procedure) and I also installed OS 3.2, however, I'm unfortunaltey still getting the same problem. Moving the pitch wheel after loading a patch does not fix the problem either.

Just to clarify, the problem is not that each patch has a different pitch centre (ie, I don't need to adjust my Fine Tune knob between patches), it's that the oscillators in every patch are out of tune as if OSC 1 is flat by -4 so that I must flatten both OSC 2 and 3 by -4 to compensate.

Any further suggestions on what I could do? Perhaps I should contact Moog?

Regards

RL · Post by RL » Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:28 pm

Perhaps I should contact Moog?

Yes, I think the oscillators are detuned.

synth_77 · Post by **synth_77** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:07 pm

Rudi

Thanks for your suggestion.

I have been in touch with Moog.

Best regards

goldphinga · Post by **goldphinga** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 4:27 am

so what did moog say?

Is it fixed?

halez · Post by **halez** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 4:54 pm

Well, my Voyager is always out of tune when I turn it on, but seems to fall into tune after a minute or so...

synth_77 · Post by **synth_77** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 8:05 am

I'm happy to say that the problem has been fixed. In order to avoid having to ship my Voyager back to the US from Australia, the dealership that sold me my Voyager was able to get Moog to kindly provide some instructions on how to properly diagnose which of the oscillators required recalibration and, once that was determined, how to recalibrate them.

earsmack · Post by **earsmack** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:53 pm

...Well, my Voyager is always out of tune when I turn it on, but seems to fall into tune after a minute or so...

Same with mine...it's always just slightly flat for a few minutes...

Stuckinabox · Post by **Stuckinabox** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:33 pm

I'm getting this problem too, but my 2nd OSC is down by at least -10.

Are these instructions that can be found somewhere or does it have to be done over the phone?

EDIT

Now I can't so much as hear the second oscillator.

synth_77 · Post by **synth_77** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:36 am

The tuning instructions were emailed to me, however, they were specific to my problem. I suggest you contact Moog. Best of luck!