auto harmony/mic thru the PSR2100

The auto harmony works great, but i CANNOT get rid of a beeping noise that comes thru whenever I talk/sing on the 2100. I 'm plugging directly into the keyboard, using a Shure SM57 mic.

I've tried playing with the mic equalizer, no change - any thoughts from anyone? I really need the harmonizer to work !!!!

Thanks so much,

Jill

Beeping? You'll have to try to describe the sound a little more specifically, please. Maybe it's an overdriven reaction, or an overload of signal. Maybe you have the pitch to midi feature on, and it's actually playing a bell/type tone. There are a few areas to examine before you panic.

it's not a "tone" , a very soft frequency type beep. You can also hear it just when talking in the mic, nothing playing. BUT, it only occurs when you do talk. No beep when you are silent. Does this help?

Thanks Dave
Jill

Hmmm, nothing concrete comes to mind except maybe a side effect of the noise gate or a small feedback?

Jill,

Sounds like a minor feedback problem, which can easily be corrected. Go into the mic settings, lower the high EQ and raise the low EQ. Then make sure the switch on the back of the keyboard next to the mic jack is set to mic--not line. The mic level volume control on the back of the keyboard should be set to about half gain--no more. Additional gain adjustments can be made using the mic slider on the keyboard's screen. This should solve your problem. If not, try a master reset. If the problems still persists, the noise could be coming from outside sources. Try plugging the board into another outlet somewhere else and see if this helps. Also, try a different mic. Thats the best I can come up without hearing the beep in person.

Good Luck,

Gary

Thank you both -
Gary, after some "fiddling", I did reduce the noise almost completely, now very faint. I notice it's completely gone now when I use the "talk" button mode.

Many, many thanks

Jill

If it disapears when you hit the "talk" button, then the culprit is the effects section. Maybe levels are set too high, maybe harmonies are maladjusted, maybe the EQ is out of wack. Your trouble lies within the effects section of the mic processor.

thanks Dave - that sounds about right - and is what I'm fiddling with right now - I'll get it !!
Got my foot pedal this morning to control the vocalizer on/off, so this a project today!

Jill

I get the same sound/noise on the 2100 described by Jill. Tried everything. Got rid of it by running the mic thru a preamp, then into the line input on the keyboard.

Larry's post reminds me of another psr anomaly.(sp?)
Someone mentioned a hiss from the mic input, but only when the harmonizer was on. I also heard this on mine once. I think it was digital interferance. I moved the kb away from other digital gear and never heard it again. Perhaps the mixer isolates the mic from the jack and provides a cleaner input signal in a potentially noisy envirnment?

That makes more sense than anything else I've heard. I've noticed in certain situations my laptop does that. Depends on what's nearby.
DonM

I rested my cell phone on the KB and got the hiss also......removed it and its gone!

Uncle Dave probably hit it right on the head. Nearly every electronic device emits some form of RFI ( radio frequency interference ). In today's world for many of the electronic goodies, little attention is paid to this in the way of filtering, extra shielding, etc..

AJ

How do I run the mic thru a mixer first, and then into the keyboard?

I do have a mixer here, don't much about it tho, as hubby does most of my sound work.

Thanx

Jill

..."It's good to be the hubby"

Plug your mic into a channel of the mixer. Set all EQ flat and set gains to optimum level. (Hubby can help here, if you don't know how to do that) Send a signal from the mixer into the "LINE" input on the PSR. make sure the switch is set to "line" and not mic.
Now, control effects, harmony, and volume from the kb, and let the mixer just sit there and look nice. (and sound quiet, hopefully ! )

Uncle Dave...
I understand mic to mixer and Line Input vs Mic input. But where are you bringing the mic output out of the amp without duplicating everything else going thru it?
Eddie

Ahh! I see, said the blind wife!



This I think I can do!!

Many thanks!

Jill

I'm not UD, but the way I do it is run a line from the Alt Output of my Mackie 1202 to the line input on the keyboard.
Then you can assign the mic, or several mics if you wish, to that output. By pressing the Mute button, it takes the channel out of the main mix and assigns it to the Alt output.
The same thing can be done using an effects send or monitor send. Just be sure the channel on the mixer is muted or the volume turned down.
DonM

The amp I am using is a Peavey XR 6000C. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of the Mackie and no assignments for routing. It does have ins and outs for Graphics and Aux. You think one of them would work?
Eddie

Eddie,
The XR600 should have a monitor or effects send. Maybe the Aux send is used for this. It must be a send that can be turned off/on on each individual channel.
Don

Don...
Sounds like Aux In/Out might work. But, I am leary of pumping an amplified signal into the Line In on the KB.
Eddie

ok, think i'm in the same boat too - I have older Traynor mixer, I don't see dedicated "out" lines for each individual channel. I do have a monitor out - wonder if that would work?
I get leery with power to power

Jill

The monitor out will work. Or the aux out for Eddie.
Just set the input on the keyboard to "line", then turn the volume knob fully counterclockwise to minimum.
Turn the monitor or aux send volume to zero on the master and all channels of the mixer.
Then turn the levels up slowly. I would start with the Master monitor or aux send on the mixer. Set it to halfway. Then turn up the monitor send on the mic channel to about halfway. Test the mic to see if you're getting a signal. If not, turn up the input knob on the keyboard little by little until you start hearing something.
It is important to optimize all the levels where nothing it being overdriven, but you're getting a good strong signal. It will take a little experimenting at first, but once you get it set, you won't need to change it.
Don
P.S. You use only the "out" from the mixer, don't return the signal. It will be returned through the keyboard outputs.


[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 09-30-2003).]

S*T*O*P !!!

Before any of you hook a powered mixer to your keyboard. Don's description is correct, and it WILL work, but the chance of a devastating , harmfull feedback exists when you return the signal from the kb into the SAME amp that sent a signal from the mic.
(Stay with me...)

The Mackie (and others) have a dedicated button that essentially makes it TWO, independant mixers. Unless you can do that with your gear (XR600 - no no)I advise you to get a teeny, $49 Beheringer or similar to use as a mic submix.

The theory of Don's explaination is correct, but in practice, it's WAY too easy to screw it up, by turning the monitor send up on the kb channel.
Be vewwy, vewwy, caweful. We're NOT hunting wabbits here.....this is far more serious, and you'll ruin your amp if you return the signal to itself at any significant volume.

Think of it this way:

Take two garden hoses, from two spickets and attach them at the ends. Then turn the water on at each spicket ........ THERE SHE BLOWS !

It's not worth it. You can get small mic pres, or mixers that will give you the same results. As an ecopnomy measure .... even a guitar effects pedal will work to isolate the signal, if it's frequency range is adequate.

Careful here folks..... this is not the way they intended those older mixers to be used.

[This message has been edited by Uncle Dave (edited 09-30-2003).]

I'm using a small, ART tube preamp that costs about $90. It has the XLR mic input/outputs, as well as the standard 1/4 inch. It also has phantom power should the mic require it. These work well with guitars and basses, as well, to warm-up the sound. The mic is a Shure 58A. It sounds great thru the 2100.

thanks Dave, it's what I'm leery of as well, with an older mixer.

Since I want my vocals coming thru the mix/amp/speakers, would I be better off getting a newer mixer, or would a mic pre amp do the job just as well with what I have? One of the big reasons I got this board was the quality of the vocalizer, so I sure want to utilize it to it best potential/sound.


Jill

Don & Uncle Dave...
Thanks to both of you. I understand the "mic/powered mixer/KB line-in concept", but I am way too chicken to try looping the mic signal into the amp twice. The Mackie's routing ability is, by far, the best, safest and easiest to understand option.
Eddie

Aw Dave, these guys are musicians, and by definition very intelligent. If you're careful you won't loop anything. At least not more than once!
DonM