I used 3 times my MicroFreak outside, including one last sunday. Each time, playing on the keybed is unpredictable: rarely it works as expected, but most of the time, it holds the first note played, or doesn’t output sound at all. Thinking it could be a question of power supply, I tried many solutions (powerbank, USB with phone charger, included power supply) without success. So I’m afraid it’s not reliable at all outdoor.
Could there be a workaround? Tell me there is, please. Thanks.
All I can think of is that atmospheric conditions are affecting the keyboard. Do you live in a damp or humid area? Are you using it Indoors with air conditioning?
Let’s see if anyone else has any ideas or has had a similar problem.
HI @Knarf and welcome to The Sound Explorers Forum!
Sorry to hear this is happening, if it’s only happening outside though, it’s likely to be environmental factors as @Funtmaster suggests.
If you read The Manual starting on P 11/107, you’ll notice it mentions things like not placing it in direct sunlight etc.
It might not feel too hot to us as we move about and have the ability to sweat, but a keyboard isn’t as fortunate, so it’s worth taking extra precautions when using equipment outdoors.
Reading the instructions indicated, I wasn’t in any of theses conditions (thunder / direct sunlight) outdoor. The stand used for the MF has holes to optimize air circulation.
So I think I did my best to match recommendations here.
But still you had a problem that you did not experience indoors. So, the environment is the issue and there is nothing Arturia can do about where you choose to use the Microfreak.
Not so sure. Arturia could make a keyboard functional in most conditions maybe?
I do understand the keybed is quite different from others and therefore works differently in certain conditions.
The small size and functionalities (including sampling) make the µF perfect for all type of setups & shows. It’s just a pity it becomes useless outdoor.
Just tried to play (found a new exciting sound btw) for half an hour outdoor, with included power, me on the grass, the µF on my knees, without external controller, and no problem at all. So, no definitive answer for now.
So I bought a Midi USB host to connect a small midi keyboard to the µF and it worked as expected outdoor. That particular day, it was hot & shiny (but I was under a parasol), I didn’t take the time to test without the external midi key though.
I had the same crazy situation but indoors. I thought MF was damaged or there was some sort of voltage problem. Finally I think it is related to grounding. When I play barefeet this seems to happen (I don’t perform live, I use it for playing at home and sometimes I sit barefeet while playing).
Also something that helped is a tip I took from Soma Lyra-8’s manual : a good grounding source is usually audio cables, so they suggest wearing a metallic wristband or bracelet and using a thin metal wire from the wristband/bracelet to the metallic outside jacket of the audio cable. Sometimes when MF is crazy in this way, I just touch the metal jacket of the cable jack (for example the audio out on the MF itself) and craziness goes away.
Maybe it helps?? In my case it was a grounding issue, don’t know about outdoor conditions whether it would help.
Hi @Chaostar and thanks for posting.
Yes, this is something i hadn’t considered, IF you have grounding issues though i would SERIOUSLY advise a qualified electrician has a look at your mains supply.