Hi all,
With our band we rehearse and play live with our A&H qu24. A fantastic thing to have but we have one issue. When linking up all instruments and our keyboardplayer starts a repeating sequence of notes set on a fixed bpm, randomly the speed of the sequence changes. At first it slows down, then it speeds up again, slows down etc. Very annoying. We have tried with another keyboard but with same issue. So it must be an issue with the link or the setup in the a&h itself. The keyboard is linked to the qu via a DI box. Any thoughts what could solve the problem. All ideas welcome as it drives us crazy. Tx a lot in advance.
Can you state some more details of your setup, notably any USB or MIDI connections? It’s an impossibility that a DI audio connection will cause your BPM to change!
DC
Tx for quick reply.
Setup:
Guitar input via xlr in
Bass input via xlr in
Electronic Drum input via xlr in
Keyboard input via xlr in stereo via 2 channels
Mics in via xlr in
No midi connection. No usb connection.
I wonder if i should change something in gate or compressor etc.
Also it happens mostly when we all play together, much less when keyboard sequencer plays alone. Hope this help
Any tempo change is not anything to do with the desk.
Could it be that we have made the wrong connections to the desk?
How typically do you link a keyboard ( in our case a korg m50) to the desk?
If the keyboard is close to the desk, then Jack lead to line input of a channel on the desk, either L only for mono or L+R into two channels stereo. For longer distances, plug those jack leads into DI boxes & use XLR leads to run to the desk.
However, nothing plugged into the outputs of your keys should be able to change the tempo of sequences in any way.
You could check power supplies are all good & the correct one for the keyboard, and also that, as you’re using XLR inputs on the desk, that Phantom (48V) power in not switched on. But I still think it’s the way the keyboard is programmed.
Yep - the XLR are “one way” audio signals only.
No FX or anything I presume…
MarkPaman,
Tx a lot for the useful info. We will check and try your ideas. I will revert if we have the same issues after trying.
Tx a lot in advance
Rgrds
Zecure
@xapbob
No fx indeed. Only fx is programmed in keyboard.
Then it’s something keyboard wise, not QU wise. Does the keyboard have speakers, what does it sound like if you unplug the cables and use those?
It does not have speakers but when linking it to an active speaker with no other instruments, there are no changes in the tempo. It is really a mystery.
Are you able to use a USB stick to record what’s happening & stick it somewhere we can listen? DropBox or something?
I am the guitar player of the band. We rehearse next week. We will try to record it indeed and try to post a link on this chat discussion. Tx in the meantime for all your help.
Try a quick video of it as well…
Might be worth running L=>QU and R=>Active speaker?
i am the keyboard (Korg M50) guy
I have been testing for many hours already, if I play this sequence at home through headphones or if I record it (on an ipad) and I measure the time in between 2 sequences it is very exact for many many minutes…
I really do not believe this has anything to do with the programming of the synt
also : during one specific live gig we used the equipment of the organizer, (by coincidence also A&H): there was NO delay so I am convinced it has the do with the settings on the A&H. Same reasoning as we connected a totally different keyboard (yamaha MoXF6) and that same sequence showed the same crazy delays…
Ah delays… maybe not tempo changes?
Maybe You’ve set the desk up with the keys feeding through an inserted effects unit, which could introduce a delay. Or you can add a small, <85ms, delay at the input of each channel, so check that too.
Just to confirm. He meant tempo changes not delays.
The QU can’t produce tempo changes - it doesn’t have enough memory to do the serious buffering required.
Changes in delay are generally accompanied by digital clicks since the QU has to throw away or insert samples to move from one delay period to another.
A recording of this would be appreciated.
I’d also suggest trying it again with a fully reset desk, and plugging into two channels on different PCBs - cahnnel 1 & 10 maybe…
I’d just like to reiterate my original point that it is impossible for the Qu to control BPM via an audio signal going the other way. Qu doesn’t even generate a MIDI timing clock (0xF8) which would be responsible for mastering a BPM. I don’t see how you came to such solid conclusions based upon circumstance alone. I suggest you make the recordings as requested above, and clearly explain what the symptom is that is apparent in the recording.
DC
Below is a link to a sequence recording without A&H but just connected to an active speaker.
The lights on the iPad (app=“tempo”) indicate the bpm=126 ; as you can see perfectly in sync, no issues at all.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5518126/Sequence.mp4
Later this week we’ll do a recording on the A&H to compare the difference.