Topic

Hi i have just bought my first Technics  keyboard SX KN 6500 second hand it seems to work great on all instruments except piano mode. Obviously i am new to this and it looks a steep learning curve to use all functions correctly but this problem only occurs on piano mode. When i strike the keys firmly it plays Grand piano or other piano’s but if you lower the velocity itplays another sound like a whooshing or other instrument? Is it something i have turned on by mistake or is it a possible repair needed. I have reset the keyboard to original settings but no change. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

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Hi there my friend. I have a KN6000 with a 6500 upgrade and am using it for a Piano course I have so playing it in solo Grand Piano mode is normal for me.

I would suggest the following to tray.

 

First, make sure that ONLY the Right hand button is lit and is logged into Grand Piano.

Second, make sure Reverb is OFF at this time.

Third, make sure Sustain is off till you get the piano sound right.

Also check that Multi, Chorus and or Mic are not on (especially if you have a mic connected).

Make sure that the Music Style Arranger, Techni Chord and Auto chord are all off.

Finally Sound DSP, Digital Variation and Variation are also all off.

 

I would suggest that once you get the keyboard to sound right for the piano, SAVE those settings to floppy disc (or USB memory chip if you have it upgraded to a floppy emulator).

Do you have a volume pedal, sustain pedal or any other pedal attached tp your keyboard?

Regards.

Robin.

 

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Hi thanks for reply Robin. I don’t have any pedals just the keyboard, i will try what you suggested tomorrow when i get home see if it makes a difference and will let you know.

regards

Andy.

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Hi @ruudiboy,

Some great advice from @rockinghorsekid there!

This sounds a bit unusual especially if you have reset your keyboard. I’ll add a few notes and things to try.

With most of the instruments, when you press the keys very, very slowly you’ll hear a slight whooshing sound. This is far less pronounced in later instruments such as your KN6500. It was quite annoying in some of the early models if you were playing loudly through an amplifier. I’ve always assumed that it was some type of background processing that needs to happen when you press a key (far beyond my understanding all that type of thing). The whoosh is stronger when you have any digital effects running so I think it is something akin to having an effects pedal on a guitar, where the effect is live even if you aren’t playing, and can sometimes be heard through the amp (not that I play guitar). I assumed that perhaps the keyboard was triggering the effect anytime a key is pressed but cutting it off after a short time. Anyway, that’s all a bit of guesswork and not very relevant.

Is this issue the same through headphones?

If you can take a line out into an external amplifier (or say your home theatre system / TV Bar or anything that acts as an amplifier), is it the same?

Here’s what I’m hoping for you – it could be your modulation wheel or the ball controller ‘almost making a connection’. Your modulation wheel should normally be right down the bottom on ‘zero’. I can’t remember what the circular ball-type controller is called but its position will affect the sound so centre or ‘zero’ that. I’m not able to get my KN6500 out to do tests at the moment.

You can also try changing the overall instrument level of touch sensitivity to be aggressive or sensitive and see if that helps.

If this is only happening when you have a digital effect enabled I believe that chips or boards can be replaced but it isn’t easy to find someone with the knowledge to do it these days. I mention that because a few members have had that done over the years to fix similar issues.

Finally, if your KN6500 is actually a KN6000 with an expansion board to upgrade it to KN6500 you could check whether the board is loose. Instructions for fitting expansion boards are in the Downloads section of the website.

Fingers crossed,

Mike

If architecture is frozen music then music must be liquid architecture. Quincy Jones