MF-103 Odd Rate Behaviour

The Moog Forum Moogerfooger Forum
1

I just got a new MF-103 and I love the rich phaser sounds. However I just noticed yesterday that there is something odd going on with the rate knob when it is adjusted. This might be a bit hard to explain though so bear with me. :unamused:

When I adjust the rate dial the modulation frequency I hear is different from what the apparent position on the dial should be. Only when it is being adjusted though. The frequency heard seems to be proportional to how fast I adjust the dial. As soon as I stop adjusting, the modulation frequency I hear is what I would expect based on the position of the dial.

For example if I have the switch on high and adjust the rate quickly from 1 to 4 the frequency will go up dramatically then settle back to the value I would expect “4” to sound like. :confused: I have a clean unmodulated signal coming straight from my Voyager. Nothing is plugged into any CVs on the 103 and the effect is independent of all other parameters on the 103 except the amount. This doesn’t seem normal to me so I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

2

Any chance you could post a video or an audio clip?

3

So, if I get what you are saying is it is overshooting the knob position based on velocity of the knob twist? Then settling back to the setting.

4

So, for example, going from 1 to 4 sounds like you’re going from 1 to 6 and then back down to 4?

5

Yeah this is pretty much it. Slow adjustments don’t reveal the effect as much. Also it sounds like it is undershooting the rate when adjusting down from the high end of the dial. Unfortunately I have no way of posting an audio clip.

The settings don’t seem to matter much because the effect is always there but in some configurations it’s easier to hear than others. My specific settings are

amount: stun to kill
sweep: 5
resonance: any but it’s more pronounced at higher settings.
switches: high and 6 phase but 12 does the same.

Try those settings and adjusting rate quickly from 1 to 4.

One last bit is that it seems that the average frequency offset during adjustment of the rate knob is high for the “hi” switch setting and low for the “low” setting. :open_mouth: Thanks for the help people! :smiley:

6

I tried it, and I’m not experiencing anything unusual. Do you get the same effect if you use an external LFO?

7

I hadn’t thought of that but I’ll try it this evening. Thanks dunk!

8

Ok there is definitely something wrong. The LFO out exhibits the same behavior but I discovered something else. I don’t hear the problem when I use an EP-2 to adjust the rate. Only when the dial on the pedal is used. I guess I’ll have to get it fixed. :frowning:

9

A quick trip to Asheville and it’s fixed. Thanks Moog! :slight_smile: