SpikeKeys Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Here's my sad saga Bought an SK1 when they were hot off the presses. After a few weeks of playing it, the "cypher bug" bit. That's when you play a note and it won't turn off 'til you power down the unit. It happened pretty rarely, but I complained of course to Hammond and they replaced it. Unfortunately the replacement had one bad key, so they sent me a third unit. I've been playing this baby a lot for more than 2 months, and I've loved it faithfully all this time until last Saturday night, when the cypher demon reared its ugly head twice during 2 separate sets on a gig! I'm waiting to hear from Hammond what they can do about it. Just for the record, I've been playing synths for >40 years, and I've owned plenty. Never have I encountered a persistent bug like this one. Anyone else having this problem? Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Beaumont Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 That sucks! I guess it doesn't just happen to software! I have the pocket B3 app on my iPad. I was controlling it via an IO Dock from my Kurzweil and it was sounding surprisingly good. Until I discovered that I couldn't get through 5 tunes without it hanging on a note. Good thing I didn't pay much for it. I would hope that Hammond/Suzuki will come up with a firmware fix for this. Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12 Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazzjazz Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 That would piss me off big time. They really shouldn't have rushed those to market...or put a wall wart as the PS. Darren www.dazzjazz.com PhD in Jazz Organ Improvisation. BMus (Hons) Jazz Piano. my YouTube is Jazz Organ Bites 1961 A100.Leslie 45 & 122. MAG P-2 Organ. Kawai K300J. Yamaha CP4. Moog Matriarch. KIWI-8P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 That's on of the problems with buying a new KB hot off the assembly line. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Do you have the release 2 software in it? I've only had mine for less than a week and have only played it for about an hour but no problems so far. Are organ or EV notes sticking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Sorry to hear of your troubles. This is the first time i heard of this bug. Anyone else experiencing it? I agree that one should wait at least six months before buying a new computer product to make sure that all the bugs are worked out. In this case, maybe 6 months is not enough time. In a perfect world, prior to releasing an instrument for sale the company would give several prototypes to regularly gigging musicians to test them in a real word environment, then correct any bugs that creep in. Instead, companies are rushing products out and using their customers a test rats. Not a good public relations strategy. '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeKeys Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 Do you have the release 2 software in it? I've only had mine for less than a week and have only played it for about an hour but no problems so far. Are organ or EV notes sticking? Yes. I have the latest software. I played it several hours a day for a couple of months before this happened, unfortunately on a gig. It happened when I was playing B3 sounds, not EV patches. Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LX88 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 What is the duration of the LABOR WARANTEE on the SK1 and SK2? I don't recall getting an answer last time I asked. If I recall correctly, the XK3 is 90 days. Hammond Suzuki took on an ambitious project with this one, no doubt. Meanwhile, no sign of Crumar Mojo or Key B distribution in the USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Meanwhile, no sign of Crumar Mojo or Key B distribution in the USA. Here's a sign. http://www.musicmarketing.ca/mm8prod2012.php?bbb=Crumar&t=1&prod=25-82070 "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeKeys Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 What is the duration of the LABOR WARANTEE on the SK1 and SK2? I don't recall getting an answer last time I asked. If I recall correctly, the XK3 is 90 days. They've already replaced the last one, which is (so far!) bug free. I figure that I am the only keyboard player on the planet who has owned 4 Sk1s! Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeKeys Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 I can't believe this, but I found out that my latest SK1 (the fourth I've owned already!!) also has a bug, unless of course I am doing something stupid with it. It apparently cannot receive MIDI information, altho it can send out valid MIDI signals. It is not the MIDI channel, nor does it depend on which controller keyboard that tries to talk with it. I've tried a Triton and a Nord Stage 2. To put this into perspective, my first and third SK1s had the cipher bug, the second had a bad key. And just for the record, I've been playing music professionally for more than 30 years, and I've owned dozens of synths. Nothing has given me headaches like the SK1. Sure I could trade it in for something else, but except for the bugs, I don't know anything else that comes close to the SK1 for its feel, sound quality (both organ & extra voices), and weight. As my buddy Marty used to say: "BUMMER ISLAND!" Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Which MIDI Template and MIDI Master/MIDI In (Pg's 110 & 132) choice do you have selected? Try the Basic Template and Sequence MIDI In. They turn everything on/let everything through. Some of the Templates and MIDI In modes turn receive off disregard the data. Check the TX and RX channels and make sure they are on (Pg. 110 #'s 13 - 18) Also, if the 2 controllers send NRPN data, turn it off (Pg. 110 #4) in the SK-1 so it doesn't use the NRPN data to turn stuff like the C/V and Percussion on and off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kai_yak Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I have the same hanging note problem whenever I plug a midi device to my Sk-1. Either a second manual or my DAW. Did you contact your retailer who sold you the Sk-1 or Hammond directly about the problem? Hammond Sk1, Korg X50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 What version software is in yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kai_yak Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Sorry for the double post Hammond Sk1, Korg X50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Is the hanging note problem in your sk1 or your computer that you use to post? "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Is the hanging note problem in your sk1 or your computer that you use to post? Ha HA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I think we are all hanging right now... '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeKeys Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 I have the most current software, but I also tried going back to the factory settings. I have the correct MIDI channel (#1) for both the SK1 and the controller synth, either a Nord Stage 2 or a Triton. The SK1 can send MIDI to each of these synths but not receive anything by MIDI from them. "Which MIDI Template and MIDI Master/MIDI In (Pg's 110 & 132) choice do you have selected? Try the Basic Template and Sequence MIDI In. They turn everything on/let everything through. Some of the Templates and MIDI In modes turn receive off disregard the data. Check the TX and RX channels and make sure they are on." All of that was done. Nothing fixed it so far. I reported the problem to my dealer and got a call from Scott May, who tried to troubleshoot with me over the phone. Nothing he suggested worked. He sounded even more frustrated than I was already. I am waiting to hear back from him. Meanwhile I'll just use the SK1 without MIDI. Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Thank you for the update. I am holding off for a while. I do not need to buy trouble! "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Can you attach one of the keyboards to the SK-1's MIDI In and the other to the SK-1's MIDI Out? According to Pg 110 #2 if you set that to Lower it should pass whatever it receives at the MIDI In to the MIDI Out on the channel Lower Tx is set to. This will at least let you know if the MIDI data is getting into the SK-1 correctly and at least handled somewhat by it. Also, if you haven't done this yet you might try re-installing the OS. Even install the older version to see if that makes a difference and then install the current version. If you have a small (1 or 2 Gb) USB drive, use that. I suspect it likes smaller drives for OS updates for some reason. At least going from the first revision to the 2nd. I've re-installed the 2nd a few times (I had the libraries in the wrong directory once and I was testing different USB drives). Once the update seemed to just stop (maybe it was looking for the libraries) but when I powered off and powered back on it worked just fine. Anyway, the smaller drives seem to work well. The larger drives seem to be fine for setup files, additional libraries and sound files. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Here is a Key-B link: http://www.b3guys.com/ "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kai_yak Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 What version software is in yours? There is quite alot of numbers (page 100 in manual) Main 1.084 Sub 1.012 Information 1.012 DSP 1.007 Boot 1.000 Preset 1.007 I bought a new midi cable yesterday and last night i had no problems in the 30 minutes i played. Hopefully that was the fix. Im of to play for the next 2 hours. I will report how that worked out. Hammond Sk1, Korg X50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyMoe Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I know this may sound crazy, but have you tried a new midi cable? Montage 7, Mojo 61, PC-3, XK-3c Pro, Kronos 88, Hammond SK-1, Motif XF- 7, Hammond SK-2, Roland FR-1, FR-18, Hammond B3 - Blond, Hammond BV -Cherry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 There is a newer version of the OS: Click on Support Release 2 is the most current. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeKeys Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 I know this may sound crazy, but have you tried a new midi cable? Of course. I tried 2 MIDI cables. Both worked when I hooked up the SK1 as a controller keyboard for 2 other sound modules. But the SK1 can't receive MIDI input. I also reset the factory default settings. It didn't help. This really smells like a hardware bug. Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I have mine set up to receive note on/off data from my lower manual and pedals as well as MIDI Expression data from my XK-3c. If you like, I can PM you my email address and you can send me your setup file. I'll load it in mine and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeKeys Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 An update: Hammond-USA will be sending me a new SK1 on Monday (my FIFTH!). I hope that will be the end of this saga! Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Good grief! I hope so too, for everyone's sake. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I read the support file and there are lots of areas that have been "fixed" - still, I don't know about this board. For $2,000 you'd think they would have worked all this out beforehand. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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