JD-XA Crackling Sound

Forum for the JD-XA.
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Synthesist
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JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by Synthesist »

I have had my JD-XA for 3 weeks now and am about to return it for a new unit due to a weird crackling sound after start up. Sounds like a static zap running through the delay...totally unacceptable for a $2,199 machine.
Has anyone else experienced this?

I, too, have experienced many anomalies with this synth and am hoping they will be addressed with an OS update. I must say that I feel like a Beta Tester for Roland...crackle, crackle, crackle...
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richardbates1
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by richardbates1 »

Synthesist wrote:I have had my JD-XA for 3 weeks now and am about to return it for a new unit due to a weird crackling sound after start up. Sounds like a static zap running through the delay...totally unacceptable for a $2,199 machine.
Has anyone else experienced this?

I, too, have experienced many anomalies with this synth and am hoping they will be addressed with an OS update. I must say that I feel like a Beta Tester for Roland...crackle, crackle, crackle...
Nope, no crackle, snap or pop.

It is taking me awhile to get used to the analog filters when I bring up the resonance and drive too high.
The sound can get strange, very unique filters.
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Synth Guru
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by Synth Guru »

richardbates1 wrote:
Synthesist wrote:I have had my JD-XA for 3 weeks now and am about to return it for a new unit due to a weird crackling sound after start up. Sounds like a static zap running through the delay...totally unacceptable for a $2,199 machine.
Has anyone else experienced this?

I, too, have experienced many anomalies with this synth and am hoping they will be addressed with an OS update. I must say that I feel like a Beta Tester for Roland...crackle, crackle, crackle...
Nope, no crackle, snap or pop.

It is taking me awhile to get used to the analog filters when I bring up the resonance and drive too high.
The sound can get strange, very unique filters.
Have you tried a system reset?

I had strange crackles with my TFX filters one day, any time I turned them they cracked and popped. The next day they were gone. I do know that one of the TFX filters emulates a vinyl LP and that filter is designed for cracks and pops.

Have ya tried plugging the output cable to the right or left channel? If the above fails you may have a bad board.
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Synthesist
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by Synthesist »

Thanks, Richard & Synth Guru...
As soon as I receive my ROLAND M-UF2G flash drive to back up my programming, I will try a factory reset and see if that helps. It's hard to believe that they do not sell these flash drives in the US...been waiting over 2 weeks to receive mine from Japan.
RonF
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by RonF »

Synthesist wrote:I have had my JD-XA for 3 weeks now and am about to return it for a new unit due to a weird crackling sound after start up. Sounds like a static zap running through the delay...totally unacceptable for a $2,199 machine.
Has anyone else experienced this?

I, too, have experienced many anomalies with this synth and am hoping they will be addressed with an OS update. I must say that I feel like a Beta Tester for Roland...crackle, crackle, crackle...

I had this exact same issue on my first unit. Random intermittent digital popping and crackling...lets call it "digital noise" in the internal signal chain of the unit. IF the delay was engaged, then the noise would also delay, thus confirming that it was coming from inside the unit. Since the JDXA has NO digital connectivity, it wasn't a digital clocking issue....because it sounded exactly like that.

But...after speaking with Sweetwater briefly about it...they shipped me a brand new unit (completely at their expense, and risk) and allowed me to return the defective unit.

Factory reset did nothing in my case.

I would suggest that you likely have an early production defective unit. The new unit is silent and flawless. Seek to exchange it!
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Synthesist
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by Synthesist »

RonF wrote:
Synthesist wrote:I have had my JD-XA for 3 weeks now and am about to return it for a new unit due to a weird crackling sound after start up. Sounds like a static zap running through the delay...totally unacceptable for a $2,199 machine.
Has anyone else experienced this?

I, too, have experienced many anomalies with this synth and am hoping they will be addressed with an OS update. I must say that I feel like a Beta Tester for Roland...crackle, crackle, crackle...

I had this exact same issue on my first unit. Random intermittent digital popping and crackling...lets call it "digital noise" in the internal signal chain of the unit. IF the delay was engaged, then the noise would also delay, thus confirming that it was coming from inside the unit. Since the JDXA has NO digital connectivity, it wasn't a digital clocking issue....because it sounded exactly like that.

But...after speaking with Sweetwater briefly about it...they shipped me a brand new unit (completely at their expense, and risk) and allowed me to return the defective unit.

Factory reset did nothing in my case.

I would suggest that you likely have an early production defective unit. The new unit is silent and flawless. Seek to exchange it!

Thank you, RonF!
I definitely have a defective unit...I am soooooooooo pissed right now!
I finally got my Roland USB Drive (from Japan) to back up all my work so far (7 custom patches for my rock band) so I can return the unit...AND....the USB drive formats just fine and says it's backing up but nothing on the USB drive but Initialized patches...tried everything...
I wish there was a way to back up my work...
Sweetwater has already issued me a return tag but I have 3 weeks of work that I will never get back...
I've never had such trouble with any synthesizer in all my 36 years of Synthesis...
tomoe97
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by tomoe97 »

Unfortunately, I'm also experiencing the audio pops mentioned by others. However, they are so sporadic that I can't tell if it's the synth itself that is producing the pops or if the JD-XA, which is ungrounded, is simply amplifying noise in the electrical system of my studio. For those of you who have experienced audio pops from the JD-XA, how frequently did they occur? Did you attempt to ground the unit via the grounding terminal on the back to see if they would disappear?

I can play for 20-30 minutes straight without occurrence, but when the audio pops do occur they ruin whatever track I happen to be recording. My JD-XA is currently connected to a Furman power conditioner and the USB out goes to a high performance Elektron Overhub USB hub. I'm not getting audio pops from any of the other synths in my studio that are connected to the same power conditioner and USB hub.
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richardbates1
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by richardbates1 »

Once again I have to say man am I lucky with my JDXA, no crackling sounds any time during use (disconnected from my computer) just through speakers .......and I have also no problems with the JDXA being connected by USB to my Mac and DAW which is Logic 9 ..... no crackling or pops during use or recordings in that hardware relationship.

I feel for those that are having these problems with this synth, I can't help because I am not having those problems?

It is mind blowing that there can be such a difference between one JDXA to another?
Hard to understand what is going on?
RonF
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by RonF »

My replacement unit is equally perfect. If you're experiencing audio pops and digital noise...replace the unit. It's defective.
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rockstarjazzcat
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by rockstarjazzcat »

Hey gang, first time poster. Long time Roland user. Glad to know I'm not alone in having issues with a brand new JD-XA, and that some have experienced better with a replacement, but yes, very sorry any of us has to go through this.

Opened mine last night. I experience crackle intermittently -- with hands on the keys, at least so far -- which seems to culminate in a relatively loud pop that sounds like electrical arcing to me.

This morning I limited the variables and recorded the unit playing back a sequence for 45 minutes or so. (No coincidence that I woke up early. Definitely worried about having to return the thing.) I need to inspect the recording in greater detail, but I believe that it didn't pop during that time.

I set about exploring patches and controls as I was doing last night, figuring that lots of activity in the interface may be key. I played for a very short while with no crackle. I shut off the recorder to get ready for my day job. A few last notes on the keys before taking off and there was the crackle... Had to turn off the JD-XA and get on with the day, but will continue my quality assurance work with it this evening. Really want to love the unit and to be able to focus on playing.

I hope that Roland will be straight with us on whatever may be going on with the units returned so far. I note that the product manual explicitly describes how a user may experience charge build up and that the unit has a grounding screw on the back.

So, though I'd rather not whine, recognizing that others are experiencing the problem and some are not, throwing my two cents ($2k?) in while we figure out what's what.

Last night, with the popping... I was sort of lost in exploration, but it felt on the order of 10-20 minutes, maybe more. I'll run the recorder again tonight and will report back on specifics.

Kind regards,
D
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rockstarjazzcat
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by rockstarjazzcat »

rockstarjazzcat wrote:I need to inspect the recording in greater detail, but I believe that it didn't pop during that time.
...actually, there is a definite double pop around 35 minutes or so. The second may or may not have been delay on the patch. Hard to tell from the voice recorder recording.

Will check the clock settings and perform a factory reset for good measure, but otherwise, trying another unit. I'll post here if either solves the problem. Thanks to all who posted.
tomoe97
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by tomoe97 »

Theo Bloderer, who just did a thorough review of the JD-XA for his Great Synthesizers website (http://greatsynthesizers.com/en/test/ro ... more-21450), has noted similar problems with the unit he reviewed (see his response in the comments section to my question about audio noise). Depending on how widespread the issue is, swapping boards may or may not solve the problem. I've been discussing the issue with Roland Tech Support for weeks. They asked me to provide my serial number so that they can confirm whether it was from an early batch, which they said "may need to be updated." They haven't disclosed whether that update would be hardware or software. My sense is that they are trying to determine how widespread the problem is. Before spending money to ship it back to the seller or the manufacturer, it would be wise to open a tech support ticket and provide your info to Roland.

The most frustrating thing is how sporadic it is. I can play for 20-30 minutes and experience no problems whatsoever, then it occurs out of the blue. I've performed a factory reset, attached a grounding wire to the terminal, connected it to a power conditioner, and swapped audio/usb cables--all to no avail.

One thing I've noticed is that it seems to happen most often on busy patches involving both analog and digital parts, one or more of which are being sequenced and/or arpeggiated, such as "A06: Pluck Syn." Roland Tech Support said that certain patches might create a "click" if the polyphony was cut off in the middle of a phrase. The way I interpret this is that it might have something to do with how the JD-XA manages voice stealing. If that's the case, that would explain why I haven't experienced the audio pops or crackles with any of the simpler patches that I've created from scratch, which rely solely on the analog side of things.
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PauloF
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by PauloF »

rockstarjazzcat wrote:
rockstarjazzcat wrote:I need to inspect the recording in greater detail, but I believe that it didn't pop during that time.
...actually, there is a definite double pop around 35 minutes or so. The second may or may not have been delay on the patch. Hard to tell from the voice recorder recording.

Will check the clock settings and perform a factory reset for good measure, but otherwise, trying another unit. I'll post here if either solves the problem. Thanks to all who posted.
Welcome to the Clan rockstarjazzcat!!
very much appreciated that you can share your experience on the JD-XA with the other forum members

Thanks and I hope your XA is ok after all
Cheers
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cello
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by cello »

Not good about these popping situations - must be frustrating.

I have two XAs and thankfully no such issues so far.
RonF
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Re: JD-XA Crackling Sound

Post by RonF »

I can't stress enough...if you're having digital clicks and pops intermittently....seek to replace the unit. Its defective. Feel secure in the knowledge that a properly working JDXA has ZERO digital clicks or pops. Indeed, this sucks for anyone who it happens to (it certainly was an inconvenience and concern for me when it happened)...but I suspect its a small number of production units who have this issue. I have no idea what the source of the issue is....but its easy to test of you have THE described issue...by simply turning on and up the delay effect. If the click/pop results in delay taps....then its clearly originating within the XA signal chain internally...and you have a defective unit.
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