BENCH NOTES

Welcome back to Bench Notes!

Intro describing one or two of this month’s topics

WHAT NOT TO DO

We see all kinds of mistreated synthesizers come into the shop every week – synths that have been to hell and back, so to speak. We’ve spoken plenty about what to do when an instrument needs help (namely, bring it to us!), but not a ton about how to avoid this fate in the first place. So, here’s what not to do:

• Don’t drop it

• Don’t drop something on it

• Don’t spill any liquids on it. This includes honey.

• If you do spill liquids on it, do not power it on.

• If you do spill liquids on it and it was already on, do not leave it on.

• Don’t leave it on for weeks at a time, even if liquid is not involved.

• Don’t leave it outside.

• Don’t attempt a repair if you only sort-of know what you’re doing.

• Don’t have your friend attempt a repair if they say they sort-of know what they’re doing. They don’t.

• Do not attempt to clean your instruments’ controls with anything other than DeOxit. 

  • That means no WD40, no bike grease, and no oil (motor, olive, fish, etc.).

• Don’t replace a dead fuse with anything other than the correct spec fuse.

• Don’t pull the ground pin from your synth’s AC cable.

• Never plug in a PG-200 into your JX-3P if the JX is already powered on (AKA “hot plugging”)

• Don’t trust everything people say on Facebook Marketplace. Or Kijiji. Or Reddit.

• Don’t use the wrong power supply for your instrument (more on that below).

• And finally, don’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve ever done any of these things! This is everybody’s first time on planet Earth, so mistakes happen. We’ve seen it all, so don’t be shy and we’ll cure your temperamental instrumental afflictions.

PSU PSA

Lately, we’ve been seeing a number of synths come in because they won’t power on. This can happen for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most common is that the instrument was, at some point, powered on using the wrong power supply. In some cases the synth will be totally fine, but in the worst case, deeper damage may occur.

Regardless of the outcome, using the correct power supply for any piece of gear is critical to its health, and is generally not emphasized enough. We think a little bit of education goes a long way, so here’s a crash-course on power supplies for the intrepid musician:

Internal Power Supplies

Instruments that accept AC power will have an internal power supply (PSU, for short) to convert the incoming AC into usable DC power. For these, you’ll need either a 2-prong or 3-prong AC cable to plug directly into the wall.

If you ever take your instrument to another country, check whether the AC voltage standard that country runs is compatible with your instrument’s power supply. A universal switch mode PSU will work fine anywhere, but others will require a step-up or step-down transformer.

External Power Supplies

Lots of gear (especially smaller units) employ an external PSU to power them. Often referred to as DC adapters or wall-warts, these seem to cause the most confusion-related damage. There are 3 main things to check before you plug any power supply into your instrument:

• Output Voltage and Current. Check your synth’s voltage requirement, and make sure the PSU’s output voltage matches (ex: 9V). You’ll also find a current rating listed in amperage (ex: 1700mA). Just make sure the PSU’s current rating is higher than the instrument’s current requirement.

• Polarity. DC supplies provide power via a pair of leads; one positive, and one negative. Make absolutely sure that the polarity of the PSU matches the polarity of your instrument before plugging it in. The PSU and instrument should indicate this with a small diagram, and the owner’s manual may note the polarity of the jack’s central tip.

A diagram of a center-positive PSU

• Jack fit. Once you’ve verified the above, we’d recommend a test fit of the physical barrel-jack plug to ensure the PSU makes reliable contact with the instrument. With the PSU unplugged from the wall, plug the DC jack into your instrument and give it a light wiggle. If it feels sturdy, plug it into the wall, power the synth on, and give it another wiggle test. If the synth stays on reliably, you’re good to go!

  

  The voltage rating and polarity can be hard to spot on some supplies!

LOCAL EVENTS

Synth and synth-adjacent happenings in the GTA.

Saturday, July 19th | Frequency Freaks

Frequency Freaks Synthesizer Workshops are free educational synth events that encourage sharing gear info and sound-design techniques in the Toronto synth community. They’re held in association with Arraymusic at 155 Walnut Avenue.

Wednesday, July 23rd | Render File

You can often catch our talented tech Sam making noise at Render File on Wednesdays. This casual event stars a different video game playthrough each week with an improvised score by a live band. Check it out at Wenona Craft Beer Lodge every Wednesday at 8pm.

Got any suggestions for local events we can add here? We’d love to hear about them! Just reach out and let us know.

If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading Bench Notes! Feel free to let us know what you think, share it with a friend, or suggest new topics you’re curious about.

—The Team at Synths When