Very good point 5pinDIN.
I am still awaiting an answer on what caused my first MOXF6 to produce the random spikes and will share the answer as soon as I hear.
Thanks for your help.

I had a similar issue some weeks back and the culprit was the adapter. The adapter was supplying unsteady voltage to the MOXF. So either use a multimeter to test the adapter or try it with another adapter with same rating.

I’ve owned an MOX8 for a few years without issue.  Purchased an MOXF6 this April and have had the note spike problem on a recurring basis.  But with mine it seems to be a separate random noise spike, and not a note I was playing at the time.  I use the board for piano practice, and the noise spike will typically occur once or twice each session.  I don’t travel with the board so corrosion is very unlikely.  I purchased a new Yamaha PA-150 power adapter to see if that would help.  So far it seems the frequency may be a little less, but I’m still getting the spikes with the new adapter.  Very frustrating.  I’m considering returning the board under warranty.

Also verified that the board has the latest operating system, v1.12

Hi guys,

This thread started on Oct 2016, it is Oct2017 now and I just found this forum, I purchased a MOXF6 a month and a half ago, it presents the same problem, randomly and not always when I press these keys E2, G2 and B2, I love all the features this keyboard has but I quickly noticed that the keybed is not as my MOTIF ES7, I was aware the key sensitivity/touch would not be the same as the MOTIF but this problem doesn’t let you play confidently, I mean the key-bed is decent enough but this problem causes you to hesitate about Yamaha’s mid and low price keyboards. I owned a PSR530 and a PSR403, the two previous models presented similar errors after a few years. Since those were cheaper keyboards it was kind of “expected”. I was able to fix some issues of the PSRs after I cleaned the strip and contacts.

However I won’t open the case nor touch my MOXF from the inside since the warranty is still active. I’ll try with another power adapter and I’ll let you know… Oh and I will also let Yamaha know about this issue. So if it happened to you don’t think you’re crazy. At the beginning I thought I might need to get familiarized with the key sensitivity but after a while I noticed it was an issue with the keyboard (I’ve been playing for more than 20 years), the firmware is updated to the latest version so far 1.12.

Fixed!

Ok Guys I found a solution that I hope may help some of you as well.  Note that I posted earlier in this thread and had tried a power adapter swap with no change.  I contacted the store where I bought my MOXF6 and they said they never heard of anyone with the problem, but suggested maybe a ‘reset’ would help.  He indicated that the board can be reset by cycling the power and holding the highest key down during power on.  He then identified an authorized Yamaha Repair shop if that didn’t work.

Well, I didn’t even need to try the reset procedure. I had relocated the keyboard to a new location, and a different signal path.  The noise spike was happening for months after I had connected the board via USB/MIDI to a laptop.  For the new setup I used the same USB cable connected to a desktop computer, and the spikes stopped.  Apparently, the laptop (a new Dell) was triggering the spikes.  Perhaps Yamaha (or a tech-savy Motifator user) can investigate further and verify the technical details.  Good Luck!

RHproducer - 19 October 2017 05:10 PM

Hi guys,

This thread started on Oct 2016, it is Oct2017 now and I just found this forum, I purchased a MOXF6 a month and a half ago, it presents the same problem, randomly and not always when I press these keys E2, G2 and B2, I love all the features this keyboard has but I quickly noticed that the keybed is not as my MOTIF ES7, I was aware the key sensitivity/touch would not be the same as the MOTIF but this problem doesn’t let you play confidently, I mean the key-bed is decent enough but this problem causes you to hesitate about Yamaha’s mid and low price keyboards. I owned a PSR530 and a PSR403, the two previous models presented similar errors after a few years. Since those were cheaper keyboards it was kind of “expected”. I was able to fix some issues of the PSRs after I cleaned the strip and contacts.

However I won’t open the case nor touch my MOXF from the inside since the warranty is still active. I’ll try with another power adapter and I’ll let you know… Oh and I will also let Yamaha know about this issue. So if it happened to you don’t think you’re crazy. At the beginning I thought I might need to get familiarized with the key sensitivity but after a while I noticed it was an issue with the keyboard (I’ve been playing for more than 20 years), the firmware is updated to the latest version so far 1.12.

Hi, I tried another path as our fellow indicated above but I got the same result, it doesn´t matter if it is or not connected to my laptop.
I uploaded a video as example https://youtu.be/Q3zm6EZbchM and submitted a support inquiry here
https://inquiry.yamaha.com/country/?act=1&lcl=en_WW&auth=none

RHproducer - 23 October 2017 03:29 AM

Hi, I tried another path as our fellow indicated above but I got the same result, it doesn´t matter if it is or not connected to my laptop.
I uploaded a video as example https://youtu.be/Q3zm6EZbchM and submitted a support inquiry here
https://inquiry.yamaha.com/country/?act=1&lcl=en_WW&auth=none

The problem AudioCat described is not at all related to what you’re experiencing. When a few specific keys near each other have velocity issues, it’s typically due to contamination of the key contacts. However, since you mentioned that the MOXF is relatively new and under warranty, having Yamaha look into the problem would certainly be a proper course of action.

Same problem here, again! With my moxf6 i have random velocity spikes as my older mox6 ... i play live frequently.I tried yamaha and local yamaha service and find no solution!It’ s a shame with this keyboards to have such problems from the first and second year of purchase! Because it’s a random fault nobody take care and no warranty! Now i have 2 keyboards out of warranty and they all have problems! My old dx7 from 1987 and my korg 01 from 1991 have nothing to take care after so many years of hard playing, everywhere, outside inside with or without sun, near sea or whatever!.. anyone an idea how to cure these symptoms? Again: velocity of notes as d and Ab or E and Bb go to max and for some time they sound with full velocity on all octaves for some time. It’s not only the velocity, the notes are not in pitch they go eventually out of pitch and you can not play with these keys in a live situation.Reseting the instrument ,changing power wall wart,on/ off many times after some waiting do nothing. Normally i power off for half an hour or somerhing then power on again.It goes away for some time!I can play normally for many hours! After 1 week or 1 month or 6 months it will do it again! That’s all,thanks again!

Ok ok in theory all is possible but it didnt work! I think this forum is the best place to exchange experience with these instruments.Or to find solutions reading related articles from other musicians. The people behind yamaha or local services are very conservative in relation to after sale response!They have a nasty habit to say “ bring your machine to check out” then they say “ we dont find anything you are now out of warranty! We cant help you! ! “ Am I right? Im an old man i play since 1974 i can open it clean it etc you name it! BUT i dont want to pay for anti pro keyboard paying 1000+ f...euros ok? Have a nice day and sorry for my attitude i get tired with technical problems after some hours of use! Please! I ve got an old psr which works for years without a hiccup!! Cheap old psr working everyday!

keramox - 04 November 2017 04:41 AM

Same problem here, again! With my moxf6 i have random velocity spikes as my older mox6 ... i play live frequently.I tried yamaha and local yamaha service and find no solution!It’ s a shame with this keyboards to have such problems from the first and second year of purchase! [...]

It’s unfortunate that you’re having continuing problems. As you’ve found, a factory reset or replacing the power adapter won’t resolve what’s happening.

Although it’s not the only possible cause, if the MOX and MOXF have been exposed to high levels of humidity, especially if combined with “salt air”, it’s not uncommon for some corrosion to exist. When all octaves of a particular note (or multiple notes) have problems, the trouble is often due to a poor connection between the keyboard assembly and the main board. The problem can be intermittent - vibration, change in temperature and/or humidity, etc., can affect operation. Powering off and on can sometimes break through corrosion and allow proper operation for a time.

You might try contacting Yamaha in Japan. I would suggest making the points that you’re a loyal customer, that your DX7 and PSR have been very reliable, and that you’re very disappointed in your MOX and MOXF. Let them know that a failure during a gig makes both you and Yamaha look bad. Explain that the problems began while the units were under warranty, and that your attempts to have local Yamaha service fix things were unsuccessful. Hopefully Yamaha will act responsibly. Good luck.

EDIT: If you contact Yamaha, you might want to quote some of what the president of the company said a few months ago:
https://www.yamaha.com/en/about/message/

Thanks very much 5pinDIN you are helpful and very nice! I’ll give a try at yamaha and keep going with the otherwise very good synthesizers!

Hi everybody. I took the unit to the store, the technician said it was a contact rubber issue, they replaced it and they gave me the unit yesterday, I played it around 4 hours without any failure so far. I think I’ll come back after a month and I’ll let you know. Greetings!

Well, I promised to come back and let you know about my MOXF6 keys issue after a month. I can tell it has been working fine, no more issues. I’m glad the store fixed it without any charges and the technician was a kind person. I have taken the keyboard to a few gigs with confidence.

I don’t know why a brand new unit would present issues like the ones I previously described, perhaps it was an isolated situation. Anyway they made responsible and fixed it. It says so much about how good a global company like Yamaha is and of course this store is good as well.

I love all the features and I enjoy playing my keyboard.

Hello Team,

Coming back again and letting you know that yesterday June 05 2020, the board gave another problem, I’m fed up with this, I feel disappointed and I think Yamaha has a problem with certain batches in production.

All Eb and all A keys sound at their strongest value (127) even though I gently play the keys making it impossible to play confidently. Again, similar problem almost 3 years after.

I haven’t changed any behavior, or anything I know it’s the board. I’ve been playing for 20+ years and I only saw this happening to the PSR lines where we know these are cheaper.

In case you have any advice, please let me know. I don’t want to take it to the store and hear what a technician will say but I will have to do it I think.

Greetings!

RHproducer - 07 June 2020 10:55 AM

[...]
All Eb and all A keys sound at their strongest value (127) even though I gently play the keys making it impossible to play confidently. Again, similar problem almost 3 years after.
[...]

Yamaha service manuals refer to black keys as sharps of the white key below, so Eb = D#. All D# and A keys share a pair of key matrix lines. The problem may be a poor connection from the keyboard to the key interface. That can sometimes be caused by environmental conditions (see my November 04, 2017 reply to keramox in this thread), vibration during transport, etc.