Keybed weirdness when playing outside

[bechillno]

I was setting up for a performance outside, sunset time. During soundcheck it became very apparent that something was seriously wrong with the microfreak keybed. It was triggering random notes on its own and the hold/mode button lights were flashing and rapidly changing settings. I could hold the Hold button and it would send all keybed lights into a lightshow and the screen was flashing through different settings rapidly.

Yes, it was plugged in using the power supply. At first I assumed that I must have somehow damaged it in transport to the gig, though no damage could be seen. I had to borrow another synth (used a Moog Grandmother for the first time) to proceed with the show. Checked it again when I got home, and yup, acting perfectly normal. No keybed weirdness to be found.

During trouble shooting, a modular friend remarked that touch plate modules can act crazy in humid conditions. It was maybe a little humid out. Not bad though. Is this a known issue with the microfreak? My googling has not uncovered anything.

This incident made it clear how important the microfreak has become to my mobile rig, but has made me very nervous to rely on it for future outdoor events.

Starting to look at the Novation Peak or ASM Hydrasynth module as upgrades to something equally flexible, but hopefully more dependable. It's a bummer though, because the keybed and arp functions are a huge part of the charm of this instrument.

[rafaelrez]

I'm having several problems with situations without grounding properly.

[rafaelrez]

The conclusion i had is MicroFreak is totaly useless outside.

[Acaustic_red]

I had a similar problem. I prepare the MF for the concert. During the soundcheck it worked correctly. Luckily we repeat a quick soundcheck before the gig and the MF played the same note incessantly without me touching it. I tried any combination possible: power it via powerbank, change MIDI cables, bypass the keyboard, clean it of any residue on the circuits but nothing. I realized that the only thing that responded to my touches was the pitchbend but it really responded incorrectly. Fortunately, the presets with sequences activated worked perfectly. After the concert I go home to try a factory reset; I turn on the MF and it works correctly.

I played outdoors with a good deal of humidity and heat

[MajorFubar]

I don't think controllers with a capacitive keyboard will work well in hot and humid environments.

[Morris936]

I was setting up for a performance outside, sunset time. During soundcheck it became very apparent that something was seriously wrong with the microfreak keybed. It was triggering random notes on its own and the hold/mode button lights were flashing and rapidly changing settings. I could hold the Hold button and it would send all keybed lights into a lightshow and the screen was flashing through different settings rapidly.

Yes, it was plugged in using the power supply. At first I assumed that I must have somehow damaged it in transport to the gig, though no damage could be seen. I had to borrow another synth (used a Moog Grandmother for the first time) to proceed with the show. Checked it again when I got home, and yup, acting perfectly normal. No keybed weirdness to be found.

During trouble shooting, a modular friend remarked that touch plate modules can act crazy in humid conditions. It was maybe a little humid out. Not bad though. Is this a known issue with the microfreak? My googling has not uncovered anything.

This incident made it clear how important the microfreak has become to my mobile rig, but has made me very nervous to rely on it for future outdoor events.

Starting to look at the Novation Peak or ASM Hydrasynth module as upgrades to something equally flexible, but hopefully more dependable. It's a bummer though, because the keybed and arp functions are a huge part of the charm of this instrument.

Most realistic Keybed. The keystick is shorter than the newer Kawai action but it's only slightly noticeable when playing at the top of the key.