When playing the keyboard at church the sustain will sometimes cut off during play. It starts of fine but then stops sustaining notes after a few songs. I brought my keyboard from home to use and the same thing happened even though I'd never had that issue with my personal one before. Could something be interfering with the sustain function?
Sustain malfunction
- Thread starter BDowns
- Start date
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
What make and model keyboard? Have you tried a different pedal?
Gary
Gary
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Without make and model numbers of the church keyboard and the pedals used I can't even begin to help you.
Gary
Gary
I will get them on Wednesday. However, I'm not sure how it's relevant because I used two different keyboards and pedals and they both did the same thing. I will post again when I have the other keyboard info. I'm wondering if it's possible that the sound system or electrical at the church is interfering somehow. I'm not sure if that even a possibility. It's just strange that it is doing the same thing with two separate keyboards.
The Y_man
Moderator
When you say sustain - is the output from your board just the notes? (no accompaniment etc)
Is it being fed into the church PA?
If so, it sounds like a noise gate that is too aggressively set.
The Y-man
Yes I believe I'm just talking about the notes. I mainly use a classic piano setting. When I play chords or individual notes the sustain doesn't hold them and it sounds clipped. It seems like it starts after I've been playing for a little while. Yes it is going through the church system. I don't know much about it but I will check into the "noise gate" suggestion.
The Y_man
Moderator
Yup - definitely sounds like a noise gate setting.
Noise gates are used to shut down the audio channel below a certain volume so that annoying "hum" doesn't come through the system.
If the "threshold" (where it shuts off the channel) is set too high, it thinks the last part of your note is "noise" and shuts it off (can be very abruptly depending on the setting).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_gate
The Y-man
The Y_man
Moderator
I just realised - if they can't/won't adjust the gate - try upping the output level on the keyboard (and obviously lower the level at the mixer).
If the gate is the issue, you need the "sustained" part of the note to be effectively (much) louder than the background noise.
The Y-man
If the gate is the issue, you need the "sustained" part of the note to be effectively (much) louder than the background noise.
The Y-man
I took a pic of the equipment we are using. The first two is what my board is plugged into. The last one is what we use for the microphones. They are connected somehow also. I believe the first one goes through the last one. Sorry I can't be more precise. I'm not sure if this helps at all...
Attachments
I don't think it's a matter of them not doing as much as not knowing how to.... We are a new church and very small still.
The Y_man
Moderator
Ok - got me stumped - that's a pretty straight forward powered mixer.....
Looking for other ideas....
The Y-man
Looking for other ideas....
The Y-man
The Y_man
Moderator
Unfortunately I am out of ideas - can you try the last one - raise the output volume of the keyboard (on the keyboard itself), and lower the "level" on the mixer your keyboard plugs into, Let me know if it makes a difference.
Also - does the keyboard have a headphone output? If so please check if the sustain is working when you play through headphones (although you have mentioned it happens to 2 different boards)
The Y-man
.
Also - does the keyboard have a headphone output? If so please check if the sustain is working when you play through headphones (although you have mentioned it happens to 2 different boards)
The Y-man
.