Hello there,
P S schrieb:
> It remained unused for about 6 months (too busy) until
> this week and now everything is working fine again.
> And I realize, after wasting hour upon hour of
> playing, I love this synth.
Better replace the battery SOON!
In my Trident MK2 (which tends to suffer from a similar battery issue),
the acid had already started eating up parts on the CPU board.
I assume the Polysix has a Tape Backup facility so you can save your
sounds. (Removing the battery will erase the memory)
If there is no severe damage, the battery business will be done in no
time and you will ensure that the device will never ever suffer from
that problem again.
> When I use my headphones to monitor (through the
> 'phones' jack) the synth sounds fantastic. A little
> noisy, but not so much I wouldn't use it to record as
> this often seems to make the sound warmer and pleasing
> to the ear.
>
> ∗BUT∗ whenever I use a 1/4 inch cable from the PolySix
> ouput to the line in on my USB audio interface and
> monitor through the interface there is a loud and
> fairly deep 'hum' that occurs. The 'hum' keeps on even
> if I am still listening with the polysix turned off.
> Only unplugging from the wall stops it. When I record
> this stunning instrument, this infernal 'hum' ruins
> the recording.
This doesn't sound like a Polysix problem.
It is rather a ground loop.
Does it happen when you connect the USB audio thingie, the computer and
the Polysix to the very same power outlet?
Is the computer connected to other rooms, e.g. via a BNC network
connection or TV antenna cable? (Twisted Pair Network should be OK
though, AFIAK)
If it is a laptop, does it help to unplug the power supply and run it on
battery? Does the USB thingie use its own power supply?
(Maybe consult this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_loop_%28electricity%29 )
If the USB audio interface has XLR inputs, try using a DI box. (The 1/4"
cable from the Polysix into the DI box, the XLR outs of the DI box to
the USB thingie.)
They are inexpensive and every keyboarder playing on stage should own one.
(See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DI_box )
> I'm going to recording arts school and want to make an
> album, I need to record this beauty!
Hehe. Of course you need to.
I used my Tridet MK2 among other (vintage to modern) synths for this
recording:
http://www.drni.de/em/constant_change.php (free download)
> Also, if I muster the courage to follow OldCrow's
> guide to changing the battery is there a possibility I
> might kill the synth even if I do the procedure
> correctly? I would be upset obviously.
If you do everything carefully, it should work out fine. If you aren't
sure, try to find a soldering Guru. It's worth it!
(Arts school? If this is at an Univ, there might be also a Electrical
Engineering school or the like...)
Best,
Niels