MS20 Making weird noise when triggered externally :(

[Joey]

hey guys,

so my ms20 has been acting up lately (which f**k blows)

whenever I try to trigger it externally, either through my kenton or using the ESP, it makes this crackling noise that makes it basically unplayable.

I can still play it by hand, but that doesn't really help me if I want to do some cooler sequencer parts. it works perfectly otherwise.

here is an example of the sound it makes:



if anyone could help me diagnose what is wrong or just give me a general guideline on how to fix this that would be great

thanks guys

[Hybrid88]

I don't really know exactly what this could be but one thing to check is the internal molex connectors. They connect different sections of the circuit board by multiple cables. Sometimes the metal pins that connect them can become tarnished and not make proper contact, a spray of deoxit should be the remedy.

Other than that, maybe a dodgy component, cap etc?

I'm actually in the middle of an MS-20 restoration as we speak, I'm praying that it all works when I'm done. I cleaned all of the keys one by one yesterday, man were they dirty. If you're like me, you may need to devote some time just to keep it going for the future.

[Maschinengeist]

The crackling noise comes from either a transistor or an op-amp. Will try to look at the schematics.

But maybe you can identify it yourself because it'll get very hot. And usually stop crackling when you touch it. Warning: they can get really hot.