Yamaha CLP-230 Very strange issue.

[MackTheknife]

Hello first time poster! Im going to link my reddit post with a video of the issue because it a strange one to describe.
But the quick summary is that i have three keys in an octave that make a "metal" like scratch noise that echo BUT and heres the kicker only when on Grand Piano number one. Which is the worst part because Grand piano two sounds horrible.

Any ideas are welcome. Below is a link to my post on the Piano subreddit which got zero traction.

https://www.reddit.com/r/piano/comments/1du5005

 

[Gourockian]

That is a very weird noise indeed. Do you also get it playing the same notes in a different octave?

 

[MackTheknife]

Nope just this octave and only on Grand piano 1. I also plugged is some external speakers as I thought it may be an issue with the built ins. Issue persisted.

 

[Gourockian]

The only suggestion I have is to try a Factory Reset which should be mentioned in the User Manual.

 

[MackTheknife]

I did try that and should have mentioned that in my post. Did that a few times to no avail. Such a strange issue. Even when I put the piano on demo mode when a song plays notes from that octave it makes the same noise

 

[Gourockian]

That makes it even more weird but at least it rules out any keybed issues. The only other thing I can think of is to open it up, disconnect and reconnect all the plugs and sockets, perhaps spraying them with Deoxit. To be honest, I doubt if it will help but might be worth a shot. Maybe others on the forum will have some further insight that will aid you to resolve the issue.

 

[Biggles]

Try plugging in a iphone or ipad and using a VST.

If all is OK then use that permanently.

 

[Gourockian]

As well as trying the suggestion made by Biggles, if you have or can borrow another Midi keyboard and cable, you could try connecting them and see if the sound is normal. I would suggest connecting your's first as Master and then as Slave. Just make sure you connect Midi Out on your keyboard to Midi In on the other instrument and follow setup instructions in your manual. Then reverse the connections.

 

[MackTheknife]

I'm sorry I'm kinda new. What do I do with the iPad/iPhone once it's plugged in?

 

[Biggles]

https://download.yamaha.com/migrated_files/57948.pdf

In your iPad load Garage Band it is a free App and once connected start the App and you have access to the instrument sounds that are included in the App. This will prove if the DP has a degraded set of piano 1 Sound Sample files.

Another thing, when you play the Demo files, do they play without any input on the keybed?

 

[MackTheknife]

The demo doesn't move the keys at all if that's what your asking. I'm not sure on the technical aspect of how it plays the demo though. If it's just pumping a prerecorded song through the speakers are actually sending signals from the respective keys

 

[pcmtech]

hmmmm..
could be a faulty speaker where the speaker come is deteriorating

 

[MackTheknife]

That was my first thought as well. So I hooked up some external speakers and wouldn't you know it the issue persisted. Oddly enough only out of the left speaker both with the external speakers and internal

 

[Gourockian]

hmmmm..
could be a faulty speaker where the speaker come is deteriorating

I'm not sure why a speaker issue would only be noticeable when playing just three notes in one octave and only on one sound setting.

 

[pcmtech]

If the same defects come through with headphones, then i suggest replacing the main (DM) board. part # WD88550R

 

[happyrat1]

Is this thing under warranty? If so, then make it Yamaha's problem.

 

[happyrat1]

Have you tried reinstalling the current firmware?

 

[MackTheknife]

No. I was thinking of doing that though. But couldn't find where to download it.

 

[happyrat1]

No. I was thinking of doing that though. But couldn't find where to download it.

Contact Yamaha Support for your country. A search comes up negative. But if anything sounds like a factory defect it's this one. They may even end up emailing you the file directly. More likely though, knowing Yamaha they will ask you to ship it to authorized service in your country at your own expense. Terrible support network

 

[Gourockian]

No. I was thinking of doing that though. But couldn't find where to download it.

Yeah, it doesn't look like it's available. I've checked a number of Yamaha sites but no firmware download shows up for your model. According to this site, https://www.keysound.co.uk/FAQ/Find-out-the-age-of-your-Yamaha-Keyboard-or-Organ-or-Digital-Piano/5, the CLP-230 was introduced in 2005 so no chance of a warranty repair unfortunately.