Founded back in 1989, Behringer is an audio equipment manufacturing company that has been providing reliable audio devices for more than two decades. Behringer offers a large number of products to its customers, one of which is Behringer Odyssey.
The perfect class and multiple features of Behringer Odyssey make it one of the best synthesizers to be used in audio engineering. The Behringer Odyssey includes 37 full-size keys, 3-way multimode VCFs, Arpeggiator, dual VCOs, 32-step sequencer, and much more.
You can totally rely on these synthesizers for your musical needs. As useful as it is, it also has a few problems that you might want to know before buying it. In this article, we will address these problems and look for their effective solutions.
Behringer Odyssey Problems
- Bad Audio Quality From Synth
One of the most common problems of the Behringer Odyssey synthesizer is that sometimes it gives out bad audio quality, and therefore, you face problems listening to it. Apart from the poor quality of the audio, a crackling sound also accompanies it.
You might be baffled because anyone who would buy the Behringer Odyssey expects it to sound like on YouTube demos. The internal speakers are not good enough, so some of the users plug their earplugs in a stereo jack adapter plug.
You might be wondering that the audio in the phone’s socket through earplugs has to sound crackly and poor. Another reason that comes to mind is the faulty jack adapter plug that might be causing the sound to deteriorate. Basically, the first important thing to accept is that earbuds cannot make anything sound good to you.
Therefore, it is recommended to get your hands on actual studio headphones, studio monitors, and a small mixer. Using earbuds for professionally produced music sounds alright because such music is produced and mixed in a way that sounds perfect on anything.
As far as a raw synth sound with no treatment is concerned, it will definitely sound bad on earbuds. An important thing that you have to remember while using the synthesizer is that most of the problems are not about the unit but what you are using to listen to it.
You cannot expect any sound to sound good when it is pushed through two very small speakers. You just have to invest in better headphones.
- Dirty Noise
Some of the Behringer Odyssey users have experienced that as soon as they brought the unit home and tried to get familiar with it, they noticed spots at the highest points of travel of the High Pass Filter Cutoff slider and VCA main output slider. Those spots lead to dirty noise production.
This problem is clear when the main sound produced is on the quieter side. Even if you try F5 spray, it doesn’t make any difference. It is obvious to assume that this is an inherent design flaw with the Odyssey. The other reason could be the defective sliders. If you find yourself in the same situation, do contact the repair tech.
In most cases, they tell you that this issue is common among the Behringer Odyssey synthesizers. The high end of the slider has a DC voltage which produces a scratchy sound. If you are unable to work with that noise, it is better to send the product back as soon as you are aware of the problem.
- Behringer Odyssey Always Speaking
The last note of newly bought Behringer Odyssey synthesizers always keeps playing in some units. It is possible that 45dB might be down, but the audibility is still very clear. When the VCA envelope amount is turned up to the top, you can hear the definite distortion in the sound.
In simple words, it is like you have Drive on without having Drive on. The background stays despite you taking all the sliders down to zero. The first thing you need to do is ensure that the setting of VCA gain is at zero. If the problem is still there, check for the VCA offset trimmer because it might still be there inside.
As far as the distortion in the sound is concerned, a standard Odyssey with the 12dB filter is supposed to get very loud. The reason is that the addition of resonance adds more loudness to the sound at the peak.
Therefore, it is recommended not to go full bore unless sounds are made with zero resonance. A slider above the AR/ADSR switch is the standard volume adjustment.
- No Sound
It is common for Behringer Odyssey users to experience the problem of no sound from the unit. Users have complained that whenever they encounter this problem, they try multiple troubleshooting tips, but they are not a great help. For example, tweaking the knobs brings no results.
Don’t get distracted with the power LED coming out properly because that is for the output. The unit can fail to give any sound even if you have the right parts in the right spots. Just like that, this issue can persist despite the properly soldered connections in the system.
The first guess of a Behringer Odyssey user would be that probably too much heat got to the ICs while soldering. The critical observation of this problem reveals that a damaged component might be the root cause of no sound from the Behringer Odyssey.
You should also keep a check on the soldier joint along the signal path. The reason is that it can be broken or damaged. The next thing that you should confirm is that the attack, depth, and release knobs are all the way to the left. You can run a test by plugging in the computer speakers or headphones.
If there is no sound, check the audio section of the circuit board and make sure that the solder joints there are in optimal condition. Wherever you suspect a poor connection, note it down and have the technician fix it.
There is a slight possibility that you might not hear any sound even after trying the troubleshooting tips mentioned above. In that case, you need to look at the voltages around the audio section and make sure that there is no problem with the functioning of the section.
- Random Behaviors
Whenever you observe a random behavior in the Behringer Odyssey synthesizer, check the cables and connectors. Ribbon cables have fragility added to them, especially the ones running between the board and the control panel. They are the ones that cause most of the problems.
The reason is that it is quite difficult to stop them from vibrating. Therefore, you need to run a check on them and keep them in good condition. If they have deteriorated in one way or another, get them replaced as soon as possible.
You should also take a look at the user interface devices like pots, switches, encoders, and buttons. There is a high chance of these devices getting abused in the heat of the moment. So it is better to keep inspecting them regularly.