ABECK Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I'm noticing what I think is an issue with my Ventilator, but I'm not sure if it normal or not. It seems like the input can be overloaded very easily. Too easily. When the unit is in bypass mode, or not even plugged in, the signal distorts way too easy (and I'm not talking about the sweet distortion you are supposed to get from the dial - that works fine if the signal is not too hot). On my Electro, I can't turn the volume up past 50% without distorting. On my Korg I can't go past 40% volume without distorting. Should I get a distorted output from the Ventilator if the Ventilator is unplugged or in bypass mode? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Wild ass guess, since I don't own one - do you have the Lo/Hi switch or the Key/Git switch pushed in? "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...
Delaware Dave Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 From what I recall the electro has a fairly low output to begin with so I would doubt that you should get distortion from having the electro up to say only 60% and the vent distorts. Also, with experimenting with the lo/hi switch I have not seen a huge change. Further, you shouldn't be getting any distortion in bypass mode. Something seems amiss with your vent pedal. Ashby Solutions could probably diagnose and do a repair: http://www.music.ashbysolutions.com/ 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Actually, if the hi/lo switch is not in the right position, you can easily overload the input with an electro/stage. Not sure if that's the solution, but if there is bad distortion with it bypassed, maybe the unit has a problem, or maybe there is a problem elsewhere in the signal chain. I'd remove it and see what you get as far as distortion goes. Even a bad cable can cause distortion like symptoms. Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1 Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6 www.bksband.com www.echoesrocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 With the Korg you should be able to lower the output for the particular patch. I could tell you where on the Kronos but not exactly sure on the others. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Forgot to mention that the Hi/Lo switch is in the right position (I have tried both). I can certainly come up with strategies to turn my sources down based on patch, but it seems like there may be an issue going on. I'll give Ashby a shout. I figure if there is a problem it can be related to one of the following: Bad audio cables Bad y splitter (I can test with this out of the loop to verify) Something got messed up when I moved the solder bridge for the stereo input mod Some other internal defect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 what is the y-splitter for? "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I've had similar problem - the vent is quite easily overdriven, unfortunatly, even if the Hi/Lo is set correctly. 50% from a Nord is about as much as it can take before the overload LED starts blinking, but I agree - it sounds strange that your getting distortion in bypass mode too. For me it's not much of a problem anymore since I use the Vent on a separate output on my Stage 2 - and the organ section is set to about 50% gain and main outputs are running at normal gain. When I had an Electro 3 I used the output mode where the Organ is assigned to one output and piano/wave to the other. Back then I also had the Organ patches set to a lower gain, but the main volume knob at full. It worked just fine. Of course then you will need an external mixer and will have to run all the pianos in mono. Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 When using the stereo bypass mod, you can input a stereo signal using a Y-Splitter. That way when you are in bypass mode, the stereo signal will pass through to the outputs. This is usefull for instruments like the Electro where you want the Vent running a mono signal from the organ, but want to switch to stereo for Pianos, EPs, samples. Here's a good explanation: http://music.ashbysolutions.com/vent.htm#STEREO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I thought the Vent was passive on passthrough. If so, it's either not the Vent, or there's something badly wrong with the Vent. It's not unusual to get what sounds like distortion due to contact resistance from corroded connectors, or a cold solder joint. That usually doesn't vary much with signal level, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 He did do the mod for stereo, maybe he has a cold solder joint there and that's the problem. Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1 Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6 www.bksband.com www.echoesrocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I have had a similar problem also. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 For the short time that I owned the Vent I too had the same issue. You just have to be careful how loud you drive it... '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...
ABECK Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Outkaster and Hammonddave - were you experiencing the problem in bypass as well as when unplugged? I have considered the possibility of a cold solder joint. I was uber careful, but I'm not beyond making a mistake. I should probably check that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 It seems if there is a hot signal (like the XK series) the ventilator goes crazy. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicale Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Just to chime in, I'm new to the vent, but I can easily overdrive the vent input with my XK1. I also have experienced the POP noise when bypassing. It seems to be setup specific. I had the problem when going through the PA only, not an amp. I have also had a situation where the vent seemingly randomly switched it self into bypass mode. It did that several times at a recent gig. So there is some more troubleshooting to do to develop a better understanding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucktronix Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I tend to do the same with my Vent, and hadn't really noticed the issue until after listening to recorded gigs from my Zoom H4n. At times(even worse in my solos), the organ would come out thin and distorted in several spots. Lately, I have been putting in a mixer between the Vent and the speaker, and it has worked well. I am able to have a stronger signal going in to the speaker and allow myself to push more volume to the Vent without overloading the input. Kronos 88 Platinum, Yamaha YC88, Subsequent 37, Korg CX3, Hydrasynth 49-key, Nord Electro 5D 73, QSC K8.2, Lester K Me & The Boyz Chris Beard Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 +1 I run the out from the XK3 to the vent and then send the vent's output through a Speakeasy 122AMA. That way I do not overload the vent and I can manipulate the sound and then send as hot a signal as I want to a keyboard mixer. One could do the same without the 122AMA and keep the signal low and then beef it up at the mixer. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 My signal chain is Stage-->Lexicon Alex-->Vent-->mixer-->powered monitor. I use the Alex to get the Stage signal boosted up to where I like it to drive the Vent properly. I've also been cheating and using the overdrive on the Stage when I want the "Deep Purple" effect, since my Vent is in my rack and not accessible while playing. I have a Speakeasy dual preamp that I'm not using. I should break out my bigger rack and start using it. I'd run the Stage direct to that and then into the Alex and Vent and use the level adjustment on the back to get the signal level right. I bet the Moog LP would benefit from running thru a channel too. Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1 Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6 www.bksband.com www.echoesrocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 After more testing, I seem to have isolated the problem to the pair of 1/4" cables I was using. When I swapped them out for a different set, the problem went away. Put 'em back in and the problem came back. I'm not sure what's different about these cables, but the vent doesn't like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Seems like 99% of the time it's a cable or a 9v. battery! "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Chimuelo Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I run a TosLink to 1/4" for the Vent input, then the 1/4" Vent out to TosLink In. It's a loop coming from an XITE-1 DSP 1U Rack, and it works great for me. I recently added a Modular Patch to the routing for extra OD as I really like that vintage sound, and the Vent got close, but I prefer a little more for that DPurple/ELP Buzz. Also ran the mono 1/4"s into the DSP rack and then Y'd the signal in a project window, Digital signal is much nicer to shape and I can route in any instrument to it I want, including Hammond Emu's. These guys make some nifty stuff. http://www.monoprice.com/products/department.asp?c_id=104 Magnus C350 and a TV Dinner Tray Stand http://soundcloud.com/you/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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